So confused trying to understand "shortest focal length."

Momohana Nguyen · December 15, 2012

Hi. I know I will sound stupid, so please accept my apologies. I have shot with 8mm cameras many times and my footage always comes out great. I find it easy to shoot 8mm. But I have no understanding of photographic terminolgy and that means I cannot go beyond the basics.

I just inherited my uncle's Canon 1014 XL-S. I've used it before for simple shooting, but am so lost with the Macro setting, Telephoto settings and also with the wide angle adaptor. I'm throwing up my hands in failure because I just cannot use them. :(

What does this mean: "Rotate the zooming ring to the shortest focal length."

Shortest focal length is what? I don't understand. This is in the instructions for setting the camera to macro mode.

Then for the Wide Angle Lens attachment it says, with the zooming ring set for wide angle macros filming (do not understand because of above) and the focusing ring at infinity (I do know what the infinity symbol is), etc. etc. Basically, I am stumped on this because I don't get the Macro setting.

I honestly cannot figure this out. And I have searched so hard and read so many pages upon pages of information, but I can never find a simple explanation. Somehow this is confusing me. I can trade stocks and run an entire division of my company, but this is just stumping me!

Thank you in advance.

Momohana Nguyen · December 15, 2012

Sorry, I should also say, the lens is 6.5mm to 65mm so is the 6.5mm the shortest focal length? I think I am right here, but then how to focus? Anyone have this camera? For focusing there is the long orange line, then 1.2 up to 10 and then infinity. Where is that supposed to be when in Macro?

Maybe if I can just understand shorteest focal length and longest focal length I'll finally start to understand it.

Simon Miya · December 15, 2012

Yes, 6.5mm is the shortest focal length.

The long orange line is the macro portion of the focusing range.

Matt Stevens · December 15, 2012

Correct. I have actually never used it myself, so am not in any way an expert, but to use the wide angle lens attachment (which I have and have not used) you bring it to 6.5 and then set it to macro. To focus i believe you use that tiny little orange area where the Macro is to focus and if you have enough light, it's pretty much in focus no matter where you point it. That's with the wide angle.

One of these days I am going to use macro mode to shoot a single person closeup and get him or her nice and shark with the background blurred, much like that shallow depth of field we love with 35mm and DSLR's.

As for Telephoto on that camera... Haven't figured it out. All I get is a mushy blur. Obviously I am doing something wrong. I actually have the telephoto lens attachment and it looks as though it has never been used.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Matt Stevens

Jeff Thompson · December 16, 2012

Sorry, I should also say, the lens is 6.5mm to 65mm so is the 6.5mm the shortest focal length? I think I am right here, but then how to focus? Anyone have this camera? For focusing there is the long orange line, then 1.2 up to 10 and then infinity. Where is that supposed to be when in Macro?

Maybe if I can just understand shorteest focal length and longest focal length I'll finally start to understand it.

The shortest focal length is the 6.5mm. You use the 1.2 up to 10 to adjust the clarity of the object you are photographing and to "blur" the background to make that object stand out. Or if you want to blur the front object object you just use the ring till the background is in view and the object is blurry.

Hope this helps.

Simon Jon Knight · December 16, 2012

Unless you've already worked it out, and if so I apologise.. The infinity symbol as the little "8" laying on its side. Its the point of focus for anything over about 100 feet away....

Hope that helps

SK

Phil Soheili · December 16, 2012

i don't know that special camera but if it is like the braun nizos you have you your zoom from the higher value (e.g. "50") you turn the zoom ring towards the lower value (e.g. "6") and then either you continue this movement of the zoom to enter into macro mode, or you have to lift (or press down - that is towards the camera) the zoom ring and turning it back towards the higher values you shold be in the macro range. but the orange ring that continues down from the lower values suggests me that macro is just further down the same direction. maybe it's not the entire ring that you need to press but only a button or a lever. i have downloaded the instrucion manual and strangely enough it says nothing about the macro function of the lens.

secondly while in the normal zoom range (here 6-50) you focus with the dedicated focus ring, on the macro range you focus with the macro ring (the zoom ring). check it out: point it to an object at a few inches distance and then try focussing with the zoom ring (while you are in the macro range of the zoom scale). watch out,if here was a lever or a button to press you will have to redo it once you get back into the normal range.

i guess it sounds complicated, but that's not because it really is complicated, but because english is not my mother's language..

hope i was able to help,

cheers

Mark Dunn · December 17, 2012

In macro mode, you focus with the zoom lever. The focus ring makes very little difference.

The camera I have has a spring-loaded button on the lever- you zoom to wide-angle then pull up the button, whereupon the lever moves into the macro region. Move it back and it clicks back into normal zoom mode- where it clicks there is a change in focus from macro to wherever the focus ring is set.