Once the light has passed through the aperture of the lens, it reaches the shutter. Next to the camera body, camera lenses are the second most important part of your camera. Pentax lenses explained this site might need some slight update. Check out my top 3 cheap canon lens recommendations here. This video teaches how to understand everything about camera lenses, which can be very difficult starting out. The answer goes beyond simple things like sharpness and image quality. We are going to break down the different options you have when it comes to expanding your lens arsenal. You can customize the camera by putting on mounting the lens that works best for your subject. For example, most digital camera lenses have a tough time taking a closeup shot when set for a wide angle. Well get into why in a moment, but the result in a portrait situation is flatter, wider faces. Nov 14, 2019 for example, if a 10x optical zoom lens on a digital camera has a minimum focal length of 35mm, the camera would have a 350mm maximum focal length.
Part of what can be confusing about lenses is some of the terms that are thrown around when discussing them. The beginners guide to camera lenses the fracture blog. Digital landscape and nature photography for dummies. A lens focal length is defined as the distance between the lens optical center and the cameras image sensor or film plane when focused at infinity. A camera without a lens is useless to a photographer. The quality of the glass used in the lens and other factors determine the quality of the image you get from the lens. Oct 17, 2017 the basics of camera lenses explained, tips on how to choose a lens for video, and examples of what different focal lengths look like. On a fullframe camera, these lenses range from 85mm to 5mm, or about 50mm to 85mm on an apsc format camera. To resolve this, simply back away from your subject and use the optical zoom on your digital camera to reframe the shot. While its a great lens to start experimenting with, the standard kit lens does have one slight drawback that youll find with many lenses. This post is on overall guide to the canon lens lineup with links to. Even though the image making happens inside the camera body and on the film itself, the lens is what handles the light and determines the quality of the resulting image. Here are the camera lens basics to help you make the right choice for your photographic needs.
All other canon mounts will work with the eosm with a mount adapter, but efm lenses will not work on other canon bodies. Not every lens has all seven of these features, and other lenses have many more. This i assume is because they cant offer advice on each students individual needs and ambitions. Understanding the basics of camera lenses and their common terminology will go a. Focal length focal length is the distance in millimetres from the imaging surface film or sensor and the optical centre of. The truth is, lenses are expensive, so we often choose a type of photography and then pick a few lenses that work with our vision. Found on many older fully manual lenses, the aperture ring controls the size of the. It goes without saying that you want to buy a lens that will attach on your camera, and this is known as the lens mount. Camera lenses for the beginner, explaining everything you need to know, focal length aperture and all the lens markings and what they mean. Iso is measured on a scale that extends from about 1006400 on most entrylevel cameras, though the scale can extend much, much further. Focal length focal length is the distance in millimetres from the imaging surface film or sensor and the optical centre of the lens when it is focused at infinity.
Dx cameras and lenses are smaller and lighter than their fx brothers, but the sensor in an fx camera can gather more light, and tends to perform better in low light. For a 35mm film camera or a fullframe dslr, the 50mm lens is considered standard. Selecting a new camera lens requires time and research because you have to consider several factors. Collects light and bends it to the other lens elements. If your camera lacks image stabilisation, you should consider a lens with the technology built into it, as this will help you to achieve sharper images at slower shutter speeds. A camera lens is a round barrel with several pieces of glass inside. Different focal lengths are better suited to particular types of photography, and to particular subjects, and some lenses even have specific functions which appeal to particular requi. Camera lens terms explained for beginner photographers. I think its so important to learn how to use manual mode.
Lenses and depth of field university of california, irvine. Why are some camera lenses so much better than others. The basics of camera lenses explained, tips on how to choose a lens for video, and examples of what different focal lengths look like. The prices of kit lenses vary based on the camera brand youre purchasing. Look for other framing possibilities within the scene, such as an arch or. Lenses are one of the most important components in cameras. This photography tutorial outlines some important qualities of different lenses, and how each performs in identical situations. Youll also find settings you use to photograph weddings, people at work, and so on. Focal length is one such term if we are to give focal length a technical definition, it would be this. This post is on overall guide to the canon lens lineup with links to many of the specific lenses. Topics covered include zoom lenses, prime lenses, wide angle, mid. These macro lenses will show details of fine hairs on insects, water droplets on plants, or detailed shots of diamond rings.
Efs lenses are not compatible with fullframe sensor cameras. Adam welch the beautiful construct of optical wonderment that is your camera lens, is something that many of us sometimes take for granted. Jul 03, 2009 the pentax lenses explained page has just been updated with the new yet vastly unchanged dal series, as well as with other technologies such as sdm. Choose the right lenses for your digital camera dummies. This lenses comes with the packed features that supports high optical. If youre new to lenses, consult our quick guide to the types of lenses available. It can be useful to try different types of camera lenses for different perspectives and composition. The complete guide to canons lens terms digital camera world. Learn more about aperture and fnumbers in the detailed tutorial below by. Being able to change its lenses makes the dslr one of the more versatile camera systems available. Interchangeable lenses can open up a whole new world of photography.
Digital slr photography allinone for dummies, 2nd edition. Camera manufacturers generally make lenses with proprietry mounts which. Camera lenses with angles of view between 30 and 10 are referred to as standard or short telephoto and medium telephoto lenses. Canon camera lenses are as diverse as you can imagine. Everything you need to know about a camera lens for beginners. The last element, iso, controls how much digital noise is in the shot. Lens basics understanding camera lenses exposure guide. Photography for beginers canadian nature photographer. Beginners guide to nikkor lenses what digital camera. Camera lenses explained for beginners without our eyes we cant see and cameras are the same without their lenses. The lens is what focuses light from what you see through the viewfinder into a tiny, typically 35mm spot on the back of your film, dslr, or mirrorless camera. A standard lens doesnt change the size of an object or add distortion to the subject in an image.
No matter what your situation, you can find the right lens. Do you look at your camera lens and wonder what all those numbers and letters. Standard lenses for 35mm film cameras were 50mm while standard lenses for digital cameras with a smaller aps sensor have a 35mm focal length. However, if the digital camera offers some additional wideangle capabilities and has a minimum 28mm equivalency, then the 10x optical zoom would only have a maximum focal length of 280mm. Some cameras have image stabilisation built into their bodies while others employ the technology in their lenses. Introduction to the different types of camera lenses. This particular book i feel is written exactly in the opposite form, it seems a little more complicated than i expected. Instead, lenses matter because they control which photos you can even take in the first place. Digital noise looks like film grain, and it can add a grittiness to your images, as seen above. Choosing the right lens for the task can become a complex tradeoff between cost, size, weight, lens speed and image quality. The first step is the process is to determine the variables you need to take into account.
Other lenses offer manual focus, which is more difficult to use, but. The beautiful construct of optical wonderment that is your camera lens. Theyre arguably the most important piece of equipment a photographer can buy even more important than the camera itself. That means that if you choose a 35mm lens, it will only give you a 35mm perspective meaning you cant. If you remove the lens from your camera, the only kind of image you can produce is white light. But, theyre usually some of the most inexpensive starter lenses available. In this article on camera lenses explained, our goal is to arm you with.
Focal length refers to the distance from the sensor to the center of the front lens element. Lenses and depth of field prepared by behzad sajadi borrowed from fredo durands lectures at mit. Lets you attach lens filters to modify light that reaches your camera sensor. When considering a new lens, think through the purpose of getting it first. Mar 01, 2020 so if you have a camera with an apsc sensor, the focal length of an efs lens will be true. Ordinarily, you only want a very small fraction of a second for example 1250 to prevent motion blur. Updated for 2019, this guide on camera lenses will give you camera lens basics, do a comparison of lens focal lengths, cover the different types of lenses, as well as help you choose the right lens to use with different kinds of photography.
In this article on camera lenses explained, our goal is to arm you with information youll need to choose the most suitable lens for your needs. Camera lens basics helpful guide to understanding camera lenses. The standard lens has a fixed focal length 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, and reproduces fairly accurately what the human eye sees in terms of perspective and angle of view. Consider the types of features that you would most prefer in a new camera lens. Understanding camera lenses can help add more creative control to digital photography. At some point in time you may find yourself shopping for a new lens for either practical or creative reasons. People whether you want to create a great portrait of your wife, or capture a candid shot of your child being himself, this is the part of the book where i show you how to take these types of pictures. Digital slr cameras and photography for dummies for dummies. Jul 14, 2017 this term indicates that the camera and lens can communicate electronically to drive the focusing system inside the lens and all ef lenses have their own focusing motors built into them. Normally when i purchase dummies books i feel like theyre written for real dummies, too much fluff and not enough content. This article will look at the different types of lenses there.
Lenses 101 an introduction to camera lenses a post by. Other lenses simply dont let you get up close to focus so precisely. Macro camera lenses are used for extreme close ups. Medium format cameras have standard lenses that are between 75mm and 105mm. Optical image stabilization is a feature found in both lenses and camera bodies that attempts to counteract vibrations and other tiny movements that could lead to a. Apr 06, 2016 it also produces lenses tailored to each sensor size to find out which is best suited to your sensor look at the name. Now you need to decide how much of that light youre going to allow into the camera. A camera lens is a combination of different types of glasses concave, convex, concavoconvex, etc, arranged in different groups to give the sharpness of content across the image. Lenses for digital cameras vary greatly, and so do types of photography and types of camera available. You can use ef lenses on all canon eos dslr bodies, and you can also use these on canons range eos m series of mirrorless cameras via the efeos m adapter. Lenses with 4050 mm focal length have a similar perspective as the human eye and are called normal lenses.