Camera Accessories

Teleconverters

Teleconverters are optical devices that when attached between the lens and the camera body, increase the focal length of the prime lens. They come in 1.4x and 2x versions. If you attach a 1.4x converter to your 300mm lens you change its focal length to 420mm, with a 2x converter you end up with a 600mm lens.

Teleconverters slow the lens down by 1 stop when you use 1.4x or 2 stops with a 2x. For example, a 300mm f-2.8 becomes a 420mm f-4 with a 1.4X, and a 600mm f-5.6 with a 2x converter attached. Generally there is a loss of sharpness when you use wide apertures.

Newer models however, are so good that you can't tell the difference between shots taken with or without a converter. Buy the best converter you can afford and use it with your longer lenses. The cost of some models are high but the quality you obtain is worth the investment. Teleconverters are available in 4 , 6, and 7 element versions. The higher the element the better the converter.

35mm SLR, 300mm Lens,1.4x converter, Fuji Velvia 50, Bogen monopod. Spot meter, at f-4 and 1/125 sec on aperture priority and autofocus.

Avoid using teleconverters with short, zoom, and mirror lenses as most of these lenses don't work too well with a converter attached. Do an experiment with your different lenses to find out which combination works best.

Another area where you can use a converter is in close-up photography. Attach a 2x converter to your 100mm macro lens at life size and you arrive at twice a life size. You can photograph a butterfly's wing with this combination and the loss of sharpness is not a problem since you almost always stop down to gain some depth-of-field.

35mm SLR, 100mm macro Lens, 2x converter, Fuji Velvia 50, Bogen tripod. centerweighted meter, at f-22, shutter speed not recorded, aperture priority and manual focus.

Recommended Teleconverters

Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 AF 1.4x Teleconverter & Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 AF 2x Teleconverter

1.4X: KENKO Teleplus Pro 300 converters are made with high quality multicoated optical glass supplied by Hoya corporation, the worlds largest manufacturer of optical glass. This glass will match the optical quality of the prime lens (even at the edges, unlike many teleconverters on the market today). The optical design of the elements and light path is wide enough not to cause any vignetting. They are designed specifically to be use with telephoto lenses of 100mm or above, and work best with telephoto lenses of 200mm to 500mm. The PRO 300's can be used with telephoto zoom lenses as well as prime lenses, but, due to their design, Kenko does not recommend them for lenses that have a zoom range that starts under 50 mm. Kenko PRO 300 converters are intended to be used with expensive telephoto lenses and larger camera bodies. They have all metal lens mounts in both front and rear, as well as a metal core, to support today's heavy professional camera bodies.

2X: KENKO Teleplus Pro 300 converters are made with high quality multicoated optical glass supplied by Hoya corporation, the worlds largest manufacturer of optical glass. This glass will match the optical quality of the prime lens (even at the edges, unlike many teleconverters on the market today). The optical design of the elements and light path is wide enough not to cause any vignetting. They are designed specifically to be use with telephoto lenses of 100mm or above, and work best with telephoto lenses of 200mm to 500mm. The PRO 300's can be used with telephoto zoom lenses as well as prime lenses, but, due to their design, Kenko does not recommend them for lenses that have a zoom range that starts under 50 mm. Kenko PRO 300 converters are intended to be used with expensive telephoto lenses and larger camera bodies. They have all metal lens mounts in both front and rear, as well as a metal core, to support today's heavy professional camera bodies.

For Canon

For Nikon

Extension tubes:

These are tubes that when attached between the lens and the camera body they allow the lens to focus closer. Extension tubes have no glass built in them. They are usually sold in a set of three with 12mm, 25mm, and 35mm being the most common ones. How close can you get with one of these? It depends on the tube and the lens you are using. Magnification= extension/focal length. If you want to shoot at life size with your 50mm lens you need 50mm of extension, with a 25mm extension you'll get to 1/2 life size. The major draw back to extension tubes are some loss of light and you loose infinity focus. You can also use tubes with telephoto lenses to increase their close focusing distance.

35mm SLR, Tokina 80-200mm Lens, extension tube, Fuji Velvia 50, Bogen tripod and Pan/tilt head. Centerweighted metering at f-22 and 1/4 sec on manual exposure mode and manual focus.

Filters:

I don't use filters very often. I only carry a polarizer, an 81B, and two ND graduated filters. Many people use a UV or a Sky light filter on their lenses for protection. All lenses are at their sharpest without a filter attached. When you place a filter in front of any lens you degrade its quality to some degree. Don't put a $10 filter on a $500 lens. You wont see the quality you paid for in your lens. My advice for protecting your lens is simple, be extra careful not to scratch it! or simply place a lens hood.

Polarizing filters increase color saturation. Bluer sky, greener grass and so on. They also remove reflected highlights from shiny surfaces such as glass. Warming filters such as 81B are used on overcast days to warm up the scene. ND filters are half clear and half tinted. They come in a variety of colors such as orange, yellow, gray, and pink. I use ND gray filters to create a balance between the highlight and shadow in a scene. Don't buy screw on graduated filters as you can't adjust where you want to place the filter, buy a rectangular one, they allow you to place the filter any where you like.

There are hundreds of special effect filters that you can buy. I'm not a great fan of these filters but they are fun to play with. If you like to use these filters, don't just place the filter over the lens and shoot, try to be creative.

Tripods:

Photographers hate tripods. They are a pain to carry and set up. But if you want sharp, well composed pictures, a tripod is a must. Holding a camera and a long lens makes it difficult to produce sharp photos. I always try to use a tripod, and when a tripod is not possible I use a monopod (a one legged tripod). Buy a sturdy tripod that can be used at ground level. This will allow you to shoot smaller subjects such as close-ups. Don't buy a light weight tripod. If you place your camera and a long lens on a light tripod you risk vibration since the tripod won't be able to hold the weight.

Tripod Heads are another thing to consider. Pan and tilt heads offer great control in composing your picture but they are slow to operate since you have to work with three different controls. Ball heads have only one control. When you loosen the control all movements are free. If you need precise positioning such as in macro photography ball heads are hard to work with.

Films:

If you are using film cameras, first you must decide between slide or print films. If you want to make enlargement or to show your work to others, print films are the choice. If you want to sell your work you need to use slide films. Almost all publications use slide films. Slides are sharper than print since you are looking at the original. You also have more control over your pictures, slides are made inside the camera the moment you press the shutter. With print films you are at the mercy of the printing machine at the lab unless you do your own darkroom work. B & W films are another choice. Here I highly recommend setting up your own darkroom for total control over your prints (see Darkroom ).

Use a fine grain, sharp film. ISO 50's and 100s are great for slide films. For print films ISO 100s and 200s are good choices. Experiment with different types of films and pick the one you like best.

Flash:

In low light situations where you can't get a high shutter speed or simply need more light for your subject a flash is your solution. Most modern SLRs have through-the-lens (TTL) metering. With TTL flash the camera calculates the exposure. This does not mean that you will always get proper exposure. Like other metering modes the camera will try to make everything as medium tone. If your subject is middle tone you are all set otherwise you need to make adjustments to your exposure according to your subjects tonality.

35mm SLR, Tokina 80-200mm f-2.8 Lens, Fuji Velvia, flash. Bogen Monopod. Multi-segment metering, at f-5.6 and 1/250 sec on aperture priority and manual focus.