A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO CAMERA LENSES

A Beginners Guide to Camera Lenses

When we chat to our customers who are new to the wonderful world of cameras, one of the areas they can find most daunting is the topic of lens types. They are one of the most important parts of a camera system, so the LCE Team have put together our Beginner's Guide to Camera Lenses, to give you a breakdown of the different lenses available. So let’s dive in...

As you will have experienced, there are many different types of camera lenses, each with its own unique features and advantages. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of camera lenses and what they're best used for.

Prime Lenses

A prime lens is a lens with a fixed focal length, meaning that you cannot zoom in or out. They're also known as "fixed" lenses. The advantage of a prime lens is that it typically has a wider maximum aperture than a zoom lens, which makes it better for low-light situations and shallow depth of field. Additionally, prime lenses are usually smaller and lighter than zoom lenses, which makes them easier to carry around.

Some common examples of prime lenses are the 50mm, 85mm, and 35mm lenses. They're great for portrait photography, street photography, and any situation where you want to capture a specific focal length.

Zoom Lenses

Zoom lenses have a variable focal length, meaning that you can zoom in and out to change the field of view. They're great for situations where you need to quickly adjust the focal length without changing lenses. Additionally, many zoom lenses have image stabilisation built-in, which makes them ideal for handheld photography.

Some common examples of zoom lenses are the 18-55mm, 70-200mm, and 24-70mm lenses. They're great for landscape photography, wildlife photography, and any situation where you need to capture a range of focal lengths.

Wide-Angle Lenses

Wide-angle lenses have a short focal length and a wide field of view, making them ideal for capturing wide landscapes, architecture, and interiors. They also tend to exaggerate perspective, making objects in the foreground appear larger than they are in real life. This can be used creatively to make images more dynamic.

Some common examples of wide-angle lenses are the 14mm, 16-35mm, and 10-20mm lenses. They're great for landscape photography, architecture photography, and any situation where you want to capture a wider field of view.

Telephoto Lenses

Telephoto lenses have a long focal length and a narrow field of view, making them ideal for capturing distant subjects. They're also great for compressing the perspective, making objects in the background appear closer to the foreground. This can be used creatively to isolate subjects from their surroundings.

Some common examples of telephoto lenses are the 70-200mm, 100-400mm, and 300mm lenses. They're great for wildlife photography, sports photography, and any situation where you need to capture a distant subject.

Macro Lenses

Macro lenses are designed for close-up photography, allowing you to focus on subjects that are very close to the lens. They're great for capturing the intricate details of flowers, insects, and other small objects. Additionally, they tend to have a very shallow depth of field, which can be used creatively to isolate subjects.

Some common examples of macro lenses are the 100mm, 60mm, and 90mm lenses. They're great for macro photography, nature photography, and any situation where you want to capture the details of a small subject.

What Next?

Hopefully you now feel better informed about what lenses are right for the type of photography you want to explore.

If you feel like you’d benefit from a bit more hands-on advice, you can pop into any one of our 26 branches across the country to chat to one of our friendly and knowledgeable team.

Ready To Buy?

Browse our range of new & used camera lenses, and to find the one right for you, visit our online store.

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