How to Pick the Right Camera Lens to Fit Your Needs
- Aperture. Maximum aperture is stated on all lenses.
- Focal Length. The first thing to consider when choosing your new lens is the focal length.
- Fixed or Zoom.
- Crop Factor.
- Image Stabilization.
- Color Refractive Correction.
- Distortion.
- Perspective / Focus Shift.
How do you know what mm lens to use?
The key is to think about size and distance.
- When you’re close, go wide. Use a wide angle lens with a smaller mm focal length like 18mm.
- When you’re at a distance, go long – a telephoto lens with a larger mm focal length number like 200mm or 300mm.
Which lens is best for beginners?
These are the best beginner prime lenses for Canon, Nikon and Sony.
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8.
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8D.
- Sony 50mm f/1.8DT.
- Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM.
- Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.
- Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD.
- Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DT.
- Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6.
What 3 lenses should every photographer have?
3 Lenses Every Photographer Should Own
- General Purpose Zoom. Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens. This camera lens will give photographers the ability to shoot a wide variety of photos without having to change their lens.
- Macro lens. Olympus MSC ED M.
- Telephoto Zoom. Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm f.4.5-5.6G ED.
What are the 3 types of lenses?
Within both prime and zoom types of lenses, there are a variety of lenses, all with different focal lengths.
- Macro Lenses. This type of camera lens is used to create very close-up, macro photographs.
- Telephoto Lenses.
- Wide Angle Lenses.
- Standard Lenses.
- Specialty Lenses.
What size lens do I need?
If you want to fit more into your frame, you might want to look into wide-angle focal lengths: 14mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm. On the other hand, if you want to get as close as possible to your subject, go for a telephoto lens with focal lengths that usually range from 50 to 100mm.
What is a 58mm lens used for?
Professional photographers often use 58mm lenses on a crop sensor—around 85mm on full frame—to shoot portraits.
What 3 lenses do I need?
The 3 Must-Have Camera Lenses Every Photographer Should Own
- The general-purpose zoom. A general-purpose (standard) zoom goes from around 18mm to 70mm.
- The macro lens.
- The telephoto zoom.
- 3 must-have camera lenses: conclusion.
What 2 lenses should every photographer have?
The Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own
- 1 The Mighty 50mm. If you only have budget for one extra lens, make it a 50mm.
- 2 The Ultra Wide-angle. If your budget allows for two new lenses, buy the 50mm and then invest in a wide-angle optic.
- 3 The Magical Macro.
Do lenses fit all cameras?
While lenses are interchangeable in that a camera can use different kinds of lenses (standard, wide angle, macro, etc), they aren’t completely interchangeable, across brands and types of cameras.
What lens is good for portraits?
For portrait photography, 50mm lenses are great for full-length and waist-level portraits, both on location and in the studio. This is thanks to the wide field of view compared to an 85mm or 135mm lens, and you don’t need to be too far away from the model to achieve these crops.
Which lens is most versatile?
Fifty millimeter lenses are also one of the most versatile lenses you can buy. On a full frame camera, a 50mm focal length is ideal for everything from architecture to portraiture to landscapes. The standard field of view is pleasing to the eye as well.
What is the difference between telephoto and zoom lens?
The basic difference between a Telephoto and Zoom lens is that a Zoom lens has a variable focal length and is used for dynamic photography while a telephoto lens has fixed focal length of greater than 50mm and is used for static photography.
What are the different lens sizes?
Focal length size guide
| Focal Length | Type of Lens | What is it used for? |
|---|---|---|
| 14mm – 35mm | Wide angle | Landscape, architecture |
| 35mm – 85mm | Standard | Street, travel, portrait |
| 85mm – 135mm | Short telephoto | Street photography and portraits |
| 135mm+ | Medium telephoto | Sports, wildlife, action |
What are the 6 types of lenses?
Six Lens Types are shown below.
- Plano Convex.
- Plano Concave.
- Bi-Convex.
- Bi-Concave.
- Positive Meniscus.
- Negative Meniscus.
What is a 35 70mm lens good for?
Its sharp and quick to focus. Its a nice portrait lens for head shots and is a nice lens for volleyball or basketball in a dark Gym. The 35-70 is a great lens and very sharp, but with a small zoom range is not as useful for me.
What is 300mm lens used for?
This lens is most commonly used by sports and wildlife photographers, but is short enough to be use for extreme close-up portraits. Because of its rather high native magnification, it can be used for some macro type photography.
How far will a 300mm lens shoot?
First Priority is Focal Length
| Focal Length | Distance (Crop frame) | Distance (Full frame) |
|---|---|---|
| 100mm | 19 yards | 12 yards |
| 200mm | 38 yards | 23.5 yards |
| 300mm | 56.5 yards | 38 yards |
| 400mm | 75.3 yards | 50 yards |
Can you zoom in with a 50mm lens?
You can’t. The 50mm f/1.4 is a prime lens, which means it has a fixed focal length, or fixed field of view. This is what some people call a sneaker zoom lens, where you as the photographer have to physically move to change what you see in the viewfinder.
Is a 50mm lens good for weddings?
A 50mm lens is an essential part of shooting almost any wedding. Great for portraits, candid shots, and any night scenes, this will commonly be a workhorse for shooting the wedding. If you have multiple camera bodies to shoot the wedding on, leaving the 50mm on one body the entire time is a great option.
Which is better for portraits 50mm or 85mm?
The 85mm focal length is perfect for portraits thanks to the levels of compression they provide, and because they do not distort facial features.If you are a portrait photographer who likes to focus more on 3/4 shots and much tighter headshots, we would absolutely recommend an 85mm prime over 50mm primes.
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