The Versatile 500mm Lens

I knew that a 500mm lens would be great for photographing birds and other wildlife, but after owning one for only a couple of weeks, I've been surprised just how many new types of photographs I've been making. Part of this comes from often carrying just the one big lens, and being forced to see everything its way. Part of it is the incredible image quality the lens delivers, and part is the lovely quality of the out of focus portions of the image or "bokeh."

To my surprise, I've found that this big, heavy lens, which cannot focus closer than about 14 feet without extension tubes, is excellent for shooting flowers and foliage. The narrow depth of field is wonderful for isolating subjects, and by pointing the lens at a cluster of flowers and turning the focusing ring, an assortment of possible photographs appear as different elements move in and out of focus. I've also become fond of shooting through foreground foliage with this lens to create a beautiful, soft surrounding for small subjects.


Working with just one extreme focal length is limiting in some ways, but it can have its advantages. Last week while I was photographing birds, I saw the beginnings of a beautiful sunset behind me. If I had another lens with me, I would have probably made a less original image than I did. Since this lens takes in about 4 degrees or less of the surroundings, the best possibility that I saw was to silhouette a small portion of a distant tree against the colorful sky. I didn't think too much about this image at the time, since I was trying to keep an eye on the activity of the birds, but when reviewing the night's images, I found that this image really jumped out at me.


While I sometimes carry a second lens with me, such as a 24-105mm zoom, I have realized that even the one long lens offers me plenty of options, as long as I keep my eyes for compositions that take in a very narrow viewing angle. I can't say that I would ever want to use one focal length exclusively, but I have come to enjoy the challenge, and do not fret when I leave the house with only the one lens. I miss some shots that I would like to make, but I also make other images that I wouldn't have otherwise.


As a side note, I've found that a big wildlife lens, camera and tripod carried "half-nelson" over your shoulders is quite a conversation starter on the trail. After hiking past a couple, I overheard the woman say, "I thought he had bagpipes!" Only an hour earlier, a woman walking toward me stopped and said, "Oh! I thought you were carrying a dog!" I see all this as another perk. I meet a lot of people, it amuses passersby, and in turn, they keep me amused.