Embarrassed to ask but will anyway...

[MicheleF]

I'm a new photo enthusiast, taking it up in preparation for retirement. Never had the time before, but am jumping in with both feet now.

So - here goes. On a zoom lens, let's say 75-300, I "zoom" in on the subject by rotating the lens, and it extends, or retracts. Okay.

On the top of the lens, close to the camera (is that the bottom?) there is a ring with numbers: 75-100-135-200-300. When/why do I care about these numbers?

There is also the little flower macro symbol, with 1.5m/4.9 ft beside it - does this mean that a telephoto lens can be used for macro shots that are at least 4.9 feet away?

I told you they were embarrassing questions...

[lputman]

They are markers. Helpful to give you an idea of where you are shooting at. If you know you want to only take shots at 135mm, then you just set it there. And yes to your second question.

[MicheleF]

Thanks Lori. I remain uncertain about how/when to use them. If I set it the ring at 135, but then manually zoom the lens out to 300 - what does that mean to the shot?

And conversely, if I am shooting at 300, does that mean I should move the ring to 300?

[i speak in math]

Originally Posted by MicheleF

Thanks Lori. I remain uncertain about how/when to use them. If I set it the ring at 135, but then manually zoom the lens out to 300 - what does that mean to the shot?

And conversely, if I am shooting at 300, does that mean I should move the ring to 300?

The numbers are the focal length of the lens. Think of it as how far you are zoomed in. The smaller the number, the wider and less zoomed in you are. As the number gets bigger, you get tighter and closer. If there is something far away and you want to make it bigger so its fills the frame of your image, you zoom in, or increase the mm number. If you want to capture a wider view for a landscape, you can zoom out, or decrease the mm number.

[dlambert]

Yes, you've got the right idea, but most of the time, you're probably not going to need to worry about those numbers. When you're shooting with autofocus on, the camera & lens will focus for you, and if you find yourself shooting with autofocus off, it's very likely that you'll be focusing through the viewfinder. These marks can be helpful in getting focus right in situations where normal focusing won't work (inadequate light, or pre-focusing to set up a shot). I'd recommend letting the camera help you get to know those settings a bit; chances are good that they'll make sense when you need to use them.

[MicheleF]

Thanks to everyone - I think I have a little better of an understanding. I'm going to try some experimenting this weekend and see if what I think I understood - is right.

LOVE this site.