Recently, I was handed an assignment about the citizens police academy getting to learn about how the bomb squad operates. Knowing that items far away would be exploding, I decided to take my Nikon 300mm 2.8 along with a 1.4X teleconverter. I used them in tandem with my Nikon D500 (APS-C) sensor that has a 1.5X crop factor.Â
The general rule of thumb is that our vision is similar to a 50mm lens on a full-frame or 35mm camera body. That's why we call the 50mm lenses standard lenses.
Detcord is shown during a citizen police academy meeting Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, near Hub Butte in Twin Falls County.
So what happens when you up that number to 630mm? Well, it feels like either you shrunk down like Ant-Man and The Wasp or you got a front row seat at the movie theater.
Sgt. Ryan Howe talks about the bomb squad Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, near Hub Butte in Twin Falls County.
One of the major changes while shooting at long focal lengths is that your field of view narrows, creating an almost tunnel vision effect. Peripheral vision becomes a joke while looking through the viewfinder.
People are also reading…
Audrey Winger blows stuff up Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, near Hub Butte in Twin Falls County.
This is why most shooters, especially sports photographers, keep both eyes open. That way they at least have peripheral vision in one eye. I, myself am left-eye dominant, making it especially difficult since viewfinders are often placed on the left side of typical DSLR camera bodies.Â
A watermelon is blown up using a blasting cap during a citizen police academy meeting Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, near Hub Butte in Twin Falls County.
Another thing about shooting long glass is the appearance of an extremely shallow depth of field. According to Techradar.com, "the reason longer lenses appear to produce a shallower depth of field is thanks to their narrow angle of view: compared to a wide lens, a telephoto will fill the frame with a much smaller area of background, so any blur appears magnified too."
Police officer Justin Dimond takes a phone call Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, near Hub Butte in Twin Falls County.
So, the next time you're out making pictures try slapping a longer focal length on and enjoy the trip, your photos might thank you!Â