I want to know which is better for wich situation.
2006-08-18 00:16:12 · 3 answers · asked by Hector C 1 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
A zoom lens lets you zoom in and out by twisting the lens barrel. You can get zoom lenses that cover wide angle territory (17-35mm), you can get normal-range zooms (18-70mm), and you can get telephoto zooms (70-200mm, 200-400mm, etc.). The opposite of a zoom lens is a fixed focal length lens (just 35mm, or just 50mm).
A telephoto lens is anything greater than 50mm, but it can be either zoom or fixed focal length. The opposite of telephoto is wide angle.
If you're getting started with a digital SLR, a normal zoom (about 18-70mm) should cover most of your needs. If you like doing candids, you can consider an additional zoom lens in the 70-200mm range, or you could combine the two and get a 18-200mm lens.
2006-08-18 01:06:12 · answer #1 · answered by OMG, I ♥ PONIES!!1 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The simple answer is that a zoom lens lets you change the focal length of the lens by moving some of the glass elements inside around, and a telephoto lens is any lens which has a field of view narrower than "normal" vision.
In 35mm SLR terms, a telephoto would be any lens with a focal length greater than about 50mm -- the longer the focal length of the lens, the more "magnified" the image will be. It's not really magnified, of course, it's just that the longer focal length has a smaller field of view, so it "sees" a smaller area and that area fills your viewfinder.
You can get a zoom lens in the telephoto range (for example, a 70-200mm zoom lens is a telephoto zoom), or you can get a fixed focal length telephoto (such as a 300mm lens). In general, a decent fixed focal length lens will always produce a better image than a zoom lens at the same focal length, because there is less glass to distort the image and the fixed focal length design is simpler. But you can't beat zoom lenses for convenience, since they cover a range of focal lengths. You can also usually get a fixed focal length telephoto lens that's "faster" (has a larger maximum aperture) than an equivalent zoom, again since the design is simpler, at a more reasonable cost.
Hope that helps.
2006-08-18 03:24:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
a zoom can only go out so far. When i worked in a photo lab it was 140 zoom is what i can find on most automatic camera.
Telephoto lens is like a mini telescope for your camera and can get you closer.
Depending on how far your subject is to you. Is which is better.
2006-08-18 00:57:42 · answer #3 · answered by ordain_angel 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋