An evening in the city

When you live and work in or around London you often don’t appreciate what’s on your own doorstep.  You get caught up in the day to day, trying to get to where you need to be as quickly as possible whilst avoiding the crowds and trying hard not to get squashed on the tube!

On Friday evening, after a pretty hectic week of hiring out lenses, camera hire and other photographic equipment for rent at Lenslocker HQ, we decided to get on the other side of the lens and take some of our rental kit out for a stroll around the St Pauls area. We then headed across the river and along the Thames to Waterloo.  Earlier in the week Mr M, while at the Magento conference, had spotted a great angle to photograph the city’s famous cathedral and wanted to take the opportunity to take a few shots.

Despite being in the middle of rush hour, dodging people and traffic and trying not to get too soaked in the rain, we managed to get some amazing shots from a range of different angles and from different perspectives.  The photos really capture the essence of St Pauls cathedral, though Mr M complained heavily about how much the roadworks cluttered up his shot!!

On the way home and not one to miss an opportunity……… while I sat on a cold platform at Stamford Bridge waiting for the train home, Mr M got out his Canon EOS 5D MKIII and attached it to the tripod.  The photos taken on that cold and lonely platform are really amazing considering the little time we had, it just goes to show that you should never miss an opportunity as you never know when you’re going to get that great shot!

Jo, 

LensLocker camera and lens hire.

Taken on a Canon 24-105mm lens

The Piccadilly line speeding through Stamford Bridge

An extra few millimetres goes a long way!!

A standard 18-55mm kit lens, for most photography opportunities will cope more than adequately. However, sometimes a few extra millimetres could make a world of difference to your photographs, especially on cropped (APS-C) sensored cameras. That panoramic vista, a little extra width on your environmental portrait or reaching the top of that building for a more dramatic composition.

If travelling, you also need to ensure that not only you take a small and lightweight lens, not only do you need to cover all the focal lengths you wil need to maximise picture opportunity. Canon’s 10-22mm EF-S lens is just such a lens, it has been designed and optimised for crop frame sensors and it is ultrawide-angle.  Tests on this optic have shown it to be a solid performer, punching above its weight optically, with low levels of aberration and distortion. It has Canon’s renowned USM focusing system, for fast, near-silent auto focus (AF), and is well put together too.

This is one of the most popular Canon lenses for hire at LensLocker, and with costs starting at just £24 for three days, why not treat yourself and give it a try? They also have a range of Sigma and Nikon lenses, flashes, tripods, memory cards and other photographic equipment for rent.

ps: The advert below and a version of this article appeared in the October edition of Photography Monthly magazine – check it out – it looks good!

If you would like to read about what lenslocker can offer you please look at our about us page.

Our Sigma lenses - Nikon fit

The Sigma camera lenses below are the ones we currently have in stock for Nikon camera bodies.

About Sigma:

OS = Optically Stabilised

DG lenses will work on full frames sensors and cropped sensors, and DC lenses only work fully on cropped sesnors.

You can mount a DC lenses on to a full frame camera, however, you will get black around the edges of your pictures because the image circle is only designed to fill a cropped sensor.

Sigma DC Lenses:

10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC
18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS

Sigma DG Lenses:

12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG 

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG (another great lens and a rival for it's Nikon counter part. In a recent review in one of the camera magazines this scored as high is the Nikon version.)

50mm f/1.4 EX DG

50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS

70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro

120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG (this is a big optic and the lens filter is 105mm!! With it's wide aperture it is great with a Sigma 2x teleconverter (extender) making this lens a 240-600mm beastie)

We like to keep our stock fresh and new and we therefore sell on our older lenses, if you would like to be kept informed of what we are selling on please drop us an email on buylenses@lenslocker.co.uk, you may be able to grab yourself a bargain.

We also stock Nikon and Canon lenses, look at our lens pages for further details. We are constantly updating our equipment (either increasing volumes or broadening our range) so check back regularly. If you are unable to find what you were looking for please let us know as we may be able to get it in given enough notice.

LensLocker Lens Hire London, we also rent out cameras and other photography equipment. Though based in London we can deliver right across the UK.

Canon teleconverters and compatible lenses

Compatible Canon lenses with Canon's

 1.4x and 2x teleconverters

Date : 27th August 2012 by Martin Barnes

Canon teleconverters are designed for photojournalists, sports and wildlife photographers who want to shoot distant subjects without having to carry additional heavy lenses.

Teleconverters are only compatible with specific L series lenses, the following charts provide the details of that compatibility.

Canons 2x MKIII teleconverter is compatible with the following Canon lenses:

Canons 1.4x MKIII teleconverter is compatible with the following Canon L series lenses:

Additional information:

With a teleconverter attached the Image Stabilisation on a lens may not work with the following cameras: EOS 650, 620, 630/600, RT, 700, 750, 850, EOS-1, A2/A2E, 10s, Rebel/Rebel S, Rebel II/Rebel SII, 550D

When a teleconverter is fitted the f-stop (also known as the aperture) will be reduced. The f-stop indicates the size of the opening on a detachable lens. the larger the f-stop the smaller the lens opening.

LensLocker camera rental and lens hire UK.

Lenslocker and the Bristol Balloon Fiesta 2012

The 2012 Bristol Balloon Fiesta took place 9-12th in the beautiful August sunshine. The 34th year of the balloon Fiesta didn't disappoint with an estimated 500,000 visitors over the four days (300,000 attending on the Saturday alone!).  Visitors were treated to amazing balloon ascents (193 balloons ascended on the Friday), parachute displays and a sky dive, the RAF Falcons, the Blades and of course the famous Night Glow.

We were really proud to be one of the sponsors of this year's event and it was lovely to be able to host our competition winner, Allan Kendall and his wife Kirsty on the Saturday and Sunday and give them the opportunity to experience the event, test out some of our Canon cameras and equipment that we usually hire out and enjoy an overnight stay in a Bristol Hotel.

The overall 2012 sponsor for the event was Jones Lang LaSalle, they were lucky enough to be 'pulled out of the hat' at the 100 Club Gala Dinner back in June of this year.  We had everything crossed that we would get chosen and were very excited at the thought of having a hot air balloon with our logo on that could be seen from across the Ashton Court site....it wasn't to be this year but maybe next....!

The event kicked off for us with the Business Breakfast networking event at 6am Friday morning debating how sport and business can work together, the followed the mass balloon ascent into the early morning August sunshine.  There were over 190 balloons that took to the skies over the course of Friday and they provided a fantastic photo opportunities for everyone attending.

Saturday, despite glorious sunshine, proved to be a little blustery for the full mass ascent. As a 100 club member we were privileged to be able to walk through and get photos of the balloons as they were inflated. A small number of balloons did manage to take off at 6am and the pictures on this page capture the colour, shapes and the process of getting these fabulous balloons inflated and into the sky.

The rest of our weekend followed a very similar pattern and it really was a wonderful experience to be able to support this great event, enjoy a weekend of beautiful sunshine, meet some of our customers as well as some of the other sponsors and enjoy just a little bit of relaxation time ourselves!

We are already looking forward to adding our name to the sponsor list for 2013.

Jo,  LensLocker Director. DSLR Camera Hire and Camera Lens Hire UK. We stock Sigma, Canon and Nikon lenses.

Photographing New York

Earlier this year I got the opportunity to visit Montreal after I was invited to my cousins wedding. This seemed like a great opportunity to try and add some shots to my portfolio and I quickly set about planning what I could fit into my trip to get the most out of my time.

After doing some research I decided that I just couldn’t miss the chance to explore some of the USA while I was that side of the Atlantic and the draw was most definitely New York and the opportunity to explore the Big Apple.

With my flights to JFK booked and car hire organized to coincide with the last day of my stay (car parking in Manhattan is as much as the hire car!) I began planning what I would do with my time.  Travelling on my own meant I had the freedom to decide on my own itinerary and so I decided to spend 4 days in NY, drive up to Boston for the 4^th July celebrations and then drive on up to Montreal in time for the wedding (I must admit I was a bit nervous about the amount of time crossing the America/Canada border would take but it proved to be a very quiet day, I was the only car going across at Midday)!

First stop New York City!  I’ve never been to New York before so wanted to see as much of the city as possible and take a stack of photos. After consulting the guidebooks I decided to speak to a friend who had visited the city a number of times, she threw a few ideas on the table and I took lots of notes with a view to doing some further research when I got home.  However, it appeared my friend was as excited about my trip as me and the next day I got an email containing a NYC Photography Challenge!  Not one for being told what to do I was a bit skeptical at first but her challenge turned out to be exactly what I needed to make best use of my time whilst I was there. The task itself also helped me choose the gear I would need to have with me on the trip  :-).  This normally takes ages….!!

My photography challenge consisted of the following:

• A picture of Manhattan from Brooklyn
• A picture of the Brooklyn Bridge
• Photography from inside the public library
• Grand central station
• Times square
• The empire state building
• The Guggenheim museums grand staircase
• A view of Manhattan from the Empire State Building
• A view of Central Park from the Empire State Building
• A picture of a taxi
• A reference to the London Olympics
• An arty shot (my choice)
• 
  

I had great fun rising to this challenge, finding the shot that captured what was asked of me, adding my own individual spin and I will be forever grateful to my friend for setting me the task!

In the second part of this blog I will include all of the pictures and provide some information my recommended route around the city (on foot).

What really struck me was how great am idea this challenge was, and how good it would be to be able to share this with other like-minded photographers.  To try to kick the concept off I’ve set up a heading within the Darkroom (our blog site, just off our main hire site),  where you can share your challenges, set your own or why not ask to be challenged if you’re off on a City break!  Just add your challenges, requests, tips or hints to the bottom of the blog and we’ll share them with others!

LensLocker is an online company and that provides Nikon, Sigma and Canon Lenses hire, we also stock other photographic gear for rent. We deliver our products UK wide.

Our Sigma Lenses - Canon fit

The Sigma camera lenses below are the ones we currently have in stock for Canon camera bodies.

About Sigma:

OS = Optically Stabilised

DG lenses will work on full frames sensors and cropped sensors, and DC lenses only work fully on cropped sesnors.

You can mount a DC lenses on to a full frame camera, however, you will get black around the edges of your pictures because the image circle is only designed to fill a cropped sensor.

Sigma EX DC Lenses

10-22mm f/3.5 EX DC

18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS

Sigma EX DG Lenses

12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG

50mm f/1.4 EX DG

50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS

50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG

70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG (cheaper than the Canon equivalent, this is a fantastic lens so don't be put off)

70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro

120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG 

120-400 f/4.5-5.6 DG OS (if the Canon 100-400 is not available this would be my next best choice)

We like to keep our stock fresh and new and we therefore sell on our older lenses, if you would like to be kept informed of what we are selling on please drop us an email on buylenses@lenslocker.co.uk, you may be able to grab yourself some second hand camera lenses at a bargain price.

We also stock Canon and Nikon lenses, look at our lens pages for further details. We are constantly updating our list of lenses so check back regularly. If you are unable to find what you were looking for please let us know as we may be able to get it in given enough notice.

LensLocker Lens Hire London, we also rent out cameras and other photography equipment. Though based in London we can deliver right across the UK.

File Compression

Many years ago, when I was the cheapest and most inexperienced programmer in a small software house I was given a little boring job. I had to type in a program, written in a book, into a computer. The program was for file compression (LZW). The program was to be used to shrink the size of scanned documents. These were big images and they needed to be small. They needed to be small for two reasons. Firstly they needed to take up less room when stored and the also written and read from storage quickly. Strangely enough compressing and uncompressing a file is much faster than writing or reading an uncompressed file to/from a disk. The same is still true today. Most of the little gadgets in your pocket and also in your home compress and uncompress files for exactly the same reasons.

Compression works by breaking the image down to small chunks with the assumption that there will be many chunks that are identical. That chunk will be stored once and then all the places on the image where the same chunk would be, are stored too. The compressed file would simply be an instruction of how to recreate (uncompress) to a file that was an exact copy of the original. We call this ZIPPING/UNZIPPING.　 If the original file was "uncomplicated" then the compressed file would be very much smaller than the original.

We can make these files more useful by attaching information to file. For example which camera was used and the date that the photograph was taken etc... The most common type of this file is called Lossless TIFF. A Lossless TIFF file can be uncompressed to recreate a exact copy of the original saved image.

If you reduce the detail in an image, for example, the number of colours and resolution of the image then you can easily end up with a file which will compress to a much smaller size. However, you'll never be able to recreate the detail of the original file.

The most common type of this type of file is the JPG. The clever part of making a JPG is to reduce the detail without it being noticeable. This is why its the most popular image file format for the internet.

As photographers we like to use Camera RAW so we don't loose any of the detail within the picture. The problem with this is that as cameras develop and sensors get bigger we not only have to think about the size of our memory card but the amount of storage we need on our PC's! I am currently putting together a blog on storage to take this thread on a step further.

For camera rental and camera lens hire uk choose lenslocker. We are based in London and ship our products country wide. We stock Nikon, Sigma and Canon Lenses amongst other photographic equipment.

We have another blog (Cafetographyhttp://www.cafetography.co.uk) within our website, if you have a spare 5 minutes check it out.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Date : 2nd August 2012 by Martin Barnes

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta runs from Thursday 09^th – Sunday 12^th August and is one of the UK’s top five outdoor events and the biggest of its kind in Europe.  Attracting over 500,000 visitors over the four days, it is an amazing event and in the year of the Jubilee and the Olympics it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

This year the Fiesta will host two spectacular Nightglows and Firework Displays on both Thursday 9^th and Saturday 11^th August.  There will be mass ascents of over 150 hot air balloons on each day and the event will be rounded off on Sunday with ‘The Blades’, a spectacular four-plane stunt team performing over 30 separate adrenaline-filled manoeuvres.

LensLocker is proud to be one of this years event sponsors and to celebrate this fact we’re offering one lucky person the opportunity to come and join us at the Fiesta on Saturday 11^thAugust.  The lucky winner will receive two VIP tickets, the chance to use the 100 Club Pavilion as their base for the day, free parking AND overnight hotel accommodation at the Holland House Mecure Bristol on the Saturday night.  And in order that you can capture the sights, shapes, fun and atmosphere of this amazing event we will also provide a Canon 7D and a lens for use throughout the day.

To have a chance of winning this fabulous day out all you need to do is click and share our blog by using one of the buttons on the left hand side of this page and send your name and contact number to bristolballoon@lenslocker.co.uk.  You will then be entered into our free prize draw.   Closing date for entries is 21:00 on Monday 6^th August and we will announce the winner on Tuesday 7th August.

We are really excited to be part of this amazing event and would love to be able to share it with you.  For more information about the event visit www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk and as entry is free why not stay and enjoy the Sunday as well!

Terms of the Competition:

* The competition is only available to residents of the UK
* The closing date for entries is 21:00 on Monday 6th August.
* We will send you an email confirmation when we have received your details – look out for the chance to have a second go at entering!
* Entries received after this time will not be entered.
* Only one entry to the prize draw per email.
* The winner will be chosen at random after the competition has closed
* The winner will be notified by telephone in advance of the announcement on Tuesday 7th.
* Photo ID and proof of address must be provided before the tickets are dispatched.  Tickets will be sent by registered mail and must be signed for.

* The winner will receive overnight accommodation for two including breakfast.  Any additional charges will not be covered by LensLocker and MUST be paid for by the winner.
* Hotel accommodation will be confirmed once the winners have been selected.  LensLocker reserve the right to change the hotel details if required.

* The Canon 7D and lens will be provided on the day and will need to be returned to LensLocker before leaving the event.  The lens provided will be dependant on availability but will either be a Canon 24-70mm, 16-85mm, 24-105mm or 10-22mm

* Tickets or any other part of the prize package CAN NOT be sold on
* In the event that the winner is unable to make the event the tickets can be passed to a friend or family member only after agreement with LensLocker
* In the event that the winner (or a friend or family member) is unable to make the event then the draw will be re-run.
* For more information or any queries about the terms of the competition please contact us at info@lenslocker.co.uk


Lenslocker is an online camera rental and lens hire company based in London.  We provide our lens hire UK wide and if you live in or around London you can come in and pick your equipment up. We have a wide range of Nikon, Sigma and Canon lenses, we also have a wide range of other photographic gear.

If you would like to learn more about what Lenslocker can offer you please read our about page.

An extremely bitter taste

We had our first 'negative' experience since launching LensLocker recently when not one, but a couple of our orders had not been returned! Of course we've had a couple of occasions where parcels have turned up late, nevertheless in these instances a quick call to the customer has confirmed that the lens or camera has been posted and the delay has been the fault of the courier.

Not this time around.....despite all our efforts we've been unable to reach the customers either by telephone, email or letter, and we have now accepted that we are highly unlikely to retrieve our photography kit.

We have spent a few days feeling hopeful (maybe they are going to turn up!), frustrated, disappointed, angry and after that very angry! I'm now feeling resigned to the fact that such a thing happens and hopeful that the police, that are now involved, will be able to help us resolve this situation.

While the whole experience leaves an extremely bitter taste the single thing that we are absolutely sure of is that we have to learn from this experience. What are we able to do to minimise the risk without deterring customers from using our services? What can we offer in regards to delivery and collection which provides added assurance that our kit will be returned? What further checks can we do in advance to try and flag potential areas of risk? These are all things that have now climbed very quickly to the very top of my 'to do' list!

Regardless of this slight setback we continue to love our business and dealing and interacting with our customers. We are continuing to grow and we're building our range of equipment and our stock levels. We take great pride in the service that we provide and we are getting great customer feedback. We're launching new and exciting offers, we're keeping our website fresh with new banners and designs and we're working together with our developers to guarantee we're getting the most out of our stock and our website.

And the best bit of news this week....we hit number 2 for certain keywords on the search engines - not bad for a company which isn't even 6 months old! Now we need to continue to working hard to remain there and we intend to work as hard as possible to do just that!

lenslocker specialises in lens hire uk wide ( we stock Canon lenses but also stock Sigma and Nikon lenses) and camera hire, we are based in London so if you live in and around the area you can come and pick up or drop off.

Silver halide crystals

Many years ago I was given a guided tour around a photographic film company and they gave me a generalised view of the process.

In the very old days there were many ways to make photographs. The method that won was a black and white process based on Silver halide crystals. These crystals have lots of silver on them. They aren't black initially but they're ready to change to metallic silver (which strangely is black).

When light hits the crystal a tiny bit of silver gets changed to silver metal. The rest of the crystal remains unchanged until processed. When the film (or paper) is processed the first chemical uses the little bit of silver as a seed to change the rest of crystal to silver. The second stage of processing dissolves the unchanged silver halide crystals.

So how do you get colour? You cover each silver halide crystal with two layers. One to make the crystal sensitive to a particular colour of light and another layer to make the desired colour when the crystal is processed. The metallic silver and the unchanged silver halide are both dissolved leaving only the colour. Choose the colours for the layers to make the film either positive or negative.

Now it’s nearly all digital so all of the above is old hat! For those of you that are still pre-digital you are keeping the camera film industry alive. As soon as we stop buying film manufacturers will stop making it and our old film cameras will soon become a distant memory.

For those of you not yet sure about the 'digital age' of photography or who want to experience what it can provide before you move across why not hire a camera or lens to try it out.  LensLocker have a wide range of the most up to date digital photography equipment for hire so why not give it a go? 

We stock Sigma, Nikon and Canon lenses, soon we will be extending our range to include Zeiss.

Nikon V1 review

Nikon's V1 is marketed as a quality bridge camera, and it pretty much lives up to expectations. It has the characteristic solid feel that sets even entry level Nikons above their immediate competitors; The body is a compact chunk of kit which has a satisfying weight to it. The lenses which come with the kit likewise have the build quality you expect of Nikon and fit quickly and tightly to the body.

As an SLR user I deliberately tried to get stuck into the V1 without using the instructions, to see how easy the transition was. Assuming you're happy to let the camera go full auto, you're on safe ground here. Point and shoot is very easy, and the results will beat any compact camera you care to name. If you're looking to go semi manual however, you might find that aperture and shutter priority are a tad more difficult to find than on your average DSLR. A quick shifty at the manual should sort that out.

One of the V1's selling points is the frame rate for stills. This is pretty impressive, rating at 60 fps flat out. The disadvantage here is that the shutter seems a little slow to fire off the first frame when you compare it to the speed once it's going. Of course as this is a bridge camera you have to remember there isn't actually a shutter anyway, which means once the camera is firing you don't get to see what you're taking as the processor is busy getting images into the SD card, not throwing them up on the viewscreen for you. If you're shooting sports you'll find this makes it difficult to track your subject.

Notwithstanding these slight issues, one you get down to viewing your images you'll be impressed with the quality. You can shoot in jpeg, raw or both and the camera responds well in low light giving crisp night time shots as well as having a nice depth of field for daytime shots. 

One major issue I did have with the camera was the ability to carry it around like a compact. This is entirely possible but if you are going to be taking zoom shots and wide shots you’d be wanting to switch the lenses a lot. This is swift and easy but for me, it led to getting fed up with putting the kit into separate bags and therefore I kept the camera bare in my pocket.  As a consequence I somehow managed to select ‘format’ on the memory card. It felt a bit too easy to accidentally select this rather final option and therefore I have to throw it in as a negative for the camera.

In summary, a very good bridge camera, excellent picture quality and high frame rate leading to some lovely shots, but the menus are a tad easy to select by accident.

www.lenslocker.co.uk uk Canon, Sigma, and Nikon camera and lens hire.

lenslocker lens hire and camera hire

If photography is your trade, you will probably already know what camera lens you require and what it can do. Nevertheless, it may not always be practical to invest in specialist lenses that are required infrequently and that’s where we come in.

LensLocker was established to give amateur and professional photographers the freedom to try out photography equipment, any time – simply and easily. A new lens can transform your photography and give your camera a whole new perspective but because of the costs associated with top DSLR lenses, few photographers are able to experience the power and astonishing clarity that such specialist lenses can impart. LensLocker allows you to source the right lens for the right job without paying a fortune. Perhaps you require a telephoto lens for wildlife photography, or a macro lens for close-up work; whatever the reason and the occasion, with LensLocker you can get your hands on the lens you want when you want it.

For amateur photographers, LensLocker allows you to test out powerful lenses that might otherwise be beyond your means. It is a great way to take your photography to the next level for those occasions that demand nothing but the best. Alternatively, if you have done your research and narrowed your wish list down to a couple of lenses, our hire service will help you decide which one is deserving of your hard-earned cash.

We stock an extensive range of Canon and Nikon digital SLR lenses and can also hire out ancillary camera equipment including specialist tripods, lights and brackets. There is no need to leave your house to take stock of all this shiny new equipment, we will bring it straight to you. Although based in London, we can securely deliver lenses nationwide via our swift courier service.

If you’ve got a question about our lens hire service, please see our FAQ section. Should you require further information, you can contact us by email and we will be happy to answer your query as quickly as possible to help you choose the lens that is right for you.

Lenslocker has a wide range of Nikon, Sigma and Canon lenses

Lenslocker lens hire and camera hire

Do you need a specialist lens for a one-off job? Are you looking to try out a new camera before deciding whether to buy it? LensLocker is the smart way to evaluate the latest and best photography equipment on the market. Photography magazines and review sites can only tell you so much. To determine whether a lens is right for you, you need to be able to test it over an extended period time. Here at Lenslocker you can do just that with our wide range of Nikon, Sigma and Canon lenses and cameras available to hire.

Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a seasoned professional, we’ve got a range of lenses, cameras and accessories to suit your needs. Our hire service enables you to acquire a specific lens for a job or to simply audition a new model that you’ve been eye'ing up without paying top prices. The whole process is beautifully simple – four steps and you’re through! If you would like to experience what a new camera lens can add to your camera, you’ve come to the right place – they’re all stored right here in LensLocker.

Deciphering Lens Categories. Lenslocker Camera Hire and Lens Hire.

At lenslocker Camera and Lens Hire we know that having the right camera lenses can really help to improve your photography and give you a real sense of creative control over what you are trying to achieve.  However, choosing the right lens can be a complicated task especially when terminology and categorisation of lenses between manufacturers isn’t always consistent.

As a photographic accessories and DSLR camera lens hire company we get many people asking for advice about what type of lens they should hire for a particular job and we endeavor to provide them with consistent and practical advice to help them make the right decision.

To remove the mystery and help reduce confusion we adopt a relatively simple approach to the categorization of lenses and we focus on focal length.  The focal length of a lens determines its angle of view and therefore how much the subject will be magnified for a given photographic position.  Wide-angle lenses have short focal lengths (e.g. 10-20mm) while telephoto lenses have longer focal lengths (e.g. 70-200mm).

The following table provides an overview of lens categorization according to their focal length and an idea of what you might use that lens for.  Please note that the focal lengths listed are just rough ranges and actual uses may vary considerably as people will use a lens that feels comfortable for them and it doesn’t always fit into what is outlined below.

Lens focal length	Category	Photography style
< 21mm	Ultra Wide Angle	Architecture & Landscape
21-35mm	Wide Angle	Landscape
35-70mm	Normal	Landscape, Weddings & Documentary
70-130mm	Medium Telephoto	Portraiture
>130mm	Telephoto	Sports & Wildlife

Of course there are always other factors to consider when choosing the right lens including cost, size, weight and lens speed but hopefully the information above will help reduce the confusion over what type of lens you might need.

If you’re still unsure about what will work best for you, why not try out a lens before you invest in it, this will ensure that it is really is right for you.  Visit our lens page http://www.lenslocker.co.uk where we have a wide range of Canon, Sigma and Nikon lenses for hire. We also provide camera hire.

Hire lenses and Cameras, we also stock other photographic equipment