The Power of Supertelephoto Zoom Lenses

When you think of supertelephoto zoom lenses, you probably think of genres like sports and wildlife photography. No doubt, they are highly useful for such applications, but their value extends far beyond those applications. This great video essay discusses some of the many great ways you can use a supertelephoto zoom in your own work. 

Coming to you from Park Cameras, this awesome video discusses some of the many uses of supertelephoto zoom lenses. We typically think of these lenses for applications where we simply can't get very close to the subject, such as bird photography, but you can leverage them in other ways. For example, we traditionally use wide angle lenses in landscape photography, but a supertelephoto lens can be a fantastic way to simplify an overly busy scene by picking out an interesting element and isolating it from the rest of the environment. This can also be an effective complement to the wide angle zoom, even if you already have some suitable compositions for the wider focal lengths, as landscape photography can often be a rather physically demanding pursuit, so the more shots you can get out of one location, the better. Check out the video above for the full rundown.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
1 Comment

Correct more uses than! I have just carried the 12-24 and 24-240 and the 24-240 was used mostly from humming birds far off to Solar Eclipses. Hint for moon SS/ISO same 125 F 8 to 11 for sharpness,yes first focus and to stop fast clouds increase SS as well as ISO but both the same. you may want that full frame image at 1800 but at 600mm you also get stars and less edge blur due to moon movement. Also if tracking a moon eclipse complete all night the moon will be at 12 o'clock streat up and you will be on your belly so get a great tripod, also it can be done from your lit driveway in warmth for a winter or with a fan if summer. Just have Fun! 2nd used Canon FD 100-300mm with A7S know what you can use if you have it '14 first shots , 4th 24-240 240mm '17 my longest at the time.