Whenever you purchase a product, you want to have the most value-for-money.. the most back for your buck. One way to get more value, is to exploit the benefits of the product. Yes, a 50mm lens, is a 50mm lens. But what if it you had the option to purchase a 50mm lens, but with an image stabilizer as one of its features? This would either make no difference at all, can make a difference, or makes a world of difference. Of course, whether or not you would benefit from the feature depends on how you use it.
In this article, we will go over a few features that may have the possibility to make a difference in your photos, which are listed below:
- Autofocus
- Image stabilization
- Weather sealing
- Plastic & metal construction
Autofocus
Autofocus, by definition, is a feature that assists with focusing automatically. Mind blown, right? The autofocus systems that you find in more recent cameras has improved drastically over the last decade. One of our very first experiences with a DSLR with autofocus capability, was the Canon 1D mark 3. This was one of Canon’s flagship cameras at that time. It was a rather sophisticated autofocus system, for that time. However, newer autofocus systems simply are just better.. faster and more accurate.
When you are assessing your autofocus system, you want to look at four aspects, which are:
- Accuracy
- Speed
- Area in which autofocus points are spread in the frame
- Autofocus capability in low-light
- The availability of eye-autofocus
The first two aspects are straightforward, as these are what you come to expect from autofocus. The third aspect has to do with how easy it will be to achieve focus on your subject without having to recompose afterwards. This is particularly useful when you have a very shallow depth of field to work with.
The latter two are not the most important aspects of an autofocus system, but can absolutely help. Should you ever find yourself in a low-light situation, which I hope you will, because night photography is just amazing, it would be of great help if your camera is able to focus on subjects in the dark. On the other hand, if you are taking portraits, you want to make sure that you nail the focus on the eye(s) of your subject. Though eye-autofocus is one of the latest technological advancements, it would be one of your top priorities to look for when you plan on taking many portraits.
We have experienced focusing with lenses that could not utilize the autofocus feature. Though it was forcing us, and challenging us, to manually focus, we were so happy to switch back to one that could autofocus. It was actually really interesting to be challenged this way. Knowing that people did not have autofocus before, makes you appreciate the sophistication of autofocus a whole lot more.
Though we can honestly say that it does slow you down, it does make you think a lot more about your composition, your exposure, and your focus. Sometimes, slowing down is the only way to go faster.. if that makes sense to you.
Image stabilization
Are you taking photos without the support of a tripod? Are you more of a run-and-gun kind of guy? Whichever your situation may be, it is always a good thing to have the image stabilization feature, at least readily available.
See, the image stabilization feature works by detecting small movements, and compensating for them inside the image stabilization mechanism. This would either take place inside the lens, around your image sensor, or even electronically. These minimal movements always occur when taking photos handheld. If you happen to take photos on a tripod, which already fully stabilizes your camera, the image stabilization features is useless. In fact, using this features while on a tripod will actually work against you. This is because the mechanism still tries to compensate for movement that is non-existent, resulting in more photos.
Different manufacturers name their image stabilization technology differently. For example, Canon calls it IS, or Image Stabilization. Nikon names it VR, or Vibration Reduction. Fujifilm calls is OIS, or Optical Image Stabilization. Just make sure you do your research, and look for the right abbreviation that manufacturers use for their respective technology.
One thing that you want to keep in mind, is that image stabilization does not compensate for motion blur. For example, if you are taking photos of a fast-paced basketball match, if your shutter speed is not fast enough to freeze the motion, whether or not you are using image stabilization, you will still end up with motion blur in your photos.
Weather sealing
Weather sealing is one of the most straightforward features to explain. As the name suggests, weather sealing helps with sealing and preventing the product from getting any outside particles in. Weather sealing will help prevent dust and water from entering your lens. But, and this a BIG but, it does not fully keep all the dust and water out. It is NOT a dustproof or a waterproof feature. For example, it will offer sufficient protection against splashes of rainwater, but if you take it with you down on your next diving trip, you can be sure that water will enter. Though it offers a degree of protection, your best bets are still to refrain your equipment from being exposed to the elements.
Plastic & metal construction
The type of material used in your product’s construction, will influence the characteristics in its entirety. Plastic is generally less sturdy than metal. However, it is lighter than metal. When it comes to lenses, you generally want to have these house in a metal construction. This will make them more rugged, and will absolutely help in providing more protection.
Not that you will, but everyone has, and probably will, bump their lens against any particular surface at some point. Metal construction definitely help with protecting everything internally. Does this mean that plastic constructions should be avoided at all costs? Well, not really. Plastic construction does make the entire product lighter, which will help in portability. Also, it helps the manufacturer reduce production cost, since plastic is easier to manufacture than metal. This will help with making things more affordable for you.
Then again, should you go for all-plastic constructions? Well, not really either. Though there are some benefits to plastic constructions if you are careful enough, there are parts which you would always like to have more rugged, such as the lens mount. As it is a point of connection for the camera and lens, you do want to be smart about reinforcing that contact point, especially since you are paying your hard-earned money for it.