TAMRON LENSES

Posted on May 18, 2022 by 123photogo

I was recently invited to a Tamron open house at one of the local Photo Stores: Allen’s Camera in Layton, Utah. I think that it is always fun to go to these shows to see and handle the merchandise. The rep was very informative and loves his job. He gave great details into the Tamron World. Let’s take a look at Tamron in detail now.

HISTORY OF TAMRON:

Kabushiki-gaisha Tamuron) is a Japanese company manufacturing photographic lenses, optical components and commercial/industrial-use optics. Tamron Headquarters is located in Saitama City in the Saitama prefecture of Japan.

The name of the company came from the surname of Uhyoue Tamura who was instrumental in developing Tamron’s optical technologies. It was only on the company’s 20th anniversary that the name was changed to Tamron (from Taisei Optical).

In the fiscal year ending 31 December 2017, net sales totaled 60.496 billion yen and operating income was 4.24 billion yen, up 79.8% from 2016. At that time, the consolidated company had 4,640 employees and five production plants: in Hirosaki, Namioka and Owani in Japan, and one in China and Viet Nam, respectively.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TODAY:

In the lens processing, in order to manufacture a lens with the required performance, various conditions need to be adjusted by selecting the machine used for manufacturing and adjusting the polishing time according to the magnitude of curvature and the characteristics of the material.
For example, high-pixilation and high-definition are yearly advanced in CMOS image sensor used in cameras and a lens surface-roughness, unevenness or waviness negatively effects the lens imaging performance.
To enable a highly accurate lens, Tamron reflect a simulation result to a processing accuracy from the optical designing stage.
Tamron’s lens processing technology is covering a wide range, multiple lens bonding with curved surfaces, processing with plane lens and prism lens, and prism lens bonding with each other. From now on, as a new usage, optical lens is expected to be used with laser and to be required a complicated irregular shape or prism shape integrating various technologies.
To produce multifarious lenses required in the future, Tamron is newly developing and improving the processing technology and handing down its established expertise by cooperating the lens processing know-how and the optical development technology.

To say that Tamron has a lot of different lenses is an understatement, but what they are truly proud of is their amazing zoom lenses. When I was at the Tamron show at the local photo dealer the other day, I was amazed with this lens, and I think it’s the one they are most proud of too:

Go to extremes with the world’s first* 22.2x ultra-telephoto all-in-one zoom.

Introducing the world’s first ultra-telephoto all-in-one zoom lens for the APS-C format. With a focal length range of 18-400mm and 22.2x zoom, it has an ultra-telephoto range equivalent to 620mm in the 35mm format. This brings distant subjects closer, while providing perspective-flattening effects that are only possible with an extreme telephoto lens. Plus it offers exceptional optical performance across the entire zoom range—from wide angle to ultra-telephoto. With this new lens—and its Moisture-Resistant Construction—Tamron brings the art of photography to the joy of travel. Now you can use the same lens to shoot everything from stunning landscapes and neon-lit cities to detailed portraits and delicate flora. The ultra-telephoto range makes it just as easy to photograph animals and sports. And with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.9, you can even enjoy tele-macro photography.

That was the part that I thought was so incredible is this lens macro ratio is 1:2.9! And you get that macro ratio even at 400mm! That opens out amazing possibilities for every photographer.

ANOTHER MOST AMAZING LENS I FELL IN LOVE WITH: TAMRON’S 11-20MM ZOOM LENS:

If you have the urge to shoot landscapes, then this lens is for you. Take a look at this video:

TAMRON MAKES A LOT OF LENSES

If you go to Tamron’s website, and browse around you will discover that they make a lot of lenses. It’s these few lenses I have highlighted today are the ones I think Tamron has excelled at.

ONE MORE LENS TO HIGHLIGHT: 150-500MM LENS:

And one more video to go with this incredible lens:

LENSES BY SIGMA!

Posted on May 16, 2022 by 123photogo

Photo courtesy of blog.sigmaphoto.com – shot with the 85mm 1.4 ART lens

In the world of 3rd party lenses, I think everyone has heard of SIGMA LENSES. This is a company that has been around for a long time, making incredible lenses for all kinds of cameras.

HISTORY OF SIGMA (as per Wikipedia):

SIGMA CORPORATION

is a Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses and flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company’s own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan. Although Sigma produces several camera models, the company is best known for producing high-quality lenses and other accessories that are compatible with the cameras produced by other companies.

The company was founded in 1961 by Michihiro Yamaki, who was Sigma’s CEO until his death at age 78 in 2012.

Sigma products work with cameras from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, and Panasonic as well as their own cameras.

Sigma has also made lenses under the Quantaray name, which have been sold exclusively by Ritz Camera. Similarly, Sigma lenses were sold exclusively by the former Wolf Camera, but following the merger of Wolf and Ritz, both brands can be purchased.

LENSES MADE TODAY (2022):

When I went to their website, I wanted to see their list or catalogue of lenses available. And I was really shocked. To me, it seems that the lenses they made covered every type of lens you would ever need, including “standard” lenses. I was most surprised that they made “standard” lenses for the different camera manufactures.

aurora borealis and sun visible in sky of northern norway — Photo by Tobias Bjørkli on Pexels.com

Take a look at the amount of different lenses they make for your camera:

WIDE ANGLE LENSES

silhouettes of cowboy and herd of horses galloping in dust at sunset — Photo by yavuz pancareken on Pexels.com

(18 Lenses)

Wide-angle camera lenses capture the larger side of life with a broader angle of view. Photographers rely on these essential lenses, including the 14mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 12-24mm and 14-24mm.

STANDARD LENSES:

photo of woman looking through camera — Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com

(12 Lenses)

Explore the Sigma lineup of standard camera lenses with a field of view similar to the human eye. This popular category includes lenses such as the 50mm 1.4, 35mm 1.4, and 24-70mm 2.8. Standard by definition, exceptional by performance.

TELEPHOTO LENSES:

brown owl on tree branch — Photo by Erik Karits on Pexels.com

(19 Lenses)

Bring the world closer with a telephoto camera lens. A tool countless photographers rely on for added reach, this category includes such lenses as the 70-200mm 2.8, 100-400mm and 150-600mm.

MULTI-PURPOSE LENSES:

action athletes base baseball — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

(5 Lenses)

Wide-angle to telephoto zoom and everything in between, multi-purpose lenses are designed to be light, versatile and highly efficient. Sigma manufacturers several multi-puirpose lenses, including the 18-300mm, 18-250mm and 18-200mm.

MACRO LENSES:

close up photo of ladybug on leaf during daytime — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

(6 Lenses)

Macro camera lenses allow a photographer to bring to life the small but lively world around them. Explore every detail with such lenses as the 70mm and 105mm.

FISHEYE LENSES:

people in brown traditional wear under blue sky — Photo by Denniz Futalan on Pexels.com

(2 Lenses)

Fisheye lenses bring a whole new perspective to your vision. From Diagonal to Circular, Sigma offers a variety of premium lenses for APS-C and Full Frame cameras.

OS LENSES:

person riding bike making trek on thin air — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

(16 Lenses)

Sigma Optical Stabilization (OS) helps compensate for camera shake by reducing vibration in the DSLR camera system while taking a photograph. Some lenses with Sigma image stabilization include the 24-105mm F4,150-600mm and 70-200mm 2.8.

SIGMA “ART” LENSES

One thing that has always intrigued me with Sigma, is they make a line of lenses they call “Art Lenses”! Without even checking the details of this lens, I assumed that this series of lenses was made sharper, more colorful (yes, lenses can enhance the color with their special coatings), more detailed than their regular lenses. Their lenses in their standard lineup are nothing short of AMAZING, so how do the ART lenses compare, and are they worth that extra money?

So many names and words are thrown at you in the photography world- L lenses, Prime lenses, and… ART? ART as a term in photography equipment has become so big that most don’t even know the brand that produced the legendary ART: Sigma. Sigma’s ART lens line is a high-end, exquisite quality optic product that is very sought after by professional photographers.

So what makes the ART lens have such a life of its own in the industry? Well, a mix between brilliant performance, excellent engineering, and an attractive price tag all lend a hand at the lens line’s brilliant reputation.

Characteristics of the ART Lens Line

For starters, every lens company has a high-end line and more consumer-friendly line. The ART series is the high end, luxury line for camera and lens brand Sigma Corporation of America. Originally started in Japan, Sigma has gained exceptional notoriety for the quality of their ART line.

Sigma’s ART line is divided into the following expected categories: Wide-angle lenses, large-aperture fixed lenses, telephoto lenses, standard lenses, macro lenses, ultra-wide angle lenses, and fish-eye lenses. Something for everyone.

The ART line is engineered specifically for sharpness and optic performance. They are lenses created for images that give the sharpest details a photographer can possibly aim for. Even with the widest openings, Sigma ART lenses exhibit exceptional focal plane sharpness. This is because the focusing mechanism is quite unique to the brand itself, and cannot be found in other models.

The ART line also tends to have wider apertures, from f/1.2 to f/2.8. The bokeh blades create a more natural and creamy shallow depth of field than most lenses, and are nicely designed to avoid chromatic aberration at wide apertures. For those unfamiliar, chromatic aberration is a common optical problem that causes a purple or green outline to appear around your subject.

ART lenses also characteristically produce more vibrant and poppy colors. Although a lot of color has to do with the camera body itself, the lens does play a role nowadays (especially in mirrorless systems).

Finally, ART lenses are created in all notable mounts, such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, and even Leica. Sigma ART lenses are even able to have their mounts converted through the conversion service offered by the company.

To get this kind of “extra” quality in a lens, you can plan on spending more than the standard lens in the same style. They are also a bit bigger lenses, but, to get that kind of quality, who cares?

A new blog site to check out:

What I thought was also really cool, is that Sigma has their own blogs right on their own website. You want to check out some pretty cool blogs, go to: SIGMA BLOG

Ready to try Sigma Lenses? They are one of several worth checking out. I am going to give you some more options to choose from, because this Wednesday, in 2 days, I will be reviewing

TAMRON LENSES!

GO AHEAD! TAKE PHOTOS IN BAD WEATHER!

Posted on May 13, 2022 by 123photogo

person riding a bicycle during rainy day — Photo by Genaro Servín on Pexels.com

I know that good photographers are organized people. They plan a day to go take pictures, and if it storms, so what! I want to take this time to talk about what you need to do to prepare to take your photo journey, even if it rains.

Always carry a weatherproof camera in your bag

From the previous blog, CLICK HERE TO SEE PREVIOUS BLOG we learned how your photos turn out better in stormy weather. Think about this when it’s raining:

The rain cleared out all the dust in the air, making it look richer in color, and the colors just seem more enhanced.
Not too many photographers will brave the bad weather, so your chance of getting more unique photos will certainly increase.
You will capture photos that are unique, even if it’s the same old landscape photos

photography of mountains under cloudy sky — Photo by Simon Berger on Pexels.com

Notice this photo above. Storm is rolling in. Normally you would get this beautiful landscape photo with nice blue skies. But these dark stormy looking clouds are amazing, and will certainly win the hearts of some photo fans.

If you have some of the newer cameras that have just been released from Pentax, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Canon, you will notice that their new flagship cameras have all been upgraded to include incredible weather sealing. Now you can go out and take photos in the storm without worry.

BUT BEWARE: YOUR LENSES MAY NOT BE WEATHER RATED. Go through the lens catalog for your new camera and find the weather rated lenses available for your camera.

airport bolt bright danger — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

MY PREFERRED WAY OF EQUIPMENT:

Most of the time people don’t want to go with plastic bags, and special equipment to make their current camera weatherproof. I have had extremely good success with this camera:

Uncompromising water, shock, dust, and freeze protection. Approximately 20 effective megapixel for sharp, high-resolution, low-noise images with a wide dynamic range. Camera body of tough aluminum-panel chassis equipped with high-precision GPS, a powerful LED Ring Light, and electronic gimbal stabilization. Venture into the wild with an all-weather compact camera equal to any and all conditions.

More ideas of how to take photos in bad weather, CLICK HERE

One more link, CLICK HERE

NEW SPONSOR:

Posted on May 12, 2022 by 123photogo

BAD WEATHER? PERFECT TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHY!

Posted on May 11, 2022 by 123photogo

We’ve all sat, staring out of our window and cursing at the rain poring down or the flat, grey sky that just happened to cloud over on few hours we’ve managed to set aside in our busy schedule to head out and shoot some photos. But all is not lost for the opportunistic and well prepared photographer.

BE PATIENT

After many rainfalls or storms, comes a spectacular burst of light. Often this light lasts only momentarily, but is worth waiting for. But you’re never going to catch it if you’re still staring out of that window. Part of making good photographs is being an opportunist. Weather reports are easily accessible through the internet, over the radio, and in newspapers, often with detailed information.

You might be able to find out if the cloud cover or storm is about to pass. If not, head out anyway. Yes, it might all be in vain and remain gray and unappealing until nightfall and be a complete waste of time, but what if it isn’t?

If you speak to, or read any book written by a successful landscape photographer, they will tell you stories about how they visited a place dozens of times and waited for hours before getting that one in a million shot. Have a look at that shot. Was it worth the time? Chances are it was. Imagine the satisfaction gained from someone looking at your photo and letting out a breathless “Wow!” Then you’ll be the one telling the stories. A simple way to think about it is that you get out what you put in.

BE PREPARED:

Have you done any research on your subject? Have you visited your location at this time of day before? Do you have a list, or at least a mental outline, of the photos you want? Have you considered the equipment you might need to take? Answering these questions will take you a long way to being able to seize the moment when it does eventually arrive.

Photo by Beau Rogers; ISO 100, f.8.0, 1.6-second exposure.

Instead of fumbling around trying to attach lenses, tripods, filters and any other gadgets that might be necessary, (and I do mean “might”), you will simply be able to step out of your car, or hiding place, gear in hand, and calmly collect the images you’ve been imagining.

A little foresight in taking care of these things beforehand allows you to focus completely on taking photos once in the field. As with anything else, if you can concentrate completely, you’ll likely do a better job.

WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?

Think about what you are actually trying to achieve with these pictures. Do you even need blue skies? Many a moody, muted landscape has been created using the worst weather conditions. If you have an interest in shooting black and white images, you could be in for a real treat. Many subjects, such as outdoor portraits, can work better in overcast conditions, enabling you to pick up the lines in someone’s face and add character to the portrait without having to worry about your subject squinting their eyes from the sun or dark shadows appearing over half of their face.

photo of a wooden bridge — Photo by Mark Neal on Pexels.com

Most successful photography, like anything else, comes from having a clear goal and taking the steps necessary to achieve it. It also comes from working with the elements and planning for various possibilities. Open yourself up to new ideas and you will find that your photography improves markedly.

iN 2 DAYS: WHAT EQUIPMENT TO USE DURING BAD WEATHER! CAN YOU USE YOUR CURRENT CAMERA?

SPECIAL PROMOTION COMING UP FOR THE NEXT NEWSLETTER! SIGN UP NOW:

ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY! WHAT IS IT? AND HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Posted on May 9, 2022 by 123photogo

low angle photography of tunnel — Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com

This is the first time I have covered this subject. Not because I don’t like it. I like certain types of Abstract photography, but, in some cases it seems like an excuse to present something that is bad, and make it good. The photo above is one abstract photo I like because it is truly abstract in our everyday life, instead of just spilled paint somewhere (I might get some bad comments on that statement).

JUST WHAT IS ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY?

cloth with artistic design — Photo by Frank Cone on Pexels.com

The exact definition can be tricky to pin down. It seems that everyone has an opinion, but those opinions can differ wildly depending on who you talk to. Of course, there will always be regional and cultural variants, but let me try and tell you where abstract photography came from.

That way, you can decide what abstract photography means to you.

Abstract photography is no one particular style or technique. It has varied in style and approach for the last century or so.

However, all abstract photographers do have one thing in common: They are always looking to avoid symbolic representation.

What does that mean?

Well, it means that abstract photographers reject the idea that a photograph must always be of something recognizable. Instead, abstract photographers focus on color, shape and texture.

It was in the 1930s that abstract photography really became recognized internationally. Early pioneers include Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, and Dora Maar. For some photographers, the process of making images was just as important as the result, which meant that new techniques and new ways of taking photographs were discovered during this period.

Much abstract photography today involves unusual framing and viewpoints in order to try and disassociate the object being photographed from the resultant images. Abstract photographers almost try and trick our eyes and minds into not being able to easily understand what they’re looking at. Such abstract images often use high contrast, sharp focus, and an emphasis on geometric structure.

Now that we’ve answered the question of what is abstract photography, it’s time to try and put the theory into practice.

Here are three techniques you can use to try and shoot your own abstract photos:

MAKE IT OUT OF FOCUS:

One of the first things we all learn in photography is how to get things in focus. In fact, our cameras will do this automatically for us if we want them to!

Accurate focus and good sharpness are two of the most desirable traits that most photographers look for in a photograph. So what happens when you subvert that traditional approach?

This bright red photograph (below) was created by using extension tubes (learn about how to use “extension tubes” by clicking HERE) to get right up close to a flower. I then ensured that the entire image was out of focus. The colors and patterns become the focus of the image instead of the flower itself:

You can take this one step further by turning your image black and white to remove all of the color information ( Turning color into black and white? Learn how HERE). This abstracts the subject even more, moving the photograph further away from the original object and reality:

For a photographer who is trying to explore what is abstract photography, this approach of creating out of focus photos can be a great way to start. It forces you to think hard about the composition of your images as you play only with light, color, and shape.

MAKE IT MOVE:

There are several ways to “make it move” when you’re doing abstract photography. You can move your subject, or you can move your camera.

Moving the camera can be as simple as panning the camera left to right during long exposures to capture the beautiful tones of a golden beach under blue skies. This will create smooth strips of horizontal color across the photograph.

An exciting way to shoot motion-based abstract photography is to attend sports events. The photograph below was shot at a classic car racing meet, the block colors of the barriers and curb creating stripes of colorful interest in the picture:

For creating abstract images with panning, first set a long exposure. You might need a very low ISO and a narrow aperture in order to get a shutter speed that’s long enough if it’s a sunny day.

Then move your whole body to follow the subject with your camera. It will take lots of practice!

Fujifilm X-T20 | FujiFilm 35mm f1.4R lens | 35mm | 1/170 sec | f/5.6 | ISO 200| Layered images in Adobe Photoshop. Photo also taken by Charlie Moss

Instead of moving your camera, you can also try moving your subject. The deceptively simple image of a glass bottle (above) is not quite as it seems. It was created from a dozen different shots, layered on top of each other using a “Pep Ventosa technique”. For each shot, the bottle was rotated slightly to catch the imperfections in the glass and the slight movement.

MAKE IT REPETITIVE:

Repetition is a technique that can be used to great effect in abstract photography. It makes the viewer focus on the patterns and shapes rather than the subject.

purple and blue abstract wallpaper — Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels.com

Try finding patterns in architecture and then isolating them, rather than photographing the whole building. This kind of approach of looking for details in larger scenes can help you really understand what abstract photography is all about.

If you want to shoot some architectural abstracts, modernist buildings are some of the best subjects. Their clean, smooth lines really lend themselves to abstract photography.

CONCLUSION:

There are many different answers to the question, “What is abstract photography?” And there are many different ways to create abstract images.

What’s important is to try to move away from straight reproductions of scenes and objects that look just like reality.

Try introducing movement, repetition, or even making your images out of focus. Creating abstract photos is a great way to try breaking the rules and pushing the boundaries of what is usually seen as the correct way to do photography!

CHARLIE MOSS: is UK based photography journalist with experience shooting everything from historically inspired portraits to e-commerce photography. Her passion is history of art, especially contemporary culture and photography. Thanks to Charlie for this article. It was originally posted in Digital Photography School.

A SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

Posted on May 6, 2022 by 123photogo

silhouette photo of a mother carrying her baby at beach during golden hour — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.

— Rudyard Kipling

shallow focus photo of woman carrying her baby — Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi on Pexels.com

Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.
George Elliot

joyful adult daughter greeting happy surprised senior mother in garden — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Call your mother. Tell her you love her. Remember, you’re the only person who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside.
Rachel Wolchin

woman wearing white sleeveless top — Photo by Valeria Ushakova on Pexels.com

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for 5 people, promptly says: I never did like pie anyway!
Tenneva Jordan

woman and children taking photo — Photo by kelvin octa on Pexels.com

woman wearing black jacket holding girl — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

“Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.”
Kate winslet

“Whether your pregnancy was meticulously planned, medically coaxed, or happened by surprise, one thing is certain—your life will never be the same.”
Catherine jones

selective focus photography of woman carrying her cute baby — Photo by Laura Garcia on Pexels.com

portrait of a mother and daughter together — Photo by Elina Fairytale on Pexels.com

baby holding human finger — Photo by Wayne Evans on Pexels.com

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS…. FROM ALL OF US HERE AT 123PHOTOGO.

PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS ON LENSES:

Posted on May 4, 2022 by 123photogo

HERE WE GO! UNDERSTANDING ALL THOSE NUMBERS

You have your new camera, and so far you like it. Now it’s time to look at adding more lenses to your equipment. Not sure what all those numbers mean? That is what we are here for!

WHAT DOES THE FIRST SET OF NUMBERS MEAN?

As you look at the top of your lens, or the front of your lens, the very first set of numbers, or number, tells you what the focal length of your lens is. For example the photo above show the focal length of your lens to be: 24-105mm. How does that equate to anything? Here is your reference point:

A normal lens is one who’s focal-length is equal to the diagonal of the sensor or film. This is said to give a natural perspective similar to that of a single human eye.

On a full-frame DSLR, it is usually a 50mm lens. On a cropped-sensor (APS-C) DSLR, a normal lens falls around 35mm but from 30 to 55mm, it would still be considered normal. For Four-Thirds and Micro Four-Thirds, you would use a 25mm. Usually most manufacturers make sure to have one bright prime that corresponds to the normal focal-length for the sensor-size.

Then going back to the lens above, let’s suppose your camera is a DSLR camera. The normal lens would then be about 30mm. If you were to look through the lens, it would appear that the image is the same size as what you see, without the camera. Then, if you go below the number 30mm you enter the range of wide angle lenses. Which means that the lens pushing the image back further to get more into the picture.

Definition of “WIDE ANGLE LENS”

(Photography) a lens system on a camera that can cover an angle of view of 60° or more and therefore has a fairly small focal length. Any number that is less than 30 is therefore a wide angle lens.

Definition of “telephoto” lens:

A telephoto lens is a lens that appears to magnify distant objects. To do that, they need to have a focal length longer than that of a normal lens, or a lens that approximates the optical qualities of the human eye. A normal lens has a focal length of 30mm on a full frame camera so any lens with a focal length longer than 30mm can be considered a telephoto lens. The longer the focal length, the more magnification there is.

WHAT IS THE PROPER USE OF WIDE ANGLE AND TELEPHOTO LENSES:

Generally, a normal lens (around 30mm) is used for…. normal everyday use. Photos of the family, the dog, the cat, the things around the house.

A wide angle lens is most popular for landscape or scenic photos, to get the whole picture into the frame.

And the telephoto is generally used to bring objects in closer to you. The most common use is for wildlife, sports, and things from afar.

NEXT SET OF NUMBERS:

THE “APERTURE RANGE”

Every lens has an aperture in it. It controls the amount of light getting through the lens. This has another major function that photographers really use and that is the “depth of field”. That has been discussed before in a previous blog. JUST : CLICK HERE

It is usually expressed in f-stops such as f/1.4 and stated on the name of the lens. For example, the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.4, whereas the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G has a maximum aperture of f/1.8.

One lens, and several different aperture openings:

Here is where it can get interesting and you can see why the price of a lens goes up. Listed below is a list of Nikon lenses. And they are all 50mm lenses. You can see the Nikkor lens 50mm F1.8 lens lists for only $134.95. Now go to the second lone on the list: Nikkor 50mm 1.4D lens. It sells for $369.95. And go to the top one: the 50mm f1.2 lens sells for $724.95.

50mm	f/1.2	NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2	FX	M	$724.95	Get a quick view for the NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2
50mm	f/1.4	AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D	FX	AF	$369.95	Get a quick view for the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D
50mm	f/1.4	AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4G	FX	AF-S	$449.95	Get a quick view for the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4G
50mm	f/1.4	NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4	FX	M	$469.95	Get a quick view for the NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4
50mm	f/1.8	AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D	FX	AF	$134.95

The difference between each 50 mm lens is that the f1.4 lens lets in almost twice the amount of light through it than the f1.8 lens. I don’t know how many actual lens elements are in each lens, but, say they have 14 elements in the lens. That would mean the f1.4 lens elements, all 14 of them have to be made larger than the f1.8 lens. But if you are a person who wants the lens to be able to shoot in lower light, then the f1.4 lens is a better choice. Better still, the f1.2 which doubles the amount of light transmission would even be better. But you would end up paying for all those elements in the lens housing to be bigger than the previous version.

So, in summary on this number, the lens with the smallest number, let’s a lot more light through the lens than a lens with a bigger number. And that allows you to also have a depth of field even smaller, but, the usual case for having a lens with a lower aperture number is usually to allow you to shoot in lower light.

THE LAST IMPORTANT NUMBER:

Most lenses have this important number on it. It is a 2 digit number with a circle and a line through that circle.

THE FINAL IMPORTANT NUMBER TO KNOW IS THE FILTER SIZE THE LENS TAKES.

On this photo above, all lenses (at least I think almost all lenses) have a number to tell you what size filter this lens takes or the size of the lens cap. If you are a photographer who uses filters (and I think all photographers should use filters), you will appreciate knowing what size filters you would need to enhance your photography. On this lens above, the filter size is a 72mm. That is a big filter, but certainly good to know. If you would like to learn more about using filters, CLICK HERE AND one more link: CLICK THIS ONE TOO