Help with lens

[LeahP]

Hi guys. I have a canon 40d, with a 18-55mm lens, and I have just bought a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lens.

I am very new to photography but just wanted to ask how to make the best of the lens to get good landscape photos as I am going to Wales this weekend and might be walking up snowdon!

 

[droj]

You might think that you are framing and making a record of scenery - which is, let's say, a 'thing'. But what a camera records is light - so pay attention to that - ie light and shade - its recordable range, and how it is diposed within the frame. Also, especially when high up, your enemy will probably be atmospheric haze, and with a longer lens this will be even more pronounced. So consider that too.

 

[Stu Meech]

It's easier said than done but the best chance of light and less haze would be in the morning. Means climbing up in the dark though! I used to find telephoto landscapes harder, but keep to the same formula as a wide - something in the foreground with plenty to look at up to the frame to the background.

 

[Jannyfox]

If you go up Snowdon think about keeping the weight down and leaving the longer lens behind. I've been up with just a Tamron 17-50mm and didn't feel the lack of my usual Canon 18-135mm 'walkabout' lens. If it's bright the light will be a problem, and sod's law says it'll be worst in the direction you really want to point your camera. As a beginner there's little you can do except point the other way. In more general terms, I'd say don't use anything higher than f8. Open the aperture a bit more if you want to play with the depth of field but if you stop down too far you won't gain anything in terms of dof but you may get a drop off in quality due to the lens. Keep iso at 100 unless you really have to go higher, again for best quality. As a rough rule of thumb focus about 1/3 into the image. Do your lenses have stabilisation? If you're handholding use it, but if you have the camera on a tripod turn it off. Review every shot immediately and if it's not right (underexposed or overexposed) ask yourself why. You may need to change the shutter speed, manually if necessary. There's nothing wrong with taking lots of the same shot but at different exposures and working out afterwards which is the best, and why. Memory is cheap. Take the camera manual with you and if you have a hard copy keep it in your pocket and mark the useful pages. Take loads of photos - absolutely loads. Soon after I got my first dslr I went to Scotland for 2 weeks. I went knowing almost nothing about the camera and came home with several hundred images and knowing a helluva lot more, though by no means everything. You may also sometimes feel like throwing the whole lot off a cliff, but try not to. It does take a bit of getting used to.

 

[ABTog]

If you're heading to North Wales weather is a huge factor, even in the height of summer. Last time I was there, the weather seemed really good, but it was so windy the Snowdon Mountain Railway only went halfway up.
This was the best shot I got considering you couldn't get off the train: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/15664820336/in/album-72157649075083435/

If you're walking, make sure you set off early, a) to try to get nice light (photographing in the midday sun (even if cloudy) isn't good) and b) to make sure you have time to get up and back down.
That 55-250mm lens isn't particularly heavy, but if you're struggling for bag space, I'd leave it behind in favour of something more important like food or a drink or something to keep you warm/dry.

As for making the best of the lens, try not to go above f8, keep your shutter speed up if hand holding as even a bit of wind-induced wobble will mean the photo comes out a little blurry.
Don't aim into the light, have the sun behind you if possible, otherwise you'll just get blown out skies and dark hills.
Look for whether the light is hitting the hills.

Here's one that some people might find controversial. Put on the lens hood.
Firstly it'll cut down on glare on the front element of the lens, meaning you'll get better contrast in your images.
Secondly, it'll keep a bit of rain off if that happens.
Thirdly, if you happen to drop the camera or bump it into something or someone while walking, it'll protect the lens element from getting scratched.

One last thing unrelated to lenses, take or leave it.
If you're walking with other people, you don't want to be holding them up every time you stop to take a photo, so, I'd suggest you don't keep getting your camera out then putting back into your bag each time. It wastes time which might annoy your companions and you may miss that brief sunny spell between clouds.