Lens accessories

The main accessories for lenses are hoods, filters and adapters and all have benefits and drawbacks. Some manufacturers supply lens hoods with lenses; others offer them as options. Filters and adapters are always sold separately.

Macro Lenses

There’s a lot of misunderstanding about what constitutes a ‘macro’ lens. True macro capabilities require the lens to be capable of 1:1 or ‘life size’ reproduction. Lenses that provide a 2:1 reproduction ratio (or greater) also qualify as macro lenses but they are usually highly specialised and not widely available.

Lenses for sports and wildlife photography

Whether it’s photographing your kids on the sports oval, taking pictures of animals in a zoo or wildlife park or venturing off on a birding expedition, in each case, there’s likely to be a considerable distance between the subject and the camera. To fill that gap, you need a longish telephoto lens.