What Does a 55 200mm Lens Do: Tips and Tricks for Telephoto Photography
Nature and sports photography are two of the most interesting genres related to photography as they can produce some of the most awe-inspiring and stunning images that you can see. The photographer is often credited, but they would not be able to do without knowing what does a 55 200mm lens do and how to use it more efficiently.
Also known as a telephoto lens, the 55-200mm lens has an excellent focal length which lets you be as far away as you need to be from a dangerous subject. The superzoom end of the lens also lets you be as close to the scene without crossing over a restricted area, a basketball court or a football pitch perhaps.
What Does a 55 200mm Lens Do?
A 55-200mm lens or a telephoto lens is a versatile piece of equipment as it can serve a lot of purposes and be used in many applications. While it is not a single solution for your photography-related problems, it does bring a lot on the table.
Here are some of what does a 55 200mm lens do for photography:
- Zooms In
As previously mentioned, this kind of lens can bring distant subjects closer which is crucial especially if you are working in an area with restricted access or if the subject is too far from your pre-selected vantage point.
- Isolates Subjects
Once you have zoomed in using a telephoto lens, you can isolate a distant object to provide better details that would otherwise have gone unnoticed and deemed irrelevant. Fill your frame with the distant subject, and adjust the aperture, and you’ll get great shots of things that are invisible to others.
- Wildlife Shots
A 55-200mm lens is a great companion during safaris and wildlife tours as it can bring distant wild animals closer without having to risk your life and limb for the sake of the perfect shot.
- Fills in The Frame
Aside from isolating a distant object, a 55-200mm lens can also help fill in the frame by excluding everything else, both in the foreground and background. Just zoom in on your subject, let it fill the frame and blur the background for some amazing effects.
- Images of The Night Sky
The moon is a naturally beautiful subject that has captured the hearts of many, and it can be challenging to take a photo of it without using a telescopic lens, which can be bulky and expensive to boot. A 50-200mm lens can do almost the same thing as a telescopic lens at a fraction of the cost, and it is more portable, too.
- Gets into The Action
The 55-200mm lens can bring you closer to the action during a sports event, especially if you are covering a racing event or if you are relegated to a photographers’ box. Use your 55-200mm lens to zoom in on the ongoing action and click away.
- Portraits
A lens with the focal range of 55-200mm is something that you won’t really consider for taking close-up shots and portraits, but the shorter end of the lens can do exactly that. The added ability to blur the background can definitely highlight the subject of your portrait.
- Depth of Field
As previously mentioned, 50-200mm lens lets you fill the frame, and isolate distant objects which means you can also blur the background easily as well. This complements the sharpness of your subject and takes the distractions away from it, too. Nobody likes a noisy image background!
Tips and Tricks for the 50-200mm Lens
Working with a 50-200mm lens can be exciting as it expands the number of ways that you can express your creativity, but knowing how to work within a brilliant and efficient way takes it to a whole new level. Here are some tips that you can use for using that 50-200mm lens of yours.
- Use A Tripod
While a 50-200mm lens is zoomed in, it becomes sensitive to the smallest of movements which can make or break the shot that you want to take. Use a tripod to stabilize the camera to support the weight of both the lens and camera while ensuring that each shot you make would be as sharp as sharp gets.
- Use Shutter Release
As previously mentioned, the slightest movement can cause an image to blur at the wrong time, and this includes the act of taking the photo as well. Use a shutter release to minimize unnecessary movements for that blur-free shot.
- Telephoto Effect
A 50-200mm lens can be used in a unique way wherein you can achieve the illusion of bringing several subjects of variable distances to appear very close.
- Turn Stabilization Off
While sitting on a tripod, the image stabilizers or vibration reduction feature of your camera can produce blurred images as the feature can be triggered in error. Turn the image stabilizers off when you’re going to use a tripod to avoid any less than sharp images.
- Use Ultra Shallow DoFs
A 50-200mm lens has an optical characteristic that allows it to produce shallow planes of focus which can provide a non-distracting background, further enhancing the perceived focus on your subject.
- Pan It
A 50-200mm lens is a great tool that can produce wonderful photos of almost any subject that happens to be moving. It does take practice and a lot of experimentation with blurring the background and motion blur.
- Go Crazy with It
The moon is your limit while you get close to the ground. Mount your 50-200mm lens on a tripod, and equip it with a shutter release and wait for that astronomic event to happen. You can also attach some tubings to the lens to shorten the focusing distance and produce macro-esque images with unique details.
Final Thoughts
A 50-200mm lens is a great addition to any photographer’s kit, and its versatility can bring your skills to a whole new level. Play around with the settings, and use attachments when necessary to bring out the best shots that you can while exploring the world of sports and nature.
Remember that this set of photographic lenses can bring you close to the action, and it can provide you with impactful action shots as well as the close-ups of animals that most would rather stay away from.