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In the previous post, we talk about auto focus, how it is used and what its strengths and its weaknesses. In this article, we would like to cover details on some of shooting conditions where the auto focus is not the good option and the manual focus is the one that should be chosen to get expected results.

1. Macro/Close Up
When you do macro/close up photography, the distance between the lens and the object can be very close and the depth of field can be very shallow for about few millimeters only. With such close object, the focus can be very difficult when you use auto focus. For instance, when you shoot insects and want to get the focus of their eyes and the auto focus is one in charge. You will find the focus that falls on the eyes is possibly not sharp. For such case, you will need the use of manual focus instead and move the ring by yourself to get the intended part.

2. Low light
This condition is pretty common where the auto focus will not work properly because the lack of light can make it very difficult for it to find the object unless you use AF-Assist which usually disturbs the object. For some kinds of lighting, your eyes can be better to find the object rather than the camera. When the LCD blinks a message “Subject is too dark”, actually, our eyes are still able to find the focus through viewfinder. So you may co-operate your eyes with the manual focus and you will get sharp image on the objects you want even in low light condition as well. Read the rest of this entry »

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First, I would like to explain what a “kit” lens actually is. A kit lens is a lens that is usually bundled in the package when buying a new DSLR camera. For beginner DSLR kits, the kit lenses bundled in are also beginner lenses and cheap in price. But if you have the opportunity to buy an advanced camera such as the Canon 5D mark II, the lens bundled is also advanced. For example, 5D mark II is bundled with the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L USM that’ll cost over $1000 separately.

So if the assumption was that the kit lens is always a cheap and low quality lens, this isn’t necessarily true. But it is undeniable that most kit lenses are low quality and cheap.

Currently, camera and lens manufacturers have upgraded the quality of the kit lens. And if compared with the quality set 3 to 5 years ago, the photographs produced by kit lenses are getting better with a more flexible zoom range.

The difference between cheap and expensive lenses

So how do you maximize the use of these kit lenses in order to get high quality photographs like when using more expensive lenses? Of course first you must understand the differences between these kit lenses and its more expensive counterparts.

Cheap kit lenses usually have these weaknesses: Read the rest of this entry »

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As we first enter the world of DSLR cameras, one of the confusing aspects is trying to translate the meaning in lens labels. In this entry, I would like to explain the various models of lenses and what that entails. For this entry, I will use Canon lenses as the case study.

– Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS


This zoom lens is usually included as part of the entry DSLR (such as the Canon 1000D, 450D, 500D, and others) starter kit.

Canon EF-S: This means that this lens model is designed especially for DSLRs with cropped sensors (in comparison to the full frame sensors). These lenses cannot be mounted on a full frame DSLR body, such as the Canon 5D or 1Ds. Read the rest of this entry »

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Since the rising of Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM, there are so many DSLR Canon camera users who get slightly confused to choose fix lens in small size and affordable price. For the size, Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM is the smallest lens of canon today. The length is just about 2.28 cm and its filter diameter is 52 mm. it is very thin which can save space and at a glance it looks like a camera without a lens. And for the 50mm f/1.8 one, the length is 4.1 cm. regarding the weight, these two lenses are the same. It is about 130 g.

The question is, with similar price and specification, which lens will be better for purchase and which one gets the better quality?

Let’s discuss it one by one: Read the rest of this entry »

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Vignette in photography is loved and is also hated by photographers. By its existence, vignette can beautify the view of a photo and sometimes can also make it look indecent. Vignette appears because we purposefully add it using special filter or digital imaging software. Apart from that, usually lens camera makers try to create ones with minimum amount of vignette effects using high quality optic that can be very expensive. So then, what is vignette actually?

What is vignette?

Vignette is an effect appearing on the outskirts of a photo that looks darker than the middle part. It can be like a thick shadow or degradation of color that comes thin at the center and gets darker to the edge of an image depending on the type of the vignette. Read the rest of this entry »

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