Newbe help!

[Lairdy]

Hello everyone, I am very new to photograph and was wondering if someone can give me a simpletons guide to the type of lens I need for different shot, I.e sports, landscapes, portraits etc.. I have been trying to look on the forums and online but I'm still all confused :s thanks for your help, sorry if this is a silly questions.
Thankyou all in advance
Lairdy

 

[Dale_tem]

A lens gives you focal length (and field of view), ie how far away do you need to be to fill the frame.

Landscape are generally done using a 10-55mm range (18- 55 covers this)
Portraits are between 50mm and 300mm depending on where they are
Sports, wildlife - a long lens up to 300mm allows you to get close.

So 2 lenses generally gives (18-55mm and 55/70-300mm) you the full range and cover your needs.

 

[Smeghead]

Also, if you want that "background out of focus" look, you need a lens with a low f number. f/2.8 and lower should be good. These lenses also let a lot more light in, so are good for low light situations.

 

[tdodd]

What sort of sports are you thinking of - Indoor? Outdoor? How far away are the competitors? Do you want close up shots of individuals or general shots with a broader perspective, or both?

For indoor stuff you'll need fast lenses - at least f/2.8, preferably f/2 or faster. Outdoors f/2.8 is a good starting point too, although with good light you could get away with slower lenses quite well. You can use a wide angle lens - even your kit lens - for stuff like skateboarding, BMX and snowboarding, if you get in really close, and that can create some quite dramatic effects (if you're brave). If you're thinking about field sports like football or cricket then you'll be wanting something in the range from 70mm up to 300mm or 400mm. Ditto motorsports.

If you have a look at the critique forums you might be able to see what sort of lens, focal length and aperture was used for each shot.