Decoding the lens jargon

The almost sentence-long collection of letters and numbers on the side of a lens barrel can tell you all sorts of things about a lens. But the details which you should probably pay the most attention to are those which detail the focal length, maximum aperture, lens mount and format type.

Focal length
Focal length is expressed in mm and a higher number means a bigger zoom, while a lower number mean the lens can be used for wider shots. As a rough reference, the human eye is said to see about the equi alent of !"-#" mm on a full frame camera $more on that later%. A number lower than !"-#" mm will ta&e in a bigger iew than you naturally see, while higher numbers mean focus will be on a smaller aspect of your iew.

'f the lens has a focal length range with two numbers $say ()-*" mm% this means it+s a zoom lens and is capable of zooming and being used at any point across that range. ,owe er, if there is a single focal length number $#" mm for instance% it+s a prime lens, so ta&ing in more or less of the iew will require you to get closer or further away from your sub-ect. Traditionally, primes ha e been considered to be optically superior to zooms, because trade-offs ha e to be made when producing zoom lenses. But that+s not to say that some zooms are not better than some prime lenses. To ma&e understanding focal length more difficult, the same focal length lens gi es different iews on cameras with arious sensor sizes, because of the crop factor $the sensor only ta&es up part of the pro-ected image%. As a result, many manufactures gi e a !# mm-format equi alent on lenses designed for cameras with smaller sensors and in this article descriptions are based on on !# mm-format. Therefore, if your camera has a smaller sensor, and there+s a good chance it does, you+ll need to consider this when deciding which lens you need.

'f you+re using a full frame camera there+s no calculation needed, a lens will gi e you the field of iew you+d expect from its number. 'f your camera has an A./-0 sensor $1i&on 23 2/45s, /ony 1637% it has a crop factor of 8.# - meaning you multiply the lens focal length by 8.# to get its equi alent !# mm-format focal length. For 0anon A./-0 cameras that number is 8.9, for :icro Four Thirds cameras it+s (." and for the 1i&on 8 series it+s (.;. That means a !# mm lens would gi e a field of iew equi alent to #9 mm on an A./-0 camera li&e a 0anon ;"2 and equi alent to ;" mm on a :icro Four Thirds camera li&e the <lympus <:-2 6-:8. <n a 1i&on 8 it would act li&e a =# mm lens does on a full frame camera.

Maximum Aperture
:aximum Aperture is shown in a number of ways, but whether it+s f>(.* F(.* or 8?(.*, it all means the same thing and refers to the the maximum amount of light which the lens can gather. 4enses with larger maximum apertures $slightly confusingly these are the ones with lower numbers% are capable of gathering more light. As a F8.* lens is able to use more light than an F) lens, this means it could be used in lower-light situations without ha ing to use a flash, and is capable of producing a shallower depth of field $the part of the image that is sharp% as shown below.

/ome zoom lenses ha e a ariable maximum aperture meaning that it changes depending on focal length. /o, while a 8*-("" mm F!.#-#.9 lens would ha e a maximum aperture of F!.# at 8* mm, it would be be F#.9 by the time you zoomed to ("" mm.

Lens Mount
't goes without saying that you want to buy a lens that will attach on your camera, and this is &nown as the lens mount. 0amera manufacturers generally ma&e lenses with proprietry mounts which will only fit their de ices, sometimes ha ing multiple lens mounts for different camera lines. The ma-or exception to this is :icro Four Thirds lenses which can be used on respecti e <lympus and .anasonic cameras. Third party manufacturers also ma&e lenses with mounts to fit arious brands. 't+s important to &now which mount your camera uses before heading out to buy a lens. 6xample lens mounts for 2/45s include the 1i&on F-mount, 0anon+s 6F or 6F-/, the .entax @ and /ony+s Alpha $A% mount. For mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras,

these are things li&e the 0anon 6F-:, Fu-ifilm 3F, 1i&on 8, /ony 6, /amsung 13 and .entax A. As mentioned earlier, <lympus and .anasonic :icro Four Thirds cameras ta&e any :icro Four Thirds mount lenses.

Format
'n addition to being able to mount the lens on your camera, you need to be sure it will produce an image big enough to co er the image sensor. Because different cameras use different size sensors, manufacturers produce specific lenses to wor& with them.

For example, while 1i&on 2/45s come with full frame or A./-0 sensors - and both ta&e F-mount lenses - its 23 lenses only produce an image big enough to co er the smaller of the two sensors. :eanwhile, F3 lenses co er the full frame and can also be used on 23 and e en 1i&on 8 cameras $with an adapter%. This is done because lenses designed for smaller sensors can be physically smaller and lighter themsel es.

Different types of lens

4enses are generally categorized by their focal range or specific function if they+re a specialist lens. Below we+ e ta&en a loo& at a few of the most common types of lens, thought about the characteristics their images are said to ha e, and considered how they can be used.

Ultra Wide

What they are: Bltra Cide angle lenses ha e a focal length of around less than () mm $in !# mm-format%, this means they can ta&e in a wider scene than is typical, though they+re not only about getting all of a sub-ect into a shot. 5ectilinear ultra wides help &eep straight lines, -ust that, while fisheyes will reproduce buildings with cur ed walls. Image characteristics: Because of the wide field of iew, shots with ultra wide angle lenses typically feature a large depth of field. 'mages tend to pull in sub-ects that are close, and push away more distant ones ma&ing them appear further apart. .erspecti e distortion of ultra wides can gi e falling-building-syndrome $where ertical lines con erge% but this can be corrected in post-processing, or minimized with good technique. What they are used for: Chile often seen as a specialist lens, ultra wide angles can be used in a number of ways. Typical uses include landscape, architecture and interior photography. 6 en the distortion can be used creati ely, especially when using fisheye lenses.

Wide Angle

What they are: Typically co ering a focal length between () mm and !# mm, Cide Angle lenses are a ailable as primes or zooms and come with either ariable or fixed maximum aperture. <ffering a wide field of iew, they often also boast close minimum focusing distances. Image characteristics: Cide angle photographs can magnify the percei ed distance between sub-ects in the foreground and bac&ground. Cide angles suffer less distortion than their ultra wide counterparts, but you still get an exaggeration of lines and cur es which can be used artistically. What they are used for: :any people only reach for a wide angle lens when trying to get the whole of a sub-ect in frame, whether that+s a building, a large group of people or a landscape. ,owe er, while those are perfectly good uses of one, they can also be used for interesting portraits where you want to place a sub-ect in a situation. Dust be careful not to distort faces unflatteringly by shooting too close.

Standard !ormal

What the are? The &it lens your 2/45 or interchangeable lens mirrorless camera came with is probably an example of a standard zoom lens, co ering a focal range of around !#-;" mm. <nes with better optics and faster maximum apertures are also a ailable. :any photographers consider a #" mm prime $in !#-mm-format% as a normal lens, as it+s said to reproduce an image with a angle of iew which feels EnaturalE and similar to what you see with your eyes - e en thought this isn+t technically true. Image characteristics: /tandard zoom lenses and normal primes sit between wide angles and telephotos in terms of image characteristics and are much more li&e you see with the human eye. 1ormal prime lenses tend to ha e faster maximum apertures which can allow for a shallow depth of field and lower light shooting. What they are used for: As their name would suggest, normal or standard lenses are ersatile lenses which can be used for almost all sorts of photography whether street, documentary, landscape, or portrait. Because normal prime lenses tend to feature faster maximum apertures, they allow you to shoot with a shallower depth of field and in lower light.

"elephoto

What they are: Telephoto lenses are those with a focal length in excess of ;" mm, though many people would argue that EtrueE telephoto lenses are ones which exceed 8!# mm. They focus on a much narrower field of iew than other lenses, which means they are good for focusing in on specific details or distant sub-ects. They are generally larger and hea ier than equally specified wider lenses. Image characteristics: Because they ha e a narrower angle of iew, telephoto lenses bring far away sub-ects closer. They can also ha e the effect of compressing the sense of distance in a scene and ma&ing ob-ects appear closer together. A narrow depth of field means that a sub-ect can be in focus with a blurred bac&ground and foreground. What they are used for: 'n addition to being used to photograph sub-ects you can+t $or don+t want to% get close to - li&e sports or wildlife - telephoto lenses can be used for shooting portraits and e en landscapes where their normalization of relati e size can be used to gi e a sense of scale.

Super#oom

What they are? /uperzooms are do-it-all lenses which co er focal lengths from wide to telephoto. They can be good for uses in situations where you can+t or don+t want to be changing lenses and they normally change in length as you zoom. Image characteristics: Because compromises ha e had to be made producing a do-it-all lens, superzooms do not ha e the same image quality of more dedicated lenses and often ha e slower and ariable maximum apertures. What they are used for: <ffering a one-lens pac&age, superzooms come into their own if you can+t $or don+t want to% change lenses. This could be when in situations where it wouldn+t be safe to switch lenses, or when tra elling - you don+t necessarily want to be weighed down by fi e lenses when on holiday with the family.

Macro

What they are? <ne of the more specialist lenses, marco lenses are technically those which are capable of reproduction ratios greater than 8?8. ,owe er, the term is frequently used to refer to any lens which can be used for extreme close-up photography. :acro lenses typically ha e focal lengths somewhere between )"-("" mm. Image characteristics: :acro lenses normally ha e excellent image sharpness, though it+s worth noting that when wor&ing at close distances they also ha e a tiny depth of field. Fou can often end up with a shot of an insect where only a fraction of it is in focus. What they are used for: Though normally used for close-up photography $at which they excel%, macro lenses can also be great for portraits than&s to their typical sharpness and focal lengths.

$ther things to consider

Si#e% &eight ' and price

Cith changes in focal length and maximum aperture come another set of lens changes, namely size, weight and price. 'deally we+d all be wielding a 89-9"" mm F8.* lens. Bnfortunately, not only does physics dictate that such a lens would need to be huge and ery hea y, it would also cost a fortune to produce, if it was e en possible. As such, any lens is going to ma&e compromises to fit into a pac&age of a size and weight which suits its users. 6xtreme focal lengths and larger apertures mean bigger and hea ier lenses, which along with the bigger price-tags is why they are typically used by professionals who can -ustify purchasing them.

Image sta(ili#ation% (uild )uality and *ideo

There are a number of other features which you may want thin& about, regarding your next lens. 'mage stabilization allows for use of slower shutter speeds without suffering camera sha&e $though some brands incorporate this into camera bodies rather than the lens%. /tabilization is also ery handy if you+re shooting lots of ideo, in which case you might also want to thin& about lenses with power zooms which can zoom at ad-ustable speeds. Ceather-sealing means you can use your lens $assuming your camera is equally weathersealed% in extreme weather conditions and normally also means a higher le el of build quality. <ther considerations include the use of special lens elements and coatings which can impro e sharpness and reduce image problems such as chromatic aberration. 't+s also worth thin&ing about whether you would benefit from a higher number of aperture blades which can gi e a more pleasing bo&eh, and if you need lenses with internal focus motors, or indeed only manual focus.

"hird party manufacturers

Chile the ma-ority of photographers buy lenses from the same firm as their camera, there are a number of third party manufacturers such as /igma, Tamron and To&ina which produce lenses for 2/45s and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Traditionally seen as a less desirable option, some of the newer third party lenses are as good if not better than their 0anon>1i&on>/ony counterparts. They are often also considerably cheaper.

+xamples of &hat lens to (uy

Below are a number of typical situations that &it-lens-toting photographers often find themsel es in. For each example, we+ e highlighted some of the factors that should be considered when trying to find the right lens for the -ob. Chile these are factors which are rele ant whate er camera and lens system you+re using, in each case we+ e also highlighted a couple of lenses that would be a good choice for specific set-ups without blowing the budget.

I &ant an all,day tra*el lens

Chen you+re on holiday or tra eling, you probably don+t want to be lugging se eral lenses and cameras around with you G unless you+re the most dedicated of photographers, that is. 't+s often the same if you+re trying to en-oy a day with the family and don+t want to spend all day changing lenses and moaning about your bac&. As such, a good all-day or tra el lens would be one that was easy enough to carry around, but still offered you the freedom to capture shots from landscapes to portraits, and zoom in on distant ob-ects. For :icro Four Thirds shooters, that could be something li&e the .anasonic 4umix H Iario 8)-8)" mm f>!.#-#.9, or the AF-/ 23 1'@@<5 8*-("" mm f>!.#-#.9H 62 I5 '' if a 23 1i&on is your 2/45 or choice.

I &ant to do street photography

/treet photography can be done with almost any lens, though a !"" mm F(.* might raise a few eyebrows from your sub-ects. ,owe er, a focal range of around !#-#" mm is often seen as the ideal for capturing the moment in urban areas. Bnless you want all of your sub-ects loo&ing directly at the camera, you+d probably be best ser ed by something discrete. 't+s also important that street photography lenses feature a fast maximum aperture for lower-light situations. This means that something li&e the Fu-i 3F (! mm f8.) 5 4ens would be a great selection. The /igma !# mm F8.) 2H ,/: has also been ery well recei ed by many 2/45 street shooters.

I struggle to photograph my -ids running around in the garden

:any people shell out for a 2/45 or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera when they ha e a child, but by the time that child starts running around, the &it lens struggles to &eep up, both in terms of aperture and focal range. This is especially true if you+re trying to photograph the &ids running around in the garden or on the sports field. This means you need something with a bit more reach, but probably without the bul& and weight that a professional lens would bring. A zoom lens will allow you to &eep your shots framed as you want while your sub-ect mo es around in front of you. /o, if you feel you -ust need some added reach, the 6F-/ ##-(#" mm f>)-#.9 '/ '' could get you closer to the action. But if you want a bit more speed $and to be the best equipped parent at the game%, there+s the 0anon 6F ;"-("" mm f>)4 B/:.

I &ant to ta-e landscape photographs

Chile the &it lenses which come with most cameras are surprisingly good at the wide angle end, you could find that they don+t quite go far enough for some of the landscape images you try to ta&e. /o, unless you+re able to &eep mo ing bac&wards, you+re going to need a new lens. Focal length is &ey here, and you+ll only get some landscapes if you+ e got an ultra wide angle lens. Fou could go for either a prime or a zoom, but most people in this situation are probably going to be best-ser ed by a zoom. A lens li&e the AF-/ 23 1'@@<5 8"() mm f>!.#-).#H 62 could be good for A./-0 1i&on shooters, while the <lympus =-8* mm f>)-#.9 JB'@< would do the -ob on :icro Four Thirds cameras.

I &ant a lens &hich &ill ma-e me impro*e as a photographer

After a while you might find that you+ e simply outgrown your &it lens. Fou suddenly find that it+s stifling your creati e ambitions and pre enting you from ta&ing the photos that you want, e en if they are within its focal length reach. This is the ideal time to get yourself a fast prime lens, and the good news is that you don+t ha e to spend a fortune to do it. Hetting something li&e a 1i&on AF-/ 23 1'@@<5 !# mm f>8.*H or the /ony 6 #" mm f>8.* <// will mean you can play around with shallower depths of field, and shoot naturally in conditions that would ha e otherwise required a flash. Because they are primes, it also means you need to zoom with your feet, which will in turn probably mean you spend more time thin&ing about how you compose shots. 1e er a bad thing.

Summary
As we+ e seen, different lenses can gi e photographers the creati e freedom to ta&e all sorts of images. 't+s no understatement to say they are as important, if not more so, than the camera you+re using. This is why it+s such a shame to see photographers buy cameras with the ability to change lenses and then ne er do so. 't+s worth remembering that lenses can often last longer than your camera, because they will continue to wor& on the next generation of cameras, and the one after that, probably. This is why many photographers are willing to spend more on an indi idual lens than their camera.

,owe er, buying new lenses doesn+t ha e to mean spending a fortune. Ce+ e seen how relati ely inexpensi e primes li&e the nifty-fifty $#" mm F8.*% can change your photography fore er. There are also thousands of second-hand lenses which will wor& -ust as well as new ones out there G especially for 2/45 shooters, where you can often use a ("-year-old lens. Fou ne er &now, your father might e en ha e some lying around in the attic. ,opefully this article hasn+t made you feel compelled to buy more and more lenses, as that really wasn+t the aim. 'f you+re not sure if you need a new lens, you probably don+t. 'nstead, we hope this has helped you understand what to loo& for when you feel that your current lenses are pre enting you from being the photographer you want to be.

Manufacturers like to try to make things easy for you when you're shopping for a digital camera, especially by highlighting certain measurements of their models, such as large megapixel amounts and big LCD screen sizes. owe!er, such numbers don't always tell the entire story, especially when looking at zoom lenses on a digital camera. Manufacturers measure zoom capabilities of digital cameras in two configurations" #ptical zoom !s. digital zoom. $t's important to understand the zoom lens, because the two types of zooms are !astly different from each other. $n the battle of optical zoom !s. digital zoom, only one %% optical zoom %% is consistently useful for photographers. &ith most digital cameras, the zoom lens mo!es outward when in use, extending from the camera body. 'ome digital cameras, howe!er, create the zoom while ad(usting the lens only within the camera body. Continue reading to find more information that can help you understand camera zoom lenses better and that can help you put an end to the debate of optical zoom !s. digital zoom)

Optical Zoom
#ptical zoom measures the actual increase in the focal length of the lens. *ocal length is the distance between the center of the lens and the image sensor. +y mo!ing the lens farther from the image sensor inside the camera body, the zoom increases because a smaller portion of the scene strikes the image sensor, resulting in magnification. &hen using optical zoom, some digital cameras will ha!e a smooth zoom, meaning you can stop at any point along the entire length of the zoom for a partial zoom. 'ome digital cameras will use distincti!e stops along the length of the zoom, usually limiting you to between four and se!en partial zoom positions.

Digital Zoom
,he digital zoom measurement on a digital camera, to put it bluntly, is worthless under most shooting circumstances. Digital zoom is a technology where the camera shoots the photo and then crops and magnifies it to create an artificial close%up photo. ,his process re-uires magnifying or remo!ing indi!idual pixels, which can cause image -uality degradation. Most of the time you can perform functions e-ual to a digital zoom with photo%editing software on your computer after you shoot the photo. $f you don't ha!e time for or access to editing software, you can use digital zoom to shoot at a high resolution and then create an artificial close%up by remo!ing pixels and cropping the photo down to a lower resolution that still meets your printing needs. #b!iously, the usefulness of digital zoom is limited to certain circumstances.

Understanding Zoom Measurement

&hen looking at specifications for a digital camera, both the optical and digital zoom measurements are listed as a number and an ./,. such as 0/ or 12/. 3 larger number signifies a stronger magnification capability. 4eep in mind that not e!ery camera's .12/. optical zoom measurement is the same. Manufacturers measure the optical zoom from one extreme of the lens' capabilities to the

other. $n other words, the .multiplier. is the difference between the smallest and largest magnification measurements of the lens. *or example, if a 12/ optical zoom lens on a digital camera has a minimum magnification e-ui!alent to 05mm, the camera would ha!e a 052mm maximum zoom. owe!er, if the digital camera offers some additional wide%angle capabilities and has a minimum 67mm e-ui!alency, then the 12/ optical zoom would only ha!e a maximum zoom of 672mm. ,he zoom range should be listed in the camera's specifications, usually in a format similar to .05mm film e-ui!alent" 67mm%672mm.8 $n most cases, a 52mm lens measurement is considered as .normal,. with no magnification and no wide%angle capability.

Interchangeable Lenses
Digital cameras aimed at beginners and intermediate users typically only offer a built%in lens. Most digital 'L9 cameras, howe!er, can make use of interchangeable lenses. &ith a digital 'L9, if your first lens doesn't ha!e the wide%angle or zoom capabilities that you want, you can purchase additional lenses that pro!ide more zoom or better wide%angle options. Digital 'L9 cameras are more expensi!e than the point%and%shoot models, and they're usually aimed at intermediate or ad!anced photographers.

Some Zoom Lens Drawbacks

3lthough choosing a point%and%shoot camera with a large optical zoom lens is desirable for many photographers, it sometimes presents a few minor drawbacks. Noise. 'ome beginner%le!el, inexpensi!e cameras suffer from lower image -uality because of noise when the lens is extended to the maximum zoom capability. Digital camera noise is a set of stray pixels that don't record correctly, usually appearing as purple edges in a photo. Pincushioning. Maximum zoom also sometimes causes pincushioning, which is a distortion where the left and right edges of the photo appear stretched. orizontal lines appear slightly cur!ed toward the middle of the frame. 3gain, this problem usually is limited to beginner%le!el, inexpensi!e cameras with large zoom lenses. Slower shutter response time. &hen using the maximum zoom magnification, the shutter response time sometimes slows, which may cause blurry photos. :ou also could miss a spontaneous photo because of the slower shutter response. $t simply takes the digital camera longer to focus on the image at the maximum zoom setting, which explains the slower shutter response time. 'uch problems are magnified when shooting at maximum zoom in low light. e!uires a tripod. ;sing a long zoom lens can cause increased camera shake. 'ome digital cameras can correct this problem through image stabilization. :ou also can use a tripod to pre!ent blurry photos from camera shake.

Don"t #e $ooled
&hen highlighting the specifications of their products, some manufacturers will combine the digital zoom and optical zoom measurements, allowing them to showcase a large combined zoom number on the front of the box. :ou, howe!er, need to look only at the optical zoom number, which might be listed in a corner on the back of the box, along with a host of other specification numbers. :ou might ha!e to do a little searching to find the optical zoom measurement of a particular model.

$n the case of digital camera zoom lenses, it pays to read the fine print. ;nderstand the zoom lens, and you'll make the most of your digital camera purchase.