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What types of lenses for SLR cameras are there? What types of lenses are there? Classification by parameters

Offer me a more fun sitchek!

Take any one and laugh!

How many times was the query written in Yandex: “What lens” - the result is 16,582 per month! How many times is this question asked to photographers, amateur photographers, photo department salespeople, and just people with a camera? From a person who understands the problem, the answer should be: “For what?”

So: the question “For what?”, in fact, carries the answer to the question “Which lens to choose?” Considering that for two months now I have been playing the role of a full-time graphomaniac in our project, I will have to answer this question... there is nowhere to go, this is the only way I will be allowed to shoot spherical panoramas, weddings and reportage, like every photographer in Rostov, you already understand, this is me I quietly inserted keywords into the text of the article so that robots would like it. Well, I’ve done this, now I’ll try to please you too.

For what?

What is the lens for? What is supposed to be photographed? Answer: “Everything!” - is immediately dismissed as a class. There is no absolutely universal lens.

What types of lenses are there and what are they for? Lenses are manufactured for various digital technologies: the most widespread is the digital analogue of 35 mm film with its numerous derivatives and medium format. We will not consider medium format; we will consider only lenses for 35 mm technology.

All lenses in this segment are actually divided into two large class: “zooms” and “fixes”. The former have a mechanism for changing the focal length, the latter, as the name implies, operate at a single focal length, but are optimized to transmit the highest quality image. Everything seems to be clear, but zooms and primes are different and the prime is not always better quality than the zoom

As an example, let's look at two lenses: Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, the first is the most inexpensive lens entry level costing approximately 3,500 rubles, a second professional zoom lens, the price of which goes through the roof for 80,000 rubles. They say that for the money, “fifty dollars” provides very good quality. I don’t know, I bought such a lens about ten years ago and it just fell apart in my hands after a few months, maybe of course my hands are like that... Second

The lens is a real professional tool - durable body, virtually silent autofocus. At a similar focal length, this zoom gives a better picture than the mentioned fifty dollars.

From this we conclude: you can compare lenses from similar price groups. Each of the two groups I mentioned is, in turn, divided into subgroups with a specific purpose.

Lenses can be wide-angle, standard (sometimes also called standard lenses), telezooms (zoom-telephoto lenses) - it is these groups that determine their purpose.

Standard zooms

EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM focal length: 93 mm

Standard zooms include lenses with a range of focal lengths from moderate wide-angle to portrait. These are 24-70, 24-105, 28-135 and the like. These lenses are the most versatile, they can be used for landscapes, panoramas and portraits. Typically, such lenses are sold complete with the camera. If the camera has a “crop factor”, that is, the size of its matrix is ​​smaller than the size of a standard 35 mm frame (24x36), then the range of focal lengths written on the lens should be multiplied by the value of the “crop factor”, which, for example, for Canon cameras is 1.6 .

EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM focal length: 45 mm

This means that if the lens says 18-55, then you should understand that its equivalent focal lengths are in the range of 29-88 mm, i.e. This is a standard zoom. Standard zooms are the most common group of lenses. Photos taken with a standard zoom may only have noticeable proportional distortion at the “short” end of the focal length range, and even then only slightly.

Wide-angle zooms

SIGMA AF 12-24 mm F/4.5-5.6 ASP HSM IF EX DG for Canon, Focal: 12mm

Wide-angle zooms are designed for shooting panoramas, architecture, and urban development. They are often used for street photography, where there is not enough space. These lenses can be used for creative photography of portraits and cartoons. Just be careful not to offend your model :) Lenses with a focal length of less than 44 mm are considered wide-angle. Thus, wide-angle zooms cover the range from 40 mm to 8 mm. As an example, I will give 17-40, 16-35, 12-24. It must be said that wide-angle zooms are much more expensive than standard zooms and telezooms; I don’t remember a lens cheaper than 20,000 rubles. The Shiva wide-angle zoom is indispensable for creative photography; I don’t know a single photographer who doesn’t have such a lens in his arsenal.

SIGMA AF 12-24 mm F/4.5-5.6 ASP HSM IF EX DG for Canon

The SIGMA AF 12-24 mm F/4.5-5.6 ASP HSM IF EX DG lens for Canon is a unique lens, although not without its shortcomings: dark, not sharp enough at the edges of the frame, slightly “yellowish”, but this, in my opinion, is compensated for 122° viewing angle and wonderful geometry - see for yourself.

Telezooms (Telephoto zooms)

The third group is telezooms, lenses with a focal length of more than 70 mm and up to 1200 mm, they are used very widely: from portrait photography to shooting sports and wildlife.

The most common family of telezooms is without a doubt the telezoom with a range of 70-200. Such lenses are produced by almost all manufacturers: Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Tokina. Sigma recently announced such a lens with constant aperture 2.0 - this is the first time such a zoom will appear. Canon simultaneously releases four versions of the 70-200 lens, aperture 2.8 and 4.0, each with and without image stabilization. Who hasn’t seen long white lenses worn by sports photographers during competitions? Traditionally in White color telezooms from 70-200 and primes from 300 mm are painted. Just a dream:)

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, focal length: 200 mm

70-200 are very convenient for shooting models in the open air, competitions in gym and so on. Where close-up shots from a distance are required.

Primes - lenses with a fixed focal length

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

There is a legend among novice amateur photographers that such lenses create such a “picture”, such... that a photographer is not really needed :) This is not at all true, indeed the quality of primes is higher than the quality of similar zooms, for example, if you compare the above-mentioned Canon EF 24-70mm f /2.8L II USM with prime lenses whose focal lengths are in the range of this zoom: Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM and Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, then the quality of the latter will be better than the quality of the zoom at the corresponding focal lengths distances. But this advantage will be obvious when printing 30x45 or larger and will be noticeable on 20x30 prints, but not on a laptop, tablet or smartphone screen. Working with such lenses is less efficient than with zooms; when changing lenses on the street, dirt gets on the matrix and you have to zoom the image with your feet, and not by turning the corresponding ring.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

These lenses are most convenient for leisurely creative shooting, preferably in the studio, where there is no danger of getting the camera sensor dirty when changing lenses.

Conclusion…

I tried to answer the question of novice amateur photographers, “Which lens should I choose?” It seems to me that by reading this article you can avoid common misconceptions among beginners and purchase lenses that will bring you pleasure to work with and will contribute to creative growth. There are also a number of special lenses that a beginning photographer is unlikely to need.

Best regards, GurFoto, photographic agency

What kind of shooting to use for - this is an important question that every novice photographer asks sooner or later. While working, the student photographer notices interesting features different optics in all kinds of shooting conditions. And really, what are these or those lenses for? Wouldn't it be easier to make one universal model and close the question of changing lenses forever? – Yes, it is possible that the creation of a universal lens “for all occasions” would significantly simplify the life of many enthusiasts, but how much would such a model cost, what would its weight be, and would every photographer really need it? A variety of lens types allows everyone to find suitable option and use it when photographing certain scenes.

Read also:

Classification of lenses by focal length:

  • Short focal length lenses (wide angles);
  • Normal lenses;
  • Long focal length lenses (telephotos).

Read more about lens focal length.

These are three main types of lenses, differing in focal length. You can also note the so-called super wide angle lenses, which have become especially popular in last years. But more about them a little later.

And so, let's talk in more detail about each of the three types of lenses, so that we can finally understand which lens to use for what shooting and what result it will help achieve.

Short throw or wide angle lenses

Wide-angle lenses are lenses with a short focal length. Short focal length allows you to cover more wide space, as evidenced by the name of this type of lens. The wide-angle field of view is 55°-83°, inclusive.


A wide angle allows this lens to capture more space in the frame, both in width and depth. This makes it possible to take sharper shots. The deep depth of field makes the maximum area of ​​the frame clear. This feature of optics makes it a great assistant when photographing architecture, interiors and landscapes. At the same time, portrait photography will not be so successful, since a wide lens coverage angle will distort the faces of models, making them more elongated. It is best to shoot something large and voluminous with wide angles, when it is important that as much space as possible fits into the frame.

Normal lenses, or realistic ones

Normal lenses are lenses that provide a realistic representation of reality in the frame. Perspective distortion with this lens is minimal. A lens whose focal length is equal to the diagonal of the frame is considered normal. The viewing angle of a normal lens is 50-55°, which approximately corresponds to the average viewing angle of the human eye.


One of the main advantages of normal or realistic lenses is their versatility and large aperture. Often, it is realistic lenses that have a large aperture, which allows you to open the aperture as much as possible and get more light.

The focal length of a normal lens is 50 mm when we are talking about shooting with a film camera or a camera with a full-format matrix. On cameras with cropped matrices, the focal length of a realistic lens is 25-50 mm, depending on the value of the crop factor.

Due to their versatility, normal lenses are used in various types shooting, and, in principle, can become the main preferred lens in work. However, this type of optics has gained the greatest popularity in portrait photography. Thanks to optimal angle vision and high aperture, realistic lenses provide the most attractive results.

Long lenses or telephotos

Long focal length lenses are those with a relatively long focal length and a narrow angle of view of less than 45°. Those long-focus lenses that use a mirror-lens (telescopic) design are called telephoto lenses.

Thanks to their narrow angle of view and long focal length, long lenses allow you to photograph distant objects on a large scale. Possibility to shoot close-up Distant subjects opens up new horizons for sports and wildlife photographers, allowing them to capture a subject at scale without getting too close to it.

Shallow depth of field is also distinctive feature long focal length lenses. Visual condensation of the space displayed with a long lens results in blurring of the background and/or foreground. This effect of lenses makes them relevant in portrait photography, when it is important to blur the background behind the model. Long focal length lenses will be completely useless when shooting in small spaces, or in cases where the photographer is faced with the task of fully depicting any large object.

Fisheye lens

In addition to the above-mentioned types of lenses, there are also super wide-angle lenses, or, as they are also called, fisheye lenses. The viewing angle of such optics can reach up to 180°. The main advantage of fisheye lenses is their wide viewing angle, which allows you to capture maximum space. Due to the very wide angle of view, inevitable distortions occur. Objects located in the center of the frame appear more distant than they actually are, and objects located at the edges of the image have distorted (bent) lines.

Fisheye lenses are not only useful for creative photography, they are also used in photojournalism and cinematography. In addition, the fish eye has a wide practical use in applied photography, namely in meteorology, sky photography, aviation simulators, etc.

Conclusion

This short overview of the types of lenses should help novice amateur photographers decide which lens they need for a particular shooting, as well as understand what features different optics models have. We hope that after reading this brief overview, beginners will decide for themselves which lens to use for which shooting.

Lens selection- a responsible process, most often associated with the waste of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars. This is why it is important to know what lens parameters to consider when purchasing.

First, you need to decide what goals you are pursuing: for what types of shooting it will be used. Lenses are used for different types of shooting various designs, With different angle vision.

Angle of view (or focal length) from 8 to 28 mm:

Characteristic of lenses that are also called wide-angle. If you plan to shoot landscapes, architecture, interiors (especially interiors in small spaces), then this lens is the best choice.

Viewing angle from 28 to 80 mm:

Characteristic of lenses that are called standard. If you like to shoot reports, various events, if you like street photography, this lens is perfect solution, as it is suitable for almost all types of photographic subjects. In addition, the range of standard lenses includes a 35mm angle of view, which is equal to the coverage of the scene by the human eye.

Viewing angle from 80 and above:

Characteristic of telephoto lenses or so-called long-focus lenses. If you like to shoot portraits (from 85mm), wildlife (from 400mm), football and other sporting events that you can't get close to, or if you need to shoot subjects that are very distant from you, a telephoto lens is designed for these tasks.

The easiest way to understand the angle of view is from this picture:

It should also be remembered that not all lenses provide the ability to zoom in or out of objects. Many of them can only be used at one angle of view (for example, only 24 mm - fixed focal length). Such lenses have much more high quality Images.

Other lenses can shoot at different focal lengths (for example, 28, 35, 50, and 80 - variable focal length):

However, the latter nevertheless provide the ability to quickly change the angle of view during reportage shooting. The simplest of them are usually built into digital point-and-shoot cameras and allow you to use the so-called zoom. Therefore, most novice users who switch from a point-and-shoot camera to a DSLR camera choose zoom lenses, sacrificing the quality that they could get using prime lenses.

Having defined your goals and chosen desired type focal length, the photographer begins to search for a specific brand and model. At this stage, the choice of lens depends on several technical parameters.

The second important parameter after focal length is aperture ratio.

Large lens aperture (or most small value aperture at which it can shoot) is a big plus because:

  • Fast lenses are suitable for shooting in bad conditions lighting, you can very often do without a flash with them (however, you should not think that they can replace, for example, in backlight) - they let in more light;
  • Fast lenses provide beautiful background blur. For example, such blur is produced by a Canon 50 mm, f/1.4 lens. The background is almost completely blurred:

And this is the Canon EF-S 18-55 mm kit lens. The background is poorly blurred, many details are visible, which distracts from the girl:

Note about numbers: among two Canon EF-S 18-55mm lenses f/3.5-5.6 and Canon EF 50.mm f/1.8 The latter has a larger aperture (shown in bold), which means that it is better for shooting in poor lighting conditions.

Lens sharpness – another important parameter. The more expensive the lens, the sharper it is, but among lenses of the same budget class you can find both excellent and not very good models. What's important is that prime lenses are typically an order of magnitude sharper than zoom lenses.

Budget lens Canon EF-S 18-55mm. “Soap picture”, blurred boundaries of objects:

Luxury lens Canon EF 24-105 L. Sharp object boundaries, beautiful blur:

Lens selection also depends on the crop factor of your camera’s sensor. For amateur or semi-professional cameras (for example, Canon 550D, or Nikon D5100), the crop factor of the matrix (23x15 mm) is 1.5 or 1.6. This means that a lens whose properties indicate an angle of view of 28 mm will have scene coverage as a lens with a focal length of 42 mm. This is because the focal length (angle of view) of the lens is indicated for full-frame matrices (36x24 mm), without crop factor (expensive cameras such as Canon 5D Mark II).

The picture shows that the angle of view of the lens on a crop matrix is ​​much smaller:

Finally comes to range models and brands of manufacturers. All popular manufacturers Camera companies such as Canon, Nikon, Olympus produce their own lenses. Most often, such lenses guarantee the buyer the best build quality. In addition, defects such as back focus and front focus are less common (read more about checking lenses for technical shortcomings you can read it when purchasing).

However, most often the cost of a “native” lens is an order of magnitude higher than the cost of lenses from third-party manufacturers. Sometimes this may not be justified. Some models from companies such as Tamron, Tokina, Sigma can show quality no worse than branded Canon or Nikon lenses.

It is important to choose a lens with a suitable mount (mount on the camera) - if the lens is designed for Canon cameras, it will no longer be suitable for Nikon.

When choosing a lens, also pay attention to the availability . The worse the lens, the more noticeable they are. Chromatic aberration occurs at the edges of subjects, especially subjects taken against a bright background. For example, tree branches against the sky. They have a purple, green or red border:

Most often characteristic of zoom lenses. Fixed focal length lenses are less likely to suffer from such shortcomings.

Knowing this information, you can always choose the lens that suits you best. Resources such as:

You can learn how to test a lens before purchasing.

Hello, dear readers of my site! Today we'll talk about lenses. Let's look at what types of lenses there are, their main parameters, as well as for what types of shooting is this or that lens best suited and why?

A more expensive lens is better than the other way around! I think many will agree with this statement, because the lens is the photographer’s eye and it conveys the image. Currently on the market different types lenses, each of which is designed for a specific type of shooting.

Let's consider lens classification according to certain parameters.

By focal length.

  • Wide-angle or short-focus. This class includes lenses with a focal length of less than 50 mm. It is believed that lenses with a focal length of 50 mm provide the most natural image, which is similar to human vision. These lenses allow you to capture more space in the frame. Well suited for shooting landscapes, indoor interiors, and wide theater scenes. The result is a beautiful, sharp picture with great information content. This type includes Fisheye or Fisheye lenses. They have a viewing angle of 1800 and a focal length of 15mm. The image taken with such a lens turns out to be twisted at the edges, as if inscribed in a circle.
  • Standard or normal. The focal length ranges from 45mm – 75mm. Universal lenses, as they are suitable for many types of filming. Very often used to create portrait photographs.
  • Telephoto or long-focus lenses . The focal length of such lenses is in the range of 75 mm. They cope well with the task when it is necessary to photograph distant objects.

By type of focusing.

  • Lenses with constant focal length (fixes). Such lenses have only one value, for example 50mm. Prime lenses, as a rule, have a higher aperture ratio and have less quantity distortion, simpler in design, and therefore cheaper. However, to compose an interesting shot, you will have to run with your legs
  • Varifocal lenses (zooms). More versatile, as both wide-angle and telephoto lenses can be used. Now, to create an interesting frame, you just need to turn the wheel on the lens. True, this type of lens has a lower aperture ratio, which decreases with increasing focal length. There are zooms with constant aperture, but they cost an order of magnitude more. It is wrong to think that Zoom and Zoom are the same thing. Zoom is a maxi ratiosmall focal length to minimum and nothing more! For example, if we have a lens of 18 mm - 55 mm and , otherwise the calculations are unfair, then its zoom is approximately equal to 3, but such a lens will not bring you closer, but will, on the contrary, move you away, since it was noted above thatHuman vision resembles a lens with a 50 mm focal length. Unfortunately, consultants in stores often try to present the 50th zoom as a 50x increase, which is completely wrong!​

By the presence of autofocus.

  • With automatic focus. It is necessary to separate the autofocus built into the lens and from the electric motor located in digital camera, the so-called “screwdriver”. Not all cameras have this “screwdriver” built in, so you have to buy more expensive lenses with their own autofocus.
  • No auto focus. The image is focused by rotating the lens focusing ring. The advantage is their price.​

​​ For image stabilization.

  • With stabilization (with vibration suppression). More expensive lenses, but allow you to take sharp photos, especially at slow shutter speeds or at long focal lengths. And in general, useful feature, especially if the shooting is done handheld.
  • No stabilization. The best option Applications – shooting from a tripod or handheld at short shutter speeds. In this case, you don’t have to overpay.

By aperture value or f number.

When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the maximum aperture of the lens. Lenses with a larger aperture range are more flexible, both in terms of sharpness and possible shutter speed. How is the range indicated? possible values diaphragm, we will look at it in the next lesson.​

By the presence of an aperture control ring.

It’s simple here, or there is a ring on the lens to change it or not, then control occurs through the camera.

According to the configuration.

Usually, various accessories are sold with lenses. For example, covers, hoods, cases, there may even be filters. It's a small thing, but it's nice!

As you can see, the range of lenses is very wide and each type of lens has its own advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on the subject being photographed and the photographer’s intentions. Ultimately, the photographer takes pictures, and the technology only helps him.

Lenses - article from Radozhiva

I tried to write about everything as compactly as possible. main types of lenses in a short list. Lenses differ in various ways, such as: purpose and image quality. I won't categorize them. Each type requires a separate huge article, but I know from myself that only a few will be interested in reading it. Regular DSLR camera users just need to quickly figure out what is what, without unnecessary complicated details.

Lenses have an integer in their name. The most important parameters of a lens are its and meaning. , roughly speaking, tells how much the lens brings the image closer or further away from you, how far or close the lens can ‘see’. there is proper and equivalent (effective).

And so, here are the types of lenses that often come across my ears:

Fix (fix lens, discrete lens, Prime lens, Fix-focal lens)- a lens with one focal length. Doesn't have zoom, because its focal length is FIX ified. Basically, it has very small aperture values ​​F. It is often said that fixed lenses have a large aperture. An example of a prime lens would be or. The name of the lens most often indicates only one number for the focal length in millimeters and one number with the letter F. Due to the enormous aperture, such lenses are rarely called fast ( fast lens), this name is due to the fact that such lenses allow you to shoot on.

Zoom (zoom lens, varifocal lens, zoom lens, Zoom lens, Zoom Lens)- zoom lens. Zoom is also called a ‘zoom’; it changes the focal length of the lens, thus changing the angles of view of the lens. They say that such a lens can ‘zoom in’ and ‘zoom out’ of an image. An example of a zoom lens is . Zooms come with a constant, which does not change when zooming, and with a variable: in such lenses it changes by different meanings focal length, this is already written a little higher.

Superzoom (ultrazoom, UltraZoom, MegaZoom, SuperZoom)- This is a zoom lens with a large zoom ratio. Such a lens can operate at very different focal lengths.

How to find out the zoom factor? It’s very simple, you need to divide the larger number in the lens designation by the smaller one. For example, the 18-105VR zoom gives 5.8x magnification. Indeed, 105mm/18mm=5.8 times. The 18-55mm kit lens gives a 3x zoom. The zoom ratio is usually denoted by 'X', for example, 3X, 5X, 12X.

Fast lens (fast lens, light lens, fast lense)- lens with a large . Often, diaphragm and diaphragm mean the same thing. Because a fast lens simply has small number F, starting from F2.8 and below, but you can often find other divisions. Eat super fast lenses, For example . An example of a fast lens is,.

Whale lens (whale, kit lens, kit lens)— lens from the kit that comes with the camera. Usually, a kit lens means an entry-level lens, but this is not always true. An example of a kit lens would be, or.

Manual (manual lens, manual focus lens, manual, non-autofocus)- a lens with which you can shoot only by focusing with your hands. An example is Helios-81N, or.

Manual chip lens- a lens with which you can shoot only by focusing with your hands, but with the addition of a special chip that simulates some of the functions of an autofocus lens. You can read about this in more detail in the section about Lushnikov’s dandelion.

Autofocus lens- a lens that supports automatic focusing. Focusing is carried out automatically by the camera or lens. Nikon has different methods implementation of autofocus (more details in section).

Wide-angle lens (shirik, wide-angle, wide lens, wide-angle lens)- a lens whose focal length is less than the diagonal of the frame. Usually they simply say that such a lens provides a wide viewing angle. With this lens you can ‘capture’ a lot of space in the frame. I will not tie this concept to specific focal length values, because due to different sizes films and matrices of digital cameras, there is great confusion, for example, for crop and full frame (full frame). There is also a division for super wide-angle lenses.

Normal lens (standard lens, normal lens)- a lens whose focal length is approximately equal to the diagonal of the frame. For example, 35mm film and full-format digital cameras have a frame diagonal of 43.27mm; for such a frame diagonal, a 50mm lens can be considered a normal lens. Such lenses give natural normal an image that is similar to what the human eye sees.

Tele lens (Telephoto lens)- a lens with a long focal length. Typically, the focal length should be noticeably larger than the frame diagonal. This lens gives a narrow angle of view, so we get a close approximation of what we are shooting. Such lenses are most often used for shooting distant objects, for example, for nature photography, sports, astrophotography, etc. There is also a division for short telephoto lenses, medium telephoto lenses and super telephoto lenses (telephoto lens, medium telephoto, super telephot)— these divisions are highly subjective.

Portrait lens (portrait lens)- a lens with which you can make nice portrait. The designations are quite arbitrary. Portrait lenses usually mean fast lenses that do not have . Typically, such a lens can blur the background and foreground well. You can often find that portrait lenses include fast telephoto lenses. Classic portrait lenses for 35mm film or full frame are , and , In fact, any lens can be a portrait lens, but not all lenses will be able to do what the photographer intended.

Macro lens (makrushnik, macro lens, macro lens)- a lens that can take close-up shots of small objects. A real makrushnik should shoot with a magnification of 1 to 1. An example would be or, etc.

Professional (professional lens, pro lens)- a lens of improved design, designed for heavy loads, such lenses provide good quality the original image and suggest a fairly deep wallet of the owner. The concept is relative, but it seriously affects the photographer’s sense of dignity. Such lenses include:

Specialized lens (special lens)- a lens that can produce an unusual picture. These may be

  • soft lenses, longer name “soft focus lens”
  • monocle lenses. What is it, read in my article
  • title shift lenses - lenses with shift and tilt of the optical axis
  • cinema lenses, projection lenses, reproduction lenses, photographic enlarger lenses, etc.
  • lenses for astronomy, for military purposes, industrial lenses, lenses for night observation, medicine, etc.

Ordinary people most often never use specialized lenses in their lives, so I don’t focus on them. I deliberately do not seriously touch on the topic of lens quality; there can be a million different opinions and arguments on this matter, since all lenses have different tastes and colors.