Purpose behind cheap lenses?

9 years 1 month ago #425369 by Duncan K
These lenses are going to work good under perfect lighting, you slip over that threshold and that glass is now obsolete.  It seems that most of the crop sensor cameras get the short end of the stick.  If you want good glass you need to go full frame.  


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9 years 1 month ago #425371 by JeremyS
The purpose is that some people, like mom and her toddler and she wants to take "cute pics" to show off with all of her girlfriends isn't going to want to sink 10k into a camera/lens kit. So the casual users and the people who really don't care about the camera are willing to buy a cheap body with cheap lenses. That is their purpose, and they make them look pretty good by making them look more professional, so people can "pretend" that they are good at photography. There is a lot of those people at my age group, they don't know anything except point the camera at something and press the shutter button. And voila, 2 weeks later you have a "X X photography" page on facebook. That is the use of cheap lenses and bodies :)


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9 years 1 month ago - 9 years 1 month ago #425375 by effron
I have some full frame glass, and it works VERY well on my "crop" body.....;)

Why so serious?
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The following user(s) said Thank You: Baydream
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9 years 1 month ago #425376 by Don Fischer
Cheap? That or inexpensive? I have several inexpensive lens from film days that still work very well on my D70. For a lot that I do I rely on my 28-200 Sigma. Inexpensive or cheap? Seem's like people wanting to trash equipment of any kind refer to inexpensive product's as cheap. You should read the gun guy's, scope doesn't cost $800 it's cheap trash! Shotgun doesn't cost $1500 it's not worth looking at. Ya know, I used to call that stuff cheap too. Finally got it figured out the just because a product is inexpensive does not mean it's cheap. 


The following user(s) said Thank You: Baydream
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9 years 1 month ago #425391 by Scotty
Because they give great results if you know what to get and if you know what you're doing.



Nikkor 35 f/2.  200 dollar lens, sharp as a tack.

When the last candle has been blown out
and the last glass of champagne has been drunk
All that you are left with are the memories and the images-David Cooke.

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9 years 1 month ago #425410 by Alan Nunez
I have a couple of cheap lenses in my kit that I have because I may only use that focal length once every 2 years or it is a cost effective back up Lens.


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9 years 1 month ago #425424 by Camera Diva

Scotty wrote: Because they give great results if you know what to get and if you know what you're doing.



Nikkor 35 f/2.  200 dollar lens, sharp as a tack.



Very interesting shot.  Could I ask you what software you are using for post?  

At the beginning of time there was absolutely nothing. And then it exploded! - Terry Pratchett
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9 years 1 month ago #425450 by Vahrenkamp
I'm going to agree with Scotty on this one.  If you know how to use the lens, you can take some amazing shots.  


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9 years 1 month ago #425451 by Scotty

Camera Diva wrote:

Scotty wrote: Because they give great results if you know what to get and if you know what you're doing.



Nikkor 35 f/2.  200 dollar lens, sharp as a tack.



Very interesting shot.  Could I ask you what software you are using for post?  

                                                                 

Photoshop CC.

When the last candle has been blown out
and the last glass of champagne has been drunk
All that you are left with are the memories and the images-David Cooke.

Photo Comments
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9 years 1 month ago #425452 by Stealthy Ninja

Duncan K wrote: If you want good glass you need to go full frame.  


No offense, but that's just totally wrong.
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9 years 1 month ago #425453 by KCook

Don Fischer wrote: Cheap? That or inexpensive? I have several inexpensive lens from film days that still work very well on my D70. For a lot that I do I rely on my 28-200 Sigma. Inexpensive or cheap? Seem's like people wanting to trash equipment of any kind refer to inexpensive product's as cheap. You should read the gun guy's, scope doesn't cost $800 it's cheap trash! Shotgun doesn't cost $1500 it's not worth looking at. Ya know, I used to call that stuff cheap too. Finally got it figured out the just because a product is inexpensive does not mean it's cheap. 


+1

All of my lenses for my crop sensor Canon 50D are "cheap" compared to "L" lenses.  But I'm happy, and have no plans to throw in the towel.

Kelly Cook

Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/

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9 years 1 month ago #425589 by Joves
As pointed out cheap/inexpensive glass is just fine if you know where the glass performs at its best. Just about every lens has a sweet spot in its f-stop range. For example Nikon has two notorious craptasic zoom lensesthe 55-200, and the 70-300 non-VR versions. Both truly blow chunks wide open, and stopped down, but work really well at f/6-f/11. Also I like cheap lenses. They are great when I want to shoot with something that I do not care if it get damaged, or trashed. Everyone should have at least one or, two disposable lenses in their kits.


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9 years 1 month ago #425596 by Screamin Scott
I utilize many older film era lenses that cost me comparatively little, or as you might say "cheap".... Thing is, they will blow away many current offerings costing much more.... Cheap is subjective, you need to specify whether you mean inexpensive or poor quality...

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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9 years 1 month ago #425715 by Gabriel Photos
Such a good topic and often over looked.  It's what you do with the glass, that's the world of difference.  You can have a $4000 top of the line lens and take crappy shots, however an experienced photographer can take a cheap bottom of the barrel lens and taken a shot that inspires awe.   


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9 years 1 month ago #425786 by Ian Stone
:agree:  


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