Large zooms, what do you use them for?

This may seem like an odd question, and I know many people have different needs in a camera than I do, but I have to ask, what are people using these extreme long zooms for? Like the 18x zoom on the s8000fd? I am using the s6000fd, with the 28-300 (equiv) zoom, and that covers the range I had with my SLR film camera. And to be honest, I almost never used the long zoom on that, and rarely now with this camera. I much prefer having the wide angle available to me, than to have more zoom range.

So what is it that people are using these extreme zoom ranges for? I see comments about how they have to have at least (fill in the blank here) amount of zoom. I really wonder if peple actually use that extra length, or realize that the more zoom packed in a lens, generally the lower the quality?

People have to have all of that zoom capability because it's available. If something is available we just have to have it. Availability of something makes it a necessity.

I have made this comment before. My son-in-law has a Nikon D70 and a fairly respectable collection of different lenses. He works for the Nature Conservancy and travels extensively. He has taken some outstanding photographs. He tells me that he takes 90% of his images with his 18-55 mm lens.

I once was in Jackson Hole Wyoming in the summertime and decided to ride the tram to the top of the Teton Village ski resort. One of the other passengers was proudly carrying a camera with a huge fixed focal length lens on it. Personally, if I'm going to the top of a mountain I want to be able to capture the Vista, not another mountain peak that is 200 miles away or a tree at the bottom of the mountain.

Just knowing that something is available seems to immediately make it a necessity for someone's photographic equipment arsenal.

I admit when I first bought digital I was a bit concerned about the lack of wide angle as I really enjoyed my 24mm on film. However I haven't found it restrictive at all, my widest digital is around 35mm (inc my DSLR). Thank goodness for stitching software.

However I do keep finding myself wanting more reach and have started using a 1.7x converter with my 300 lens on my SLR just for that little bit extra! I still find I'd like a bit more as them little birds really don't fill the frame and my stalking ain't what it used to be! mmmhhh 500mm on a compact...

One of the reasons I abandoned my thoughts of purchasing a S6500/S9600 was they stopped at 300mm! Each to their own I guess

--
Walt

http://picasaweb.google.com/waltdall

I got my S8000fd with it's 18X zoom in hopes I could get a decent close up action shot from any seat at a sports arena or football field without having to use a flash. Only have had the camera for a little more than two weeks and I having a blast just playing around with it, mostly in macro mode which is the greatest I've seen on any camera I've owned before.
--

'Kicking Back With My S8000FD' & S700,let's share pics at [email protected]

Jim Hess said:

People have to have all of that zoom capability because it's
available. If something is available we just have to have it.
Availability of something makes it a necessity.

Click to expand...

Well, much as with more megapixels, I assume people think the same way about zooms. But more is not always better.

Jim Hess said:

My son-in-law has a Nikon D70 and a
fairly respectable collection of different lenses. He works for the
Nature Conservancy and travels extensively. He has taken some
outstanding photographs. He tells me that he takes 90% of his images
with his 18-55 mm lens.

Click to expand...

I find the same thing, but them again, I do mostly landscape type photos. So that range fits the need.

Walt_A said:

However I do keep finding myself wanting more reach and have started
using a 1.7x converter with my 300 lens on my SLR just for that
little bit extra! I still find I'd like a bit more as them little
birds really don't fill the frame and my stalking ain't what it used
to be! mmmhhh 500mm on a compact...
One of the reasons I abandoned my thoughts of purchasing a
S6500/S9600 was they stopped at 300mm! Each to their own I guess

Click to expand...

All fair enough. I don't take a lot of wildlife pictures, so that's not a need for me.

I'm curious, do you find this camera reacts quick enough, and focuses fast enough at full zoom to be good at wildlife? I find with the s6000fd that with the EVF that there is enough image lag that I have a hard time working with moving subjects. Of course, I'm still getting used to it.

I have two little ones, who mug for the camera and want to see themselves on the LCD the minute they realize I am taking a picture of them. I got tired of trying to capture them playing and doing kid things, and having the action stop when they saw the camera. So I picked up the S6000 to shoot across the yard at them.

After I got a taste of the long zoom I realized I enjoyed the occasional moon/bird shot too.

No way I could get these first two before the long zooms











Plus the longer the zoom the better you can get the small sensor blurred backgound trick.





Long zooms are mostly for the three B's Birds-Bugs-Blooms

Also if you use a macro lens on a long zoom the close-up magnification increases as you zoom in and the distance away from your subject increases. So you can get safe distances from the danger.



--
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!

Ps... I agree with you about the wide end of the zoom being more useful in most shots.... The long end is just a lot of fun when I am bored....
--
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!

topless beaches. miami/south beach in particular.

ChumsGum said:

topless beaches. miami/south beach in particular.

Click to expand...

Ok, there's a situation I had not tought of! Although if I tried that, my wife would smack me silly!

RickWells said:

I'm curious, do you find this camera reacts quick enough, and focuses
fast enough at full zoom to be good at wildlife? I find with the
s6000fd that with the EVF that there is enough image lag that I have
a hard time working with moving subjects. Of course, I'm still
getting used to it.

Click to expand...

Mine is the S5600, so it tops out at just under 400mm and the evf is even poorer than the S6500 (I believe). Mine has a max refresh rate of 30fps but I think I remember yours can do 60fps? That makes a massive difference to following action with the F30 that I can use sometimes. To be honest the evf is useless and I often have no idea what I'm taking a photo off in the distance unless I check first with the binoculars first! However it can work (I think) if you watch and anticipate the action of the wildlife.

Here is a few examples taken this month to try and back up my words









Could the camera be better for wildlife? You bet!

--
Walt

http://picasaweb.google.com/waltdall

--
-----------------------
Regards,
Steve

By the way on the last picture of the bird (female stonechat) the camera refused to focus on the bird but would only focus on the background. This is normal and because I know this I just focus lock on something at the same distance and then reframe. If the light was significantly different I would focus on something at the same distance and then switch to manual focus and then reframe! Not exactly perfect! And I cannot tell it is out of focus unless I take the picture, review it and zoom in on it!

--
Walt

http://picasaweb.google.com/waltdall

You are funny and you have the memory of an elephant...
Thanks for grins and the tears--

Sadie the Wanna-Bee...
Not just a Supermodel - but a Superfly Model.... RIP

-
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!

More zoom is not just a selling factor, there are many uses for it, i am another one who love to have zoom. What for? Reaching and framing.

-If i want to get the picture of someone but i am too far away, i use the zoom.
-if i want to frame only a person or a group, zoom on them.

-If there is a literature i need to to read but its to far to see, I use the zoom.

-Wildlife, it's pretty hard to get close to a wild animal, specially birds, so zoom is handy again.

There are so many uses for a zoom we could debate this for long time. So for me, if IQ is not compromised, the more zoom the better.

Sure i must admit wide is as important and and as useful too, specially for indoors, large groups and panoramas.

--

'Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes improvements and improvements lead to excellence!'Just practice!

Fujifilm Finepix E550 and F20
Pentax K100d

I use long zooms and close-ups frequently.

Perhaps the motive for using such lenses is a desire to compose a photo that emphasizes a particular object as opposed to a broader "scene".

When photographing people I tend to like candid views with a face or upper body dominating the photo. This is easiest to do with a long lens (esp the candid part).

For wildlife, birds, etc, my images are a close look at the critter and pay little attention to the critter's immeadiate surroundings so I like a long, fast lens for high magnification & shallow depth of field.

In thinking about the topic I realized I do the same thing at the other end of the lens spectrum and my close-up images are dominated by an object of interest, not a story telling "scene".

Therefore, I'm beginning to believe that the long lens syndrome is sometimes more than a desire to have the "biggest" and reflects an outlook on the world that pays attention to details rather than broad brush or story-telling scenes.

I don't mean to imply that one approach is better in any way, just different.

Sometimes I have great difficulty in composing a photo when there's tension between my interest in the overall scene and a detail within it. Life is heck!

Dave