62 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukOur guide to the
best lenses
for low light
Some lenses enable you to cope a bit better with
dim conditions than others. Angela Nicholson
takes a look at some of the options available for
low-light photography
A
t this time of year, if you pop
outside with your camera after
about 3pm, you soon realise that
low-light photography doesn’t
just mean shooting in the dead of night or
inside a gloomy music venue (remember
those?), as you’ll fi nd yourself pushing up
your camera’s sensitivity (ISO) value anddropping the shutter speed to be able to
take the photographs you want.
But before long, you’re at the limit of
acceptable sharpness with blurred images
and ugly noise spoiling your shots.
However, with the right lens, you can
extend your low-light shooting range.
Swapping your kit lens that has amaximum aperture of f/5.6 at 55mm for a
50mm lens with an aperture of f/1.8, for
example, means that 3.3 EV more light can
reach your camera’s sensor. That’s the
difference between 1/5sec and 1/50sec, or
between ISO 25,600 and ISO 2,500, which
means it can have a signifi cantly positive
impact on the quality of your shots.
If you want to shoot moving subjects a
large-aperture lens is the best option, but if
your subject is motionless, you may want
to go for a stabilised lens instead.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the key
considerations when selecting a lens for
low light shooting.