Wide Angle Lens
Lenses with a focal length of 35 mm, or less, on a full frame DSLR are wide angle lenses. They have a wide view to capture more of the scene than the normal angle of view of the human eye.The wide view also applies to the depth, objects look further away or smaller.Wide angle lenses have an apparent greater depth of field, or area around the subject in focus.
With their wide angle of view these lenses are ideal for capturing the spreading vistas of a landscape.Due to their greater depth of view photographers need to take more care composing the foreground and background.
The wide angle of view helps with including everyone in the picture, particularly where space is limited.Wide angle lenses make everything appear smaller than normal Photographers can work closer to the subject, and this is an advantage whenthere is limited space between the subject and the photographer.
Standard Lens
SLR film cameras commonly came with a 50 mm focal length lensIn the days before zoom lenses this 50 mm prime lens was the kit lens, or the one that came standard with the camera
The 50mm lens on a film SLR offers the same angle of view as normal human vision, or the standard view of a scene.While 50 mm is the usual focal length of a standard lens some photographers contend a 43 mm lens gives a more natural view on a 35 mm SLR.
For different sensor or film sizes the focal length of a lens offering the standard view is different. The arrival of zoom lenses made differences in focal lengths less important as 18-55 mm is the normal kit lens. This covers the range of standard focal lengths, and a wide angle range.
Telephoto Lens
This name is made up of tele, referring to something traveling a distance, in this case the reflected light, and photo.This is a lens for photographing far away objects.Telephoto lenses magnify images, making them look larger than normal size when the objects are close to the camera.Telephoto lens have a focal length range on a 35 mm SLR from 70 mm and longer.Lenses from 500 mm focal length and up are sometimes called super telephoto because of their long focal length.
Telephoto lenses have a narrower angle of view making them suitable for isolating objects or part of objects.This is factor making them preferred as portrait lenses. They also make possible large close up images of the subject, yet keep a comfortable distance from the subject.
Long focal length telephoto lenses are essential for sports and wildlife photographers where it is difficult or dangerous to get close to the subjects.
Kit Lens
This refers to the lens that comes with a DSLR camera body as part of the deal and is not a specific type of lens,Most high end DSLRs are sold without a lens, or as body only
Retailers often make their own kits of DSLR body and lenses, resulting in a variety of kit lenses for the same DSLR.
Entry level DSLR buyers usually do not have any lenses for their new camera so they need a lens to start using their camera. Manufacturers try to keep the price of the combined package low with the kit lens coming from inexpensive end of their lens range.
Fast Lens
Lenses with large apertures, or maximum opening, allow more light to pass through the lens. Large apertures range from f2.8 and down, where smaller f numbers means larger apertures.
What is called a fast lens changes with the focal length of the lens. Zoom, Wide angle, Telephoto and Macro lenses with f2.8 are normally called fast, but for a 50 mm prime lens to be fast it needs to be in the f1 to 1.4 range.
Photographers benefit from using fast lenses even when they are using smaller apertures, or larger f numbers.Modern SLR and DSLR cameras do all the composing, metering, and focusing with the lens at maximum aperture. When the shutter button is pressed lens aperture changes to the setting for that exposure.
Photographers a brighter view of the scene with more light coming in through the lens, and the extra light helps the autofocus system.
Early photographic films were insensitive to light and need long exposures to record the image. Larger aperture lenses made for shorter, or faster, times for exposure.
Zoom Lens
These are variable focal length lenses. The focal length range is part of the name of the lens. The example photos below the article were taken using a Sigma 18-125 mm zoom lens. This means the focal length of the lens ranges from a wide angle at 18 mm, through to telephoto at 125 mm.A trait of some zoom lenses is that as the focal length changes, the maximum aperture changes.
In a true zoom lens the focus does not change as the photographer zooms, or changes the working focal length of the lens.
Prime Lens
These are fixed focal length lenses, that is a lens with only one focal length. Because they have only one focal length designers can optimise performance of the lens for that focal length. Prime lenses have slightly better image quality and are faster zoom lenses at the same focal length.
Mirror or Catadioptric Lenses
These are unusual lenses and they use a combination of curved mirrors and conventional lens elements to create a long focal length in a compact lens Disadvantages include their fixed aperture, and the unusual bokeh, or out of focus shapes.
A modest f8 typical maximum aperture means they are a bit slow, as current telephoto lenses have maximum apertures of around f4.
The solid object in the centre of the lens is not in the photos taken with these lens.
Macro Lens
Macro lenses are for reproducing small objects at their true size on the digital sensor or the film. Some zooms lens can focus on objects close to the lens are called macro, but they can not get in as close as a true macro lens.
Macro lenses can be used for normal photography with the slight drawback that they are slightly slower, or have a smaller maximum aperture, than a normal lens of the same focal length.
Join the Conversation