70-210 Zoom lens - Please help - I'm very new!
Jennie
new to this, and need some help.
My father gave me a Canon T50 camera that he obtained several years ago. I
went today to try to purchase a zoom lens to take some landscape pictures.
I purchased a Vivitar 70-210, that I was told is one of only two lenses
still made for this camera. My understanding was that this gave me the
capability of various zoom levels, for example, to zoom a little or zoom a
lot so that the same lens would take different pictures from different
"distances". However, I can only get it to focus at one level. For
example, if I stand in the street, and look at houses down the street, they
are closer and in focus. However, as I try to "get" even closer, they just
get very out of focus. I can't bring them into focus at a closer level.
My question is, do I even understand what it is that I'm supposed to be able
to do? If so, any ideas on how to make this work? I'm taking a trip soon
to view covered bridges, and want to be able to take a picture of the entire
bridge, and then maybe just a part of it, all from the same location. Am I
missing something? I thought the different numbers (70-210) meant it would
do anything between these two distances?
I know this is probably a very stupid question, but I really need help!
Thanks in advance.....
Jennie
Tony Spadaro
the camera. I would return the lens immediately and get a refund as he
probably overcharged you to boot. Even if he charged a fair price he did
force you into choosing that lens by lying about availability of others -
enough reason to avoid the store. Check the price at this website to compare
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
Vivtar lenses are not very good. They are pretty much the cheapest you
can buy.
As to the focus. The lens is a zoom lens it can focus as close as about
5 feet. There are two controls however - zoom and focus. Zoom determines how
much the subject will appear to be enlarged from the size it apperas with
the naked eye. The 70-210 refers to this enlargement - 50 would appear to be
about normal. 70 is slight enlargement, whiel 210 is about three times
larger than it will appear at 70.
There is also a focus control, with a distance scale usually, on the
lens. At the tope of the lens as you hold the camera horizontal there will
be a mark - this is on the barrel, while there will be distance marks on a
collar that is somewhat larger than the barrel. THe distance is usually in
feet AND meters but it could be in one and not the other.
--
The Camera-ist's Manifesto
a Radical approach to photography
http://home.nc.rr.com/tspadaro/
Chapel Hill artist Tony Spadaro
Dark Alley Photography
http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/magor/tony
"Jennie" <jen...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Nvbx6.1901$IJ1.1...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
dor...@attglobal.net
zooms. I don't know which lens she purchased - probably one of the
newer, slower, cheaper vivitars. But Vivitar did make (label) some very
good equipment.
Mark Morgan
:-)
"Tony Spadaro" <tspa...@ncmaps.rr.com> wrote in message
news:71cx6.231748$Z8.49...@typhoon.southeast.rr.com...
Jennie
also says f4.5-f5.6 and Macro 1:4x. I have no clue really what any of this
means to me. I paid $119 for the lens. I really have never used a camera
before, other than the $40 point and shoot types. However, I'm beginning to
develop an interest in taking landscape pictures, and knew I needed more.
So, I talked my dad out of his camera. Anyway, I was able to solve my
original problem. My question now is, as I start taking pictures with the
camera and lens, what do I need to know as a minimum to make sure the
pictures come out? I know there's lots and lots of intricacies to picture
taking with exposure length, light, etc. but if I just point, focus, and
shoot, will my pictures come out?
Tony Spadaro <tspa...@ncmaps.rr.com> wrote in message
news:71cx6.231748$Z8.49...@typhoon.southeast.rr.com...
Tony Spadaro
this kind of s**t though and still recommend you make him eat the lens -
publicly.
However getting down to your questions - what you need is a good book or
two. This forum can answer a lot of questions, but you sort of have to know
the questions to begin with.
The library is a great source for free reading material, and there are
used books shops in most towns that usually have several books on basic
photography. Almost any book on the subject will do as they have diagrams to
show how things work and cover all the basics of exposure, film types,
lenses, etc.
At The Camera-ist's Manifesto there is a book list. It's far from
comprehensive but these are some of the books I've found useful for my own
learning or in teaching others. There are a couple lessons in basic
photography too - but nothing particularly organized - just hte stuff most
books don't seem to cover very completely.
--
The Camera-ist's Manifesto
a Radical approach to photography
http://home.nc.rr.com/tspadaro/
Chapel Hill artist Tony Spadaro
Dark Alley Photography
http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/magor/tony
"Jennie" <jen...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:wamx6.3771$RF1.2...@bgtnsc06-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Mrboffo08
and you want to do landscape work, go to a shorter zoom. Something in the 28-90
range.
Dmitry Yaitskov
> If it is the Vivitar series 1 70-210 3.5 constant aperture. KEEP IT!
No, it's not - here's what the original poster wrote:
>> The lens I bought is "Vivitar 70-210 F/Canon FD" It also says
>> f4.5-f5.6 and Macro 1:4x.
--
Cheers,
-Dima.