ONE lens most photographers usually have in their collection is the telephoto lens.
Bigger, longer and heavier than most lenses, a telephoto lens gives a closer perspective of the subject in focus since it has a narrower field of view, allowing you to easily pick up and isolate your subject from the surroundings.
Telephoto lens include those with zooming ranges of 55-200mm, 70-200mm, 70-300mm, 100-400mm, 300mm, 400mm and 500mm.Normally,the bigger the focal length numbers, the bigger, heavier and more expensive the lens.
Because of their size and weight, people normally carry these lenses for specific photography such as birding, landscape, sunrise, sunset, street, human interest, sports, wildlife, etc.
While carrying them may be troublesome, the results from these lenses, especially the better ones such as the 70-200mm f/2.8 or 300mm f/4, are mind blowing.
Below are some examples of photos taken with telephoto lenses.
FOCUS AND FREEZE: The telephoto lens is one of the best tools to freeze a fast moving subject. Using a 70-200mm lens at 200mm focal length and1/1250 sec shutter speed, I managed to freeze this Australian magpie as it was about to perch on a steel pole in Sydney.
PANNING: If you’re shooting a sporting action from a distance, try some panning shots with your lens. I used a 70-300mm lens at 70mm focal length to capture these two horse racers at the Bromo Caldera in West Java.
SUNSET: Take your telephoto lens if you plan to shoot the sunset as it will give a more pleasing and targeted look. This shot was taken at the Bay Area in San Francisco as the sun was about to go down with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground.
LOW LIGHT: Use a telephoto lens with large aperture like the 70-200mm f/2.8 if you want to shoot in a low light environment. I set my lens aperture at f/2.8 to isolate the boat against the background of the Ganges riverbank in Varanasi, India.
CAPTURE DETAILS: A telephoto lens is useful for capturing details from a distance. The stone-carved patterns high up the minaret of a mosque in Istanbul can be clearly seen with the usage of a telephoto lens. This photo was taken at 170mm focal length.