|
Lens Accessories
A wide-angle lens
converter attached to the camera using a lens adapter.
Many lenses have threads into which you can screw filters and other accessories. Here are just some of the accessories you can attach.
- Only a few digital cameras have interchangeable lenses. Most have a built-in zoom lens that cannot be removed. To change its focal length, you use lens converters that screw in or slide onto the zoom lens.
- Lens hoods protect the front element from bumps and keep stray light from striking the front of the lens and causing flare or ghost images.
- Caps protect the front and rear of the lens when it's not in use. A body cap protects the camera when no lens is attached.
- Protect filters keep the front element of your lens from getting scratched or dirty.
- Circular polarizing filters remove reflections from glass, water, and other reflective surfaces, darken blue skies, and improve color saturation. If you use a linear polarizing filter, you can't use autofocus.
- Skylight filters reduce the blue casts you often get when photographing subjects in the shade on sunny days.
- UV filters absorb ultraviolet light and cut the haze when photographing landscapes or from airplanes.
- Neutral density filters cut the light entering the camera so you can use slower shutter speeds or wider apertures in bright light.
- Soft focus filters soften the focus to make portraits more flattering and to make hazy, romantic landscapes.
- Close-up lenses magnify the subject without affecting aperture settings.
- Color conversion filters let you fine-tune the way you capture colors.
A polarizing filter (left) darkens the sky and removes reflections from foliage so it has more color. A shot without a filter is shown at the right.
As a rule, use only one filter at a time or you may get vignetting.
|
