6 Different Types of Camera Lenses, and Their Uses
Photography is an amazing art that requires skill, patience, and technical knowledge. For beginners or amateurs it can be super confusing about what kind of lenses to try, what techniques to use and what tips to remember. We have a range of blogs covering basic techniques, terms of photography, and the best kind of cameras.
Today we are going to talk about 6 different types of Camera lenses and when to use them. Lenses can be expensive and that’s why we need to have all the information before we decide to make a purchase. Our blog can be your cheat sheet about all the information you need before deciding which lens to use or buy.
Standard Prime Lenses- A prime lens is a fixed focal length. A fixed focal length means that photographers who choose a 35mm lens will get only a 35mm perspective. This means that you can’t zoom in or zoom out with these lenses. You can only shoot from one fixed focal length with Standard Prime Lens. Photographers have to move around or adjust shots for wide angles or close-ups when using standard prime lenses. They have large apertures, compared to a Zoom or Normal lens. Prime Lens can have a maximum aperture range from f2.8 to f1.2. Standard Prime Lenses work for all types of photography such as weddings, streets, landscapes, portraits, etc. They are lightweight, provide sharp and crisp images, and work better in low light conditions. A major disadvantage is the inability to zoom, thus making it necessary to carry extra lenses.
Normal Lenses- A normal lens is generally 50mm. This indicates that the normal lens is similar to what the human eye sees. Any lens with a focal length between 40mm and 58mm will provide the same perspective as a human eye. Photographers will see the image as it is, with no distortion, no zoom, and a completely natural image. Easy to carry and workaround as the camera offers a real view. One thing professional photographers dislike about the normal lenses is the ability to take wide landscape shots or close up shots of sports or adventure activities.
Zoom Lenses- Zoom lenses are widely preferred due to their ease of use and great features. With a Zoom lens, you can stay in one place and get multiple focal lengths with one autofocus function. One of the most popular and best-selling Zoom lens is the Canon 70-200mm. This lens can zoom as far out as 70mm and up to 200mm (and every focal length in between). Zoom lenses are found in two categories. In a variable aperture lens, the maximum aperture will change throughout the zoom range. On a fixed aperture lens, the maximum aperture will remain the same. Another excellent feature of a Zoom lens is that it can maintain focus while you change focal lengths. So photographers can snap quickly with zoom lenses. The versatility of zoom lenses allows photographers to stay in one position and take as many shots as they need. Zoom lenses are perfect for wildlife photography, portraits, and weddings. The downside of their versatility is that zoom lenses tend to be heavy and not as sharp as prime lenses.
Wide-Angle Lenses- A wide-angle lens as the name suggests, offers a wide perspective and view-field. With a wide-angle lens, the lower the number of focal lengths, the more that will fit in your frame. A wide-angle lens distorts photos (usually of faces) but they can be fixed to some extent during post-processing. These lenses are good for outdoor shoots as they are light and can be carried in a backpack. They provide more depth of field, creating in focus images. Landscape photographers prefer wide-angle lenses to ensure they capture the entire scene in front of them. But with wide-angle lenses, you can’t achieve compression like Bokeh.
Telephoto Lenses- Telephoto lenses merge the best of both worlds as they can also zoom. It means they don’t necessarily fall into the fixed focal lengths category. Telephoto lenses are used to capture images and objects from a distance. Wildlife photography with tricky subjects is captured using telephoto lenses. Nature, wildlife, astronomy, sports, and landscape photography are some genres which do best with telephoto lenses. The depth of field is shallow which leads to great blur in the background. Telephoto lenses are some of the most expensive lenses available and can also be really bulky and heavy.
Fish-eye Lenses- A type of ultra wide-angle lens, fish-eye lenses look like actual fish eyes. They provide a panoramic view of anywhere from 100-180 degrees. This lens is very specific and used in abstract or nature photography. Fish-eye lens uses a particular type of ‘mapping’ that purposely distorts lines given a more convex appearance. Fish-eye lens usually offers a better maximum aperture, helping photographers shoot easier in low light.
