Different Types of Camera Lenses and when to use them

A camera lens is the primary optical component that transmits the scene or view to the camera's sensor. It can sharpen your vision of the scene by focusing on your subject at different focal lengths. A zoom lens can be adjusted to show you more or less of a scene, allowing you to easily frame your pictures.
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Finding out how many kinds of camera lenses there are when you first start taking photos can be confusing. However, there are two main categories of camera lenses, zoom lenses and prime lenses, under which several other lenses are included.

Knowing which lens type to choose becomes empirical, so this guide to lens types outlines the various types of lenses that are available as well as the information you need to know so you'll know what to look for when choosing the best lens for you.

Types of Camera Lenses

Prime lens

One main type of camera lens is the prime lens. Prime lens has a fixed focal range; that is, you are unable to zoom in or out. For instance, a 50mm f1.8 lens has a fixed 50mm focal length, which provides a fixed angle of view.

Wide-angle prime lens


A wide-angle prime lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens with a focal length of 21mm. Wide-angle prime lenses are useful for scenes where you want to include a lot more in your frame. Landscapes, cityscapes, and architecture are the main categories that use a wide-angle lens. Wide-angle prime lenses are also a great choice for astrophotography.

Standard prime lens


The 50mm lens is regarded as the standard prime lens. The 50mm lens has a higher aperture, making it ideal for low light. It is frequently one of the first lenses acquired after the regular zoom lens. Standard Prime Lenses are relatively small and have large apertures, making them perfect for photography of individuals and portraits.

Telephoto prime lens


Beyond 50mm, you have "short telephoto" lenses, like a 72-85mm, and over 300mm, they are regarded as "super telephoto" lenses. Compared to a telephoto zoom lens, these provide outstanding image quality, but it can occasionally be more challenging to frame a subject. Telephoto lenses enable you to see objects that are further away. As a result, they are suitable for portrait photography (around 85mm) and wildlife photography at the longer end, with a 200 or 300mm lens enabling you to see objects further away in greater detail.

Macro prime lens


Macro lenses, which can be specified with 1:1 to give a 1:1 copy of the subject, are created specifically for close-up and life-size reproduction of subjects. Some provide a perspective that is considerably closer, like 1.25:1 or greater. Macro lenses come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

They are good for a variety of purposes, including product photography and macro photography. They are particularly well suited for close-up photography of insects and other small subjects.

Zoom lens

A zoom lens will provide a range of focal lengths as well as a zoom range. For instance, a 24-70mm zoom lens will allow you to zoom from 24mm, a wide-angle view (allowing you to fit more in the shot), all the way to 70mm, a short telephoto view, allowing you to see things further away in more detail.

Standard zoom lens



Standard zoom lenses, sometimes known as "the kit lens," are made to get you started quickly with a flexible zoom range that ranges from wide to slightly telephoto. They are good for a wide range of scenarios, although frequently not the best for close-up or macro photography, and these camera lenses might not have adequate reach to capture anything that is far-off.

These lenses are perfect for beginner photographers and for portrait photography as you can very quickly go from a wide, full body shot to a more cropped view of a model's face.

Wide-angle zoom lens



A wide-angle zoom lens enables you to capture more of the scene, whether it's a landscape or a large group of people being photographed. These lenses are also helpful in cramped environments. Wide-angle zoom lens is best used for wide-angle landscape photographs as well as shots in small places.

Super zoom lens



The super zoom lens tries to cover a wide range; despite not being as wide-angle as a wide-angle zoom lens, the super zoom lens still allows you to fit a lot in the frame and zoom farther. They can be good all-purpose lenses, but because of the sacrifices needed to provide such a wide zoom range, the image quality is frequently inferior to that of other zoom lenses. They are mostly used for traveling purposes or when you need longer reach than a conventional zoom lens but do not have room for any more lenses.

Telephoto zoom lens



Telephoto zoom lenses have a longer zoom that enables you to see distant things. You can also adjust the zoom level so that you may more precisely frame your subject and capture wildlife, far-off birds or animals, and sports. These lenses are most suitable for events and portraits as they offer better background separation from the subject.

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Other factors to consider:

In addition to the types of lenses, there are some other factors to consider when looking to purchase a new lens for your camera.

1. Lens mounts:

The lens mount, which is located on the rear of the lens and allows you to attach the lens to the camera, is another crucial detail to be aware of. Canon has different types of lens mount, including the following: RF, RF-S, EF, EF-S, and EF-M.

  • RF and RF-S lenses are specifically designed for EOS R system mirrorless cameras.
  • Canon's EF mount lens is an acronym for electronic focus. EF has the broadest compatibility and is compatible with a variety of Canon cameras. These lenses are compatible with every EOS DSLR (Digital SLR) model.
  • EF-S lenses are not compatible with full-frame DSLR cameras because they are made for APS-C DSLRs. The lens can be made lighter and smaller by designing for the APS-C sensor. When used with an adapter, EF-S lenses can also be utilized with EOS M (EF-M mirrorless mount) and R (full-frame format) cameras.
  • EOS M mirrorless cameras are the only ones that can use EF-M lenses. EF and EF-S lenses can also be utilized with EOS M cameras when using an adapter.
To make things easier: You'll find that most lenses will mention the lens mount as part of the name. Canon always includes the lens mount in the name, such as EF (full-frame), EF-S (APS-C), or RF (for Canon's mirrorless cameras).

2. Sensor size and crop factor:

Every time a focal length, like 50mm, has been mentioned in the past, it has been in the context of utilizing it with a full-frame camera, which has a full-frame sensor roughly the same size as a 35mm film frame.

There is a crop factor that must be considered with some cameras that employ smaller sensors, such as APS-C or Micro Four Thirds. For instance, the most popular APS-C sensor size is a 1.5x crop of full-frame, giving the camera's lens a 1.5x crop.

When selecting a lens for a camera with a smaller-than-full-frame sensor, keep this in mind.

3. Image stabilization:

An internal part of a lens that has optical image stabilization integrated in can be moved to account for any wobble or movement when capturing pictures. Consider image stabilization for your next lens purchase. This feature is especially helpful for telephoto lenses, but it is present in many lenses, especially some of the more expensive types.

IS lenses improve image quality with sharper images, crisp details, and reduced motion blur, especially with handheld photography. They are also extremely helpful when shooting videos as they reduce camera ‘shake’, resulting in a relatively smoother output.

To sum up, great photographers know which lens to choose. Simply put, not every sort of shot is possible with every lens. In various circumstances, some lenses perform better than others. The key is to establish your goal and purpose and then buy the best possible lens type, taking into consideration the most essential features.

WIDE ANGLE ZOOM LENSES