Understanding Camera Lenses: Capturing Unique Perspectives

Camera lenses are classified by their focal length and maximum aperture, which affect exposure time, depth-of-field, and cost. Lenses with short focal lengths allow for more detail in objects both near to and far from the camera, while long focal lengths have less optical power but offer greater shallow depth-of-field.

There are several types of camera lenses, including standard, telephoto, wide-angle, prime, zoom, superzoom, macro, tilt-shift, fisheye, night vision, infrared, ultraviolet, micro, and high-speed lenses.

Standard lenses have a mid-range focal length, usually between 35mm and 85mm, and offer a fairly accurate representation of what the human eye sees. Telephoto lenses have long focal lengths, starting at 85mm, and allow for magnification of distant subjects. Wide-angle lenses have a short focal length, commonly ranging from 14mm to 35mm, and offer a broader field of view. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length and are often smaller, lighter, and cheaper than zoom lenses, which can zoom in and out. Superzoom lenses are a type of zoom lens with a large focal range. Macro lenses are used for close-up photography and have a 1:1 ratio, meaning they can capture subjects at life-size magnification. Tilt-shift lenses can be tilted and shifted to manipulate the vanishing points of a scene and are often used in architectural photography. Fisheye lenses are a type of ultra-wide-angle lens with a focal length between 4mm and 14mm, giving images a convex appearance. Night vision lenses are designed for low-light conditions, while infrared and ultraviolet lenses capture images in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, respectively. Micro lenses are used for extreme close-ups of tiny subjects, and high-speed lenses freeze fast-moving subjects with very wide apertures.

Standard Lenses

The 50mm prime lens, often referred to as "Nifty Fifty", is a popular choice among professionals and amateurs alike. It is considered a standard lens that every professional photographer should have in their kit. Standard lenses with higher focal lengths, such as 85mm or 100mm, are ideal for portrait photography when coupled with a wide aperture. The wide aperture softens the background detail, ensuring that it does not distract from the main subject.

Standard zoom lenses, such as the kit lens that often comes with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, typically cover a focal range of around 35-70mm. They are versatile and can be used for various types of photography, including street, documentary, landscape, and portrait.

Normal prime lenses, with fixed focal lengths of 50mm, 85mm, or 100mm, tend to have faster maximum apertures, allowing for a shallow depth of field and better performance in low-light conditions. They are highly regarded for their ability to capture images that feel natural and similar to what we see with our eyes.

Telephoto Lenses

Some common telephoto lenses include:

• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM
• Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
• Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
• Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
• Fujifilm XF50-140mm f/2.8 WR OIS

Wide-Angle Lenses

However, one drawback of wide-angle lenses is the distortion they can cause, particularly when shooting at very short focal lengths. While this can be minimised by careful framing, it may be necessary to use photo editing software to correct more severe distortions.

Ultra-wide-angle lenses have a focal length shorter than 20mm (or 24mm for full-frame 35mm cameras) and are designed to correct the distortion associated with wide-angle lenses. Fisheye lenses are a type of ultra-wide-angle lens with a focal length between 4mm and 14mm, which produces a distinctive convex appearance that distorts straight lines.

Prime Lenses

A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens, meaning it cannot zoom in or out. The focal length is the distance between the point of convergence in the lens and the sensor in your camera. Prime lenses have very wide or large apertures, which measure the size of the hole when the lens opens inside a camera. The wider aperture lets in more light, which is ideal for low-light situations. Prime lenses have maximum apertures typically ranging from f/2.8 to f/1.2.

There are a few disadvantages to prime lenses. They are less versatile and can be limiting in rapidly changing conditions, such as sports events. They can also be less convenient when travelling, as you may need to carry multiple lenses to cover a range of focal lengths.

However, prime lenses have many advantages. They tend to be cheaper, let in more light, offer a shallow depth of field, are small and light, have better image quality, and can improve your compositions.

Overall, prime lenses are a great option for photographers who want to improve their skills and have more creative control over their images.

Zoom Lenses

One advantage of zoom lenses is their versatility. They allow photographers to quickly change the composition and framing of a scene without having to change lenses or their physical position. Additionally, many zoom lenses offer true macro capture at the telephoto end, allowing for close-up capture of tiny objects.

However, there are also some compromises that come with using zoom lenses. They tend to be more complex, heavier, and larger in dimensions than prime lenses. They may also suffer from some loss of image resolution, especially at the extremes of their focal length range. Additionally, zoom lenses typically have slower autofocus performance and are more expensive than prime lenses.

Frequently asked questions