Lens aperture.

[MattB]

For ship photography, I'm looking at a lens with at least a 300mm focal length but unsure what size aperture I need or would be a minimal requirement.

Also, what sort of lenses are others using? I've seen a couple which may be compatible with the camera but there are a lot of different manufacturers. One that keeps coming to the fore is Sigma.

[Owen Foley]

Sigma are one of the better off-brand lenses and are generally a good product.
If you are looking at a 300mm lens, I think the only one they make is a 300mm f2.8.
That would be a good lens, but heavy and expensive.
For general photography, you wouldn't need to spend that much or carry that weight.

They also have a 70-300mm F4-5.6 zoom lens which would be a lot easier to carry and afford.
The only area it might suffer in would be low light photography, but at f5.6  or smaller apertures, it should be fine for ship photography.

For a bit more reach, their longer zooms are quite good and very popular.
I have a 150-500mm and it gives good results.

[pieter melissen]

Just checked the Sigma program, and apparently the 150-500 is no longer available but the 150-600 F5-6.3 is there and retails at 1175 Euro. I am wondering whether you need such a long lens. Last year I did some shooting with the Canon 500 F4, which is a fantastic lens (and costs the world) but I found that it only worked on smaller ships and hardly on the ones coming in an out of Rotterdam. I think 300 mm is good enough, the haze will reduce the effectiveness of longer lenses. What camera body will you use?   

[MattB]

I'm realising there are pro's and cons with everything to do with photography. But with the help of you guys here, it will be made more easier I hope.

The camera I'm looking at is a entry level Canon EOS 1300D.I stumbled across it again after clearing out stuff but I've only used it a couple of times and that was 3 years ago. I've since seen a lens on Amazon (EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III). Should I go 2nd hand or new ?

If I understand this correctly, a telephoto lens has a fixed focal range whereas a zoom lens is adjustable?

[MattB]

Also, going back to RAW images, when it contains minimally processed data from the sensor, is that a better image or less so. If it's minimally processed, it's a true and accurate representation of the image/composition whereas the processed image is embellished ??

[Owen Foley]

The raw image is like an uncooked cake.
It needs to be "cooked"" before it's any good.
Without post-processing, it will look worse than a jpg straight from the camera.

[pieter melissen]

The raw image is like an uncooked cake.
It needs to be "cooked"" before it's any good.
Without post-processing, it will look worse than a jpg straight from the camera.

but with proper processing it will look much better.

[Owen Foley]

but with proper processing it will look much better.

If the photographer has a good understanding of post processing raw images.

[pieter melissen]

[
If the photographer has a good understanding of post processing raw images.

Wow, I never thought of that.....

[Homer]

Hi,

since I'm a Canon "Fan boy" I can recommend them 100% . I started with an AE-1 in 1977 followed by an A-1. The digital area started with an Rebel XTI , öater 40D and now 6D Mk II
But to your questions : yes a tele lens has a fix focal length and the zoom lens is adjustable.
If you just start with this hobby I would recommend to use an zoom lens.
On my 4D I used a 28 - 200 mm / 1 : 3.5-5.6 . The standard lens on the 6D is 24-105 mm 1:4
These lenses cover most of the situations day in and day out.
A bit of info regarding lenses etc etc can be found here : https://camerajabber.com/when-to-use-aps-c-lenses-instead-of-full-frame/ and many other places.

As far as RAW is concerned : it takes a lot of work to master it. As the others said here already.

Good luck

[MattB]

Thanks Henning, beautifully explained. But why are lenses so expensive ? Ive just seen a 600mm for £20k !!!!!!!!!! That's a deposit for a small house over here.

[pieter melissen]

Thanks Henning, beautifully explained. But why are lenses so expensive ? Ive just seen a 600mm for £20k !!!!!!!!!! That's a deposit for a small house over here.

quality has a price, but fortunately a 600 mm is useless for ship spotting, unless you use a very good camera, and even then the results will not be very good if you try to shoot a VLCC that will fit the frame. Birds at 50 metres are the things you will hunt with such a long lense