CAMERA LENSES

Next to the camera body, your camera lenses are the second most important part of your camera.
Selecting the right lens (or lenses) is essential for getting the shots you want. Selecting a new camera
lens requires time and research because you have to consider several factors; desired focal length, lens
speed, compatibility with your camera, and budget.

In this article on Camera Lenses Explained, our goal is to arm you with the information you’ll need to
choose the most suitable lens for your needs. At some point in time, you may find yourself shopping for
a new lens for either practical or creative reasons. The first step in the process is to determine the
variables you need to take into account when selecting your new lens.

Criteria for Selecting Camera Lenses

You need to take several factors into consideration when selecting a camera lens;

 Purpose (portraits, landscape, sports, architecture)

 Focal Length

 Speed (1.4, 2.8f, 4.5/f)

 Quality

 Features (image stabilization, silent autofocus)

 Budget

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Lenses 101:
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Choosing
the Right
Camera
Lens

Learn to
know which
lens will
maximize
your
camera’s
capabilities.

Lens Focal Length

The Focal length of a camera lens, usually represented in millimeters or mm, is a description of the lens,
but is not a measurement of the actual length of the lens. Focal length is a calculation of the optical
distance from the point where light rays converge to form an in-focus image of the subject to the digital
sensor in the camera.

The focal length of a lens is determined when the lens is focused at infinity. It basically tells us the angle
of view, or how much of a scene will be captured, and the magnification (how large elements will be in
the image). Longer focal lengths have a narrower angle of view and higher magnification. Shorter the
focal lengths offer a wider angle of view and the lower or smaller the magnification.

Here are five apertures and their most common use;

 17mm – Extreme Wide Angle (Architectural and landscape photography)

 21-35mm – Wide Angle – (Landscape photography)

 35-70mm – Normal Zoom (everyday photography)

 70-135mm – Telephoto Zoom (Portraits)

 135-300mm – Telephoto (Wildlife, Sports, and Bird photography)

You need to familiarize yourself with are the various types of lenses available for your camera and the
various definitions. Before we go any further, we’re assuming you have or plan to purchase a digital
camera the accommodates removable interchangeable lenses. There are five general categories of
camera lenses;

Prime Lens

A prime lens has a single focal length. They are smaller and lighter than other lens. The most popular
focal length is 50mm, which is supposed to be a close match to the magnification of the human eye.
Prime don’t zoom in and out due to their fixed focal length. But they produce sharper high quality
images than zoom lenses.

Zoom Lens
Unlike a prime lens with a fixed focal length, zoom lenses have a variable focal length that can be
adjusted. Some of the most popular zoom lens focal length ranges are 24-70mm and 24-85mm.

Wide-angle zoom lenses are usually 14-24mm and 16-35mm. Telephoto zoom lenses are typically 70-
200mm.

Telephoto Lens

A telephoto lens has a long reach, which allows you to shoot a subject that is far away. A lens is
considered telephoto if it has a focal length of at least 60mm. Telephoto lenses come in a number of
focal lengths from medium telephoto (70-200mm) to super telephoto (longer than 300mm). These
lenses can be either zoom or prime lenses. Telephoto lenses make your subject appear closer to your
camera and they help emphasize a blurred background.

Wide Angle Lens

Similar to a Prime lens, a Wide Angle lens has a fixed focal length. These lenses have a short focal length
(usually around 35mm) and a wide field of view. Ultra-wide angle lens are about 24mm or wider. Wide-
angle lenses allow your camera to capture more of the scene than a normal lens can and are ideal
for landscape, real estate, and interior photography
Macro Lens

A macro lens is for extremely close focusing distances and are capable of taking highly detailed images
of tiny microscopic sized subjects like flowers, insects, products, jewellery, coins, and wildlife. Macro
lenses allow you to focus extremely close to your subject so it appears large in the viewfinder and
image. Another use for macro lenses is portraits (especially headshots and studio portraits). It is hard to
beat the stunning sharpness of a macro lens.

Camera Lens Apertures

Another factor to take into consideration is the aperture. There are several different types of camera
lens available for a wide range of uses. Lenses are identified by two primary parameters; the maximum
aperture and focal length. Shorter focal length prime lenses have maximum apertures ranging from
approximately f/1.2 to f/2.8. Telephoto lenses often have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/5.6.

Costlier high-end zoom lenses maintain the same maximum aperture setting throughout their focal
length range, while less expensive zoom lenses use a variable aperture range. For example, a lens with
an aperture range of “f/3.5 – f/5.6” will be noted on the actual lens barrel as “1:3.5-5.6”. Lens kits sold
with many consumer DSLR and compact system cameras often have a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6.

Full-frame vs APS-C Cameras

Yet another critical factor you need to consider when shopping for a lens is the camera sensor size. Most
of the consumer DSLR cameras costing under $1,200 use what is known as a cropped or APS-C
sensor measuring approximately 22x15mm. Higher end professional DSLR cameras use a full-frame
sensor that is the same size as 35mm film measuring 36x24mm. Before you go shopping for a new lens,
check the specifications of your camera to determine whether you have an APS-C or full-frame sensor.

Lens Selection based on Sensor Size

Once you know what kind of sensor you have (full-frame or cropped), you can start shopping for the
correct lens. Most lenses fall into two categories;

 Camera Lenses for Full-Frame sensor cameras

Lenses are made specifically for full-frame sensors or crop sensor cameras. Crop frame sensor lenses are
designed specifically to match the smaller sensor size inside the camera. If your camera has a cropped
sensor, you can use both full-frame and cropped frame lenses. However, if you have a full-frame sensor
camera, you don’t want to use a lens for crop-frame cameras. Full-frame cameras should only use lenses
designed for full-frame cameras.

Identifying Full-Frame vs Cropped Sensor Cameras

So how do you tell the difference between a full-frame sensor camera and a camera with a cropped
sensor? Lens manufacturers label their APS-C format SLR lenses as follows:

 Canon (EF-S)

 Nikon (DX)

 Sony (DT)

 Tamron (Di II)

 Pentax (DA)

 Sigma (DC)

 Tokina (DX)

Nikon Full-Frame Cameras

Nikon refers to their full-frame image sensor format cameras and lenses as their FX Series. Current full-
frame Nikon camera models are; Nikon D750, Nikon D810, Nikon D850, Nikon D5.

Nikon Crop Sensor Cameras

Nikon refers to their crop sensor DSLR cameras and lenses as their DX Series. Current cropped sensor
Nikon camera models are; Nikon D3200, Nikon D3300, Nikon D5200, Nikon D3400, Nikon D5300, Nikon
D5600, Nikon D5500, Nikon D7100, Nikon D7200, Nikon D7500.

Canon Full-Frame Cameras

Canon refers to their full-frame image sensor format cameras and lenses as their EF Series. Current full-
frame Canon camera models are; Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 6D Mark II, Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon
EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EOS 5DS, Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, Canon EOS-1D X.

Canon Crop Sensor Cameras

Canon refers to their crop image sensor format cameras and lenses as their EF-S Series. Current cropped
sensor Canon camera models are; Canon EOS Rebel SL1, Canon EOS Rebel T5, Canon EOS Rebel
T6, Canon EOS Rebel T6s, Canon EOS Rebel T5i, Canon EOS Rebel T6i, Canon EOS Rebel T7i, Canon EOS
Rebel SL2, Canon EOS 80D, Canon EOS 77D, Canon EOS 70D, Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EOS
6D, Canon EOS 6D Mark II.

Image Stabilization (IS)

Some cameras have image stabilization built-in, while others use IS in the lens. Image Stabilization in the
lens works by using electromagnets to move internal glass elements. When you turn on image
stabilization, those electromagnets are activated to create a floating spring-like suspension system so
the glass can absorb camera shake and make your images sharper. Each manufacturer has its own
definition for image stabilization;

 Canon (IS) Image Stabilization

 Nikkor (VR) Vibration reduction

 Sigma (OS) Optical Stability

 Tamron (VC) Vibration Correction

 Fujifilm | Panasonic | Samsung (OIS) Optical Image Stabilization

Image stabilization is available in a wide range of different lenses, but it’s particularly effective with
longer focal length lenses because images taken with longer lenses require faster shutter speeds to keep
them sharp.

Lens Mounts and Third Party Lenses

Each camera manufacturer uses its own proprietary lens mount that we refer to as first-party lenses. 
This means camera lenses cannot be swapped with different brands; a Nikon lens won’t fit on a Canon
body. Other manufactures, referred to as third-party, make lenses to fit different mounts on multiple
brands. Third party lens manufacturers include Zeiss, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Meyer-Optik Gorlitz,
Rokinon, IRIX, Lensbaby, Samyang, Venus Optics, and Voigtlander Nokton.

Lens Quality

Some lens manufacturers offer different qualities of camera lenses. When we talk about a higher quality
lens, we usually mean the glass elements used in the construction of the lens are of a higher grade,
resulting superior quality images. Higher quality lenses are usually weather sealed and as you might
have guessed, more expensive. Canon “L” lenses (Canon Luxury Lenses) can be easily identified by a red
ring or white body. Nikkor lenses have “ED” on the lens barrel to signify the “Extra Low Dispersion” glass
used in the lens.

Putting it all Together

The pictures you take, or the pictures you plan on taking, will determine which lens is right for you. So
first decide if you need a lens for photographing picturesque landscapes, travel, sports, close-up shots,
capturing wildlife, a lens for wedding photography, or even for a traditional portrait.
Next, check for lens mounting compatibility and compatibility with the sensor in your camera. Decide
whether you need a fast lens and what maximum aperture you desire. Decide whether you need a
higher quality lens and what extra features you need (image stabilization, autofocus, weatherproof,
etc.).