Types of Camera Lenses (Characteristics and Uses)

We know what a camera lens is in general terms, we know that there are many types (telephoto, wide angle, macro ...), but we may not know exactly what differentiates them and what use has each of them.

In this article, we will talk about them and recommend the ones that are ideal for you and your camera, depending on the type of photography that you do.

Types of Camera Lenses

Ultra Wide-Angle

These lenses have very short focal lengths, between 8mm and 24mm, which makes them optimal for when you want to take pictures where you need to have a lot of elements in the scene. They offer a deep depth of field and a wide field of view. Nonetheless, they can cause some distortions, especially if the photographed object is very close to the lens.

They are widely used for photographing landscapes and architecture, and for taking urban and panoramic photos.

Ultra Wide-Angle: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Wide-Angle

These type of lenses offer focal lengths between 24 and 35mm and viewing angles between approximately 60º and 180º.

Wide-angle lenses are very bright and have a lot of depth of field. They can also create some distortions in the margins (depending on their quality, this can be more or less accentuated).

The wide-angle lens is ideal for shooting outdoors or indoors. Just like ultra wide-angles, they are perfect for architecture and landscape photography.

Wide-Angle: Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.8 G

Standard

Standard lenses have a similar field of view to the human eye, that is, approximately 45º. This is equivalent to focal lengths between 35 and 50mm.

These lenses do not offer any kind of distortion and are very bright.

Standard: Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art for Nikon

Among the "standard" lenses, it is worth mentioning the 50mm prime lens. It is really bright and it offers good image quality. Its price is reasonably cheaper since it has fewer lenses and the construction processes are simpler than those used to create a zoom lens.

Its use is highly recommended for portrait photography.

50mm Prime Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

Telephoto

These big lenses are found within a range of 70mm up to 600mm, sometimes even more.

The main characteristic of these lenses is that they allow the photographer to be very far from the subject they want to photograph. Of course, by reducing the distance between the objects photographed, sometimes we get unrealistic shots.

These lenses are perfect to photograph sports events and wildlife. Moreover, they can be used for portrait photography, as they allow the photographer to carry out a very sharp and precise selective focus.

Many photographers sub-classify telephoto lenses into: short telephoto lenses (70-135mm), medium telephoto lenses (135-240mm), super telephoto lenses (240-500mm), and even ultra-telephoto lenses (> 500mm).

Telephoto: Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

Other Camera Lenses

Fisheye

What characterizes these lenses is that their lens produces distortions that offer a circular or curved image. They have an angle of view that reaches 180º or more, and their focal length is usually between 6 and 16mm.

These types of photographic lenses are generally used to take photos of crowds (for example, in stadiums) since it can capture scenes that other lenses would not cover. They are also often used to give creative and exaggerated effects to photos.

Fisheye: Canon EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM Ojo de pez

Zoom

They are lenses with a very wide focal range, between 18mm and 200mm or 300mm in many cases. It is like having a wide angle lens, a standard lens and a telephoto lens all together in just one lens.

Although they do not offer the same quality as the specific lenses, they are an affordable alternative (in terms of money and space), and a practical option (you only need one lens for everything).

Zoom: Canon EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM

Macro

Macro lenses are designed to be able to capture subjects at very close range. They tend to have long focal lengths (around 100mm) and allow you to photograph at a minimum focus distance  (a few centimeters). They usually represent the photographed object with clarity and sharpness.

Macro lenses tend to be used to photograph insects, flowers, and still life objects in acute detail. 

Macro: Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS

We would like to finish this entry by reminding you that in the Lenses section you may find a wide variety of camera lenses. We hope that this article will help you find the right camera lens for you.