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Generally, there are two types: zoom lenses and prime lenses. Zoom lenses can be adjusted to different focal distances, while prime lenses have a fixed focal length (think range).

Another way of classifying lenses is wide-angle, normal, and telephoto. A wide-angle lens is a lens generally below 30mm in effective length. These lenses are effective at conveying vast landscapes, and are also useful when one is limited in how far from the subject one can move. Normal lenses cover the "in between" focal lengths that are commonly used for portraits and other standard shots. Telephoto lenses are the lenses used for "reaching out" to distant objects, and are generally 100mm or more in length. Any of these three lens types can be "zoom" or "prime."

Finally, there are special types of lenses such as macro lenses (which shoot very small things up close) and tilt-shift lenses (which correct for perspective when shooting buildings, among other things).

It is important to note that almost all Digital SLR cameras (except for ones costing $3000) have a sensor that is slightly smaller than 35mm film. The effect of this is that the focal length (range) of the lens is actually greater than if it were used on a film SLR. Typically the conversion factor is 1.6x, which means that a 100mm lens is actually effectively 160mm on a D-SLR. Thus, a "normal lens" on a film SLR may actually be a "telephoto" on a D-SLR.

2007-03-02 17:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by Evan B 4 · 1 0

There are several different types of lenses. There are prime lenses or fixed lenses and zoom lenses. Prime or fixed lenses have a fixed focal length, i.e. 50mm. These lenses are notroious for having the clearest shots with the least distortion. Thats why some pros eat and live with prime lenses.The other type of lens the zoom lenses are more versitle, i.e. 70-200mm. This allows a photographer to use a single lens and have mulitple focal lengths without having to switch lenses. On wide angle zoom lens they tend to have a pincusion effect but most can live with it. Now there are sub catergory of these lens, wide-angle, standard, and telephoto. Wide angle give a more board view of a scence compared to human vision, i.e. anything <50. Standard view is 50mm, this gives a perspective of a human eye so most people think. Anything above 50mm is telephoto, which compresses objects closer together and fill the frame with a subject.

2007-03-02 18:25:42 · answer #2 · answered by Koko 4 · 0 0

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