Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lenses

Canon EOS350D lens advice required.

StephenF — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:44:32 -0800

Basic photography advice required: what lens should I get to replace the scratched kit lens on a Canan EOS350D? About four years ago I was able to buy a Canon EOS 350D relatively cheaply. I had the intention of getting more seriously into photography, but that has not as yet actually happened.

There's a small scratch on the lens, and I'm going on a once-in-a-decade trip next month to Libya, where I'll be travelling around in the desert and through Triploi and Leptis Magna. I want to be able to take the best photographs I can given my low level of expertise, and it seems like a good time to replace the lens.

I've been through the other AskMe threads on lens recommendations, but they're a bit over my head. What I want is a general-purpose lens to replace the kit lens that will allow me to take upper-end-standard-tourist-shots, hopefully costing less than about USD$500, and which will be useful to me when I do have the time to get more seriously into photography.

I'd also appreciated any general advice you might have on what other equipment would add significantly; I'm thinking along the lines of filters, but am unsure if that's even relevant.

Thanks in advance!

How Dry I Am!

airguitar2 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:37:19 -0800

VisionFilter: Should I switch from rigid gas permeable lenses to soft? I've been wearing gas permeable contact lenses since i was ELEVEN-- about twenty years-- and I've had almost no problem. Yes, there's the stabbing sensation that accompanies any small piece of grit in the eye, and there was the time I accidentally put one contact on top of the other, but overall, it's been okay.

Then, SUDDENLY, in the last month or so, my eyes have become really dry and uncomfortable while wearing my RGPs-- so much so that I find myself wearing glasses about half of the time.

1. Is there something I can do to get back to the comfort-of-old? (I used the protein deposit remover when I think of it.)
2. Did Boston change its cleaning or conditioner formula when it merged with Bausch and Lomb?
3. Is it time to bite the bullet and switch to soft? (My vision is about -4 in each eye, and I've been told I won't have as crisp vision with soft, but perhaps lens technology has changed...?)

Thanks, fellow sufferers.

Easy on the eyes--literally--contacts?

zardoz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:41:38 -0800

After giving up on contacts about 5 years ago, I'm curious about any new types of contacts that are out now that would be easy on my eyes. Short history: I'm nearsighted and wear glasses, but around 10-15 years ago I used to wear contacts regularly. Very gradually over time, the lenses are more and more irritating, and now if I use them they dry out my eyes and become annoying after half a day. Because of this, about 5 years ago I just stopped--they aren't worth the hassle. The brand I've always used was Johnson and Johnson, not sure the specific lens name though.

SO, I'm hoping the technology has improved and there are some contacts out there that are really easy on the eyes. Specifically, I read about a new kind that you can put in and forget about for a month. Sounds amazing if true. Surely if they're designed for a month, I can at the very least get through a full day wearing them. Anyone know about these lenses?

Help me find a new pair of sunglasses

Bahro — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:31:33 -0800

I recently lost my sunglasses, and now I'm looking for a pair to replace them. Something <$100, polarized, good quality sharp lenses, and reasonably stylish preferred. Any recommendations? The sunglasses I had before were Anarchy brand. I liked how they felt, and the lenses were great, but I wasn't too hot on their appearance.

Sunglasses that can be used in a range of activities, from hiking/camping, sailing, hanging out on the beach, etc. are good.

I'm not really that sure what style of sunglasses are fashionable right now, but I don't want anything dorky. (FWIW, I'm male)

Any recommendations of both brands and specific models would be much appreciated!

Transition Lenses: SLR to DSLR

yamel — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:10:20 -0800

When is an old camera lens good enough to influence which DSLR body to purchase? I never had an expensive kit, but have one prime lens used on my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 that I quite like. It's identifying marks include Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1,7/50.

So, I went from really liking photography to moving to digital point and shoots and am now ready to move back to enjoying photography with a DSLR. Is this lens, along with a so-so telephoto, enough to influence what to buy? There's so much confusing information about adapters that I'm not quite sure if this is even possible with the lenses I already have.

By the way, I do understand that this would limit me to manual focus. I'm completely comfortable with this unless you can tell me there are other features other than autofocus I'd be missing out on.

Thanks!

Sub-$300 Rebel XT Lens

archagon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:54:27 -0800

Good sub-$300 Rebel XT lenses? I'm looking for a sub-$300 (but preferably sub-$200) lens for my Rebel XT with the highest possible sharpness and contrast. It has to be better than the supposedly quite decent EF-S 18-55mm kit lens. Primes are okay -- even preferred.

(Everyone seems crazy about the 50mm f1.8, but 50mm is a bit close for me, and I have no idea how well the lens fits my criteria.)

Cheap "Dry Box" For Camera Gear?

justcorbly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:57:25 -0800

Are there cheap alternatives for the large and elaborate "dry boxes" I see listed for use as dehumidified storage cabinets for lenses and other camera gear? I've built up a little collection, live where the summer humidity is often high, and do not run my AC 24/7. My first thought is that this is basically an airtight box with a bunch of dessicant inside. Can't really be that simple, though.

Canon Lens Dirt.

disillusioned — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:09:25 -0800

CanonFilter: It appears I have dirt inside the my Canon 28-135mm lens... Rather, it looks to me like it's on the inner optics, and not the prime lens... I was cleaning my UV filter which has been on the lens ever since I bought it, a year ago, and noticed that some specks seemed to still remain. I removed the filter and looked carefully at the prime lens, but I've never touched it and, frankly, the cloth I was using to clean the filter wasn't aces, so I wasn't about to touch my actual lens with it.

There appeared to be no dirt or dust on the lens itself, but two or three specks were visible on the moving piece of glass beneath the prime lens... which was, to the best of my ability to determine, not an optical illusion, though I could be wrong.

Is it at all possible there's dirty on the inner optics? I also pulled the lens off and looked at the back, but couldn't see anything there at all. The specks seem to bend and fit the inner lens when I move it... so how do I clean it? Do I care?

Some of my pictures at 28mm show dirt specks, but I think that was just the obvious stuff that was on the filter. I haven't shot again since cleaning...

Do I need to worry or care at all? It's my only lens for my XTi, but still, it bothers me... I imagine about the only thing I could do is send it in for repair, so I guess my question is this: is it at all likely or even possible for there to be dirt on the inner optics, or am I just being tricked?

Can I go back to an optician and get a prescription for a different kind of lenses without another exam?

micawber — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:47:03 -0800

Yet another optician question. I got a prescription for reading/computer glasses, but I really need progressives (I think) because I can't see anything closeup without the glasses on. But I don't trust my optician. I went to an optician at the beginning of the year and got reading/computer glasses that are great. The issue is, however, that I've finally come to terms that I cannot see ANYTHING close up without the glasses. Even cooking, eating dinner, is more pleasurable with the glasses on because I can actually SEE with clarity.

My distance vision is still fine. The exam confirmed that. And we talked about progressives but I didn't know enough to ask the right questions and I realize that I basically don't trust anyone who is covered by my vision plan (they tried to forcefully push this extended exam on me, and swore it was covered by insurance, and then never called me back to confirm - and when I called myself to confirm I got a runaround, and finally cancelled the exam).

So the question is, can I go back to him and get a prescription for progressives without another exam? I do not trust them to tell me the right thing, and since I have to pay for another exam out of pocket, I would try to find a decent/reputable optometrist in NYC who isn't going to try to sell me the farm. If I have to pay for another exam I will definitely go elsewhere, but if he can get a prescription together with the results of my last exam then I'll go back there, simply because money doesn't grow on trees. He told me, specifically, "If these don't work for you, come back and we'll get you something that does," since the glasses I had gotten the previous year were worthless and I'd gone back to using the previous prescription, and I'd told him that. But, again, he might say "I can't do that" and I need to know if that's true or not.

Don't it make your brown eyes blue...

amro — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:39:32 -0800

Do colored contacts on brown-eyed people look just as fakey now as they did 20 years ago? I have dark brown eyes, and about 20 years ago I had green colored contact lenses. In retrospect, they looked totally weird and fake. They just didn't have the depth to them that real irises have. Has colored contact technology moved forward any in the last two decades? Are there any colored contacts out there for brown-eyed folks that look convincingly like the real thing?

Replacement eyeglasses 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses

boby — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:36:30 -0800

What happens to my eyeglass lenses overtime? I buy replacement eyeglass lenses from an online company using my old frames and 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses. After about a year of use the lenses suddenly get splotchy and clouded. I use only a soft cotton cloth (an old t-shirt) to clean them. It's not scratched. I don't get any anti glare or scratch resistant coatings applied when purchasing a new pair. I've used 2 different companies with the same result.
Am I doing something wrong or is one year the life expectancy of 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses?

LA - Eyeglasses lenses in an hour (or a day)?

seeka — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:50:08 -0800

Where in Los Angeles can I get eyeglasses lenses (a fairly difficult perscription, at that) in an hour, or a day? Bought great frames at Old Focal's in Pasadena, but need lenses! ASAP! Thanks Meta!

My contacts are driving me crazy!!

mingodingo — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:01:47 -0800

How long should it take to get used to a new brand of contacts? I've been wearing the same brand of contact lenses ever since I started wearing contacts (about 6 years ago). I went to the eye doctor this morning for the first time in a few years, and my prescription had changed fairly substantially--plus she noticed that the type of contacts my old doctor had prescribed do not correct for my astigmatism.

So she prescribed me some different ones. They are not toric lenses (she said my astigmatism wasn't bad enough to benefit from those) but they are a bit more rigid than my old ones, which she said should help with it. The biggest difference, in my mind, is that according to the doctor they are the most "breathable" contacts on the market.

I don't know what it is--maybe more air getting to my eyes thanks to the enhanced "breathability"--but I've been having to blink a lot more today than I'm used to in order to be able to focus clearly on things; otherwise there's a bit of a blur--and sometimes blinking doesn't entirely fix that. Am I being impatient? I have a follow up appointment at the end of the month, so I was planning to try these at least until then. Is there an "adjustment period" for new types of contacts like this?

Sorry, just annoyed by the slight vision issues today and needed some reassurance as to whether this is normal. Thanks!

What Nikon lens should I use for the Presidential Inauguration?

jacob — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:02:46 -0800

I've got tickets to the presidential inauguration. What telephoto lens should I get for my Nikon D50 so that I can get great shots of Obama's swearing in? FYI, I've already got a 50 mm f/1.8 prime lens and an 18-200 mm VR lens, and my plans are to rent an additional lens from BorrowLenses.com for long shots of the ceremony. Although I've got tickets to the event, I'm not sure what sort of seat I'll have -- I can't imagine I'll be that close to the action.

Can anyone recommend a good lens for me from either this list of telephoto or supertelephoto lenses? It needs to be available for January 20th, of course :-)

Which Nikon DSLR lens for trip to Africa? (no there's no safari!)

urbanette — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:02:13 -0800

Which lenses/accessories should I have for my Nikon D60 for my trip to Africa? (no there will not be safaris!) I'm headed to Africa to meet my extended family for the first time. Heading to a country in the West part. We are going to have lots of family gatherings, in and outdoors, day and evening.

As well, we'll be visiting a lot sites so I imagine there will be cool scenery to shoot - wide vistas but some cool architectural details too.

I'm a total novice - bought the D60 kit with the 18-55mm with VR. I have been reading through some of the questions here and figure I should get a zoom lens and/or a wide angle lens. Any thoughts on which I should look for? Does it need to be a VR lens? Would you recommend a mounted flash as well?

Man this hobby is expensive!

new glasses, weird reflections

Ultra Laser — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:41:20 -0800

I'm seeing annoying reflections of lights around the lenses of my new glasses. Are the frames causing this or something else? I recently acquired new spectacles. They're great except that I see reflections of lights above and below the lenses. For example, while watching TV I see the screen reflected above my field of vision. Driving at night is like looking at a disco ball, with taillight and headlight reflections above and below. The reflections vary depending on how my head is tilted.

The new glasses differ from my old ones in two respects -- I got the anti-glare coating, and the frames are translucent plastic instead of thin metal.

I was quick to blame the clear plastic frames. However, my wife mentioned this when calling our shop about her own specs, and they thought it was due to a polish on the lenses that will wear off over time. Well, there is a two week return policy, so I can't wait too long to see if that is the case.

Can anyone vouch for the shop's diagnosis? Should I ditch these frames?

Don't break the little wire?

T.D. Strange — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:19:23 -0800

Glasses Filter: How do I put a lens back into frames without a bottom rim? I got some new eyeglasses recently, for the first time I picked out the semi-frameless type with the metal frame only on the top part and the lenses held in place with a nylon wire that looks like fishing line.

Well, I knocked the lens out within a week, and had to take it back to Lenscrafters to have them fix it. Im afraid that I'll stretch the line or break it if I pull on it myself to make it fit around the lens.

So I dropped them and popped it out again this morning, and a trip across town to the doctor's office is not in my schedule for the next couple days. Is there an easy way to pop the lens back into the frame without messing it up? There has to be a tool or a trick to it, right?

Searched eyeglasses+repair, got nothing. Googlefu is weak as well.

PD's nuts!

gensubuser — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:44:23 -0800

What is wrong with my nauseating (but clear) glasses which do not preserve shape throughout the field of vision? I bought a new pair of glasses online, and love the savings and the looks, but am having trouble adjusting to the new prescription, I think. It is the first time with astigmatic correction, maybe, but there are couple other things that I was mulling over as the possible cause. The nauseating part is tracking an object as I turn my head--it distorts and skews differently depending on where it is in my field of vision (though it is pretty much always in focus). In particular, towards the top things shrink vertically, the top left skews ccw, the top right skews clockwise (it's tough to tell about the bottom).

My new optometrist "forgot" to write down the Pupillary Distance measurement on the prescription, and I was disgusted enough with their salesmanship that I ended up calling my old Lenscrafters to see what was used there (it was within the Net's typical range). But actually, I seem to remember the same thing happening with my last pair, though it that case it was free to have the lenses remade. They came out thicker (about as thick as now, actually), but non-distorting. They definitely remeasured my PD at that point, but may have adjusted the new glasses slightly in person.

I've now read about the "prism effect" which I assume to be produced by a wrong PD measurement. Since I'm tied to the online shop for half-price remakes, is it more likely that:
a) the lenses are somehow inferiorily made in their edge territories, and I should break down and buy local.
b) the PD is wrong, I should be assertive and get a PD measurement from the new doc [or, I should have them measured for accuracy there]
or
c) the new cylindrical measurement, though unblurifying, is distorting in a way that isn't true to my eye at large angles?

Or... something else?

Best Eyeglasses

qsysopr — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:38:44 -0800

Are there any better eyeglasses than Marchon Airlocks with Crizal lenses? I bought my Airlocks three years ago and for the first time, I never had buyer's remorse upon a purchase of eyeglasses. Great style (you can hardly see them) and comfort.
I'm due for another pair of glasses and I'd like to know if any of you believe there's a better pair of eyeglasses available.
Bonus points if the glasses are male or unisex and / or being available at Costco.

Durable Anti-scratch Coatings?

coffeefilter — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:38:58 -0800

[Eyeglasses] Anti-scratch coatings deteriorate after a couple of years. Anyone found durable coatings? Has anyone found durable anti-scratch coatings for eyeglasses? Durable meaning good for 5-10 years, for example.

And fairly tough, i.e., able to withstand regular 100 degree temperature changes. And while we're at it, why not anti-reflective, and anti-fog coatings, too.

And x-ray lenses ... (But seriously, if durable coatings don't really exist, then I figure I should be thinking of eyeglass lenses as a disposable item to be obtained from the internet. Must swear off Lens Crafters, too.)

Filmmaker training, online?

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:59:19 -0800

Suggest online or DVD resources for a new filmmaker to learn about lenses, film formats, shot composition, camera moves, dialogue staging, and other aspects of cinematography & directing? I'd like to get good at directing film, and learning how to do this using books seems old-fashioned.

I want so see examples of shots using different lenses, film formats, compositions, camera moves, camera angles, etc. I've read Film Directing Shot-by-Shot, which is pretty good, but I think that seeing this stuff as a moving visual would be even better.

Is there a website with video tutorials? Or a DVD course somewhere out there?
Other resources I should think about? And I'm open to more book suggestions, too.

Thanks in advance!

Photography filter: Next step up from "digital macro"?

colecovizion — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:09:55 -0800

Photography filter: Next step up from "digital macro"? I've fallen in love with my "digital macro" features on my Canon SD700. I thought it took great shots, up until I searched saw Flickr's selection of macro photos. 2 questions:

1: How does Canon's "Digital macro" mode differ from actually having a macro lens?
2: What is the next step up in getting better hardware for macro shots (camera+lenses)? I'm willing to spend $500-$750 and I don't want it to have a large learning curve.

I'm not a pro and don't want to be. I just want something noticeably closer and clearer than what I have.

Thanks for any help!

lasik vs implantable contacts?

pipti — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:34:35 -0800

What are your thoughts on Lasik versus implantable contact lenses? I've read a little about PRK and it sounds like it might be too painful for me, so I'm ruling it out. I'd like to go with the surgery with the lowest risk of major complications. And the one that lasts the longest.

I want my scifi spectacles!

unSane — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 08:13:47 -0800

What are the technical obstacles to making 'smart' spectacles which would function like the lenses in the human eye? Like lots of middle aged people, I have Presbyopia and need bifocals (although actually I use two pairs of glasses).

Why can't I have a pair of glasses whose lenses are bags filled with fluid stretched into different lens-shapes by microcontrollers, so that they are truly varifocal?

Do such lenses actually exist on any scale outside the eye?

Are square lenses better?

Popular Ethics — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:45:37 -0800

Optics geeks: Why do some cameras matte off a rectangle in front of the lens like this? I see this a lot with (cheaper) point and shoot cameras, film cameras, but not SLRs. Does masking this way cut down on flare? Would the square aperture reduce light to the sensor. Would it make for funny diffraction or bokeh?

Just curious why the two approaches.