Technique
FAST LENSES
Nikon’s Z 58mm f/0.95 might seem extravagant, but the widest apertures can work wonders
Fast workers With more and more very wide aperture lenses available, how do they help with low-light shooting – and what are the considerations? We spoke to three photographers working across portrait, landscape and street
T
he advantage of fast lenses comes from their very wide maximum apertures. Pound for pound, more light means faster exposures at lower ISOs, which are useful across the board, and the secondary effect of aperture – depth of field – gives photographers creative choices. More light also makes AF more efficient. These benefits can be felt in almost any sphere of photography and across the next few pages we’ll hear from how they help photographers who are
working in very different subjects. But before we get started, it is important to understand just what fast lenses are. This is a slippery term and whether a lens’s maximum aperture defines it as ‘fast’ depends on several factors. It’s also highly relative. For starters, there’s focal length. A 50mm f/1.8 lens might not be seen as particularly fast by modern standards, but a 135mm f/1.8 lens would be, particularly as that’s about the fastest you can practically go at
that focal length. Similarly, a 14-24mm f/2.8 is considered fast for a full-frame zoom, but a prime lens at any of its focal lengths wouldn’t be. What’s more, just as with focal length, what’s considered ‘fast’ is relative to sensor size. On smaller-sensor systems, like APS-C and Micro Four Thirds, you’ll find options stating wider maximum apertures than full frame, but when equated to a bigger sensor the effective aperture falls. Of course, despite all their benefits, fast lenses have drawbacks, too. Comparatively, they’re larger and heavier than ‘slower’ lenses, so not right for all occasions. The very fastest lenses usually don’t feature AF, and you might find that sharpness isn’t at its peak when shooting wide open, where you’ll also see more vignetting. They’re also more expensive, so you need to choose wisely when it comes to investing. Let’s find out more.
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