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Choosing a Digital Camera Lens

Welcome to my camera lenses page. When choosing camera lenses, there are three things to consider:

Focal Length

Focal length refers to the distance from the optical centre of the lens to its focal point when focused at infinity. The focal length is stated in mm and remains the same, regardless of what camera it is mounted on.

Field of View (Angle of View)

The angle of view a lens can cover depends on its focal length and can only be stated if the size of the sensor is known. When the focal length of a lens is about the same length as the diagonal of the camera's sensor, it produces pictures that look similar to what humans see. It is therefore called a normal lens.

Keep in mind that the shorter the focal length, the wider the field of view.

Lens Speed

Fast aperture lenses pass more light and are easier to focus. They enable selective focusing and freezing of action, as well as facilitating photography in low light. The downside is that they are bulky, heavy and expensive.

Tips for Choosing a Camera Lens

1. Normal lenses (45 - 50mm) are always a good first choice because they are fast, light and compact. They also record what the eye sees and gives an undistorted view of distance, space and subject size.

2. A zoom lens is a great option as it can replace several fixed focal length lenses due to the fact that its focal length can be changed continuously. They are a must for travel photographers.

3. If you're interested in interior, landscape or architectural photography, consider buying a wide-angle lens (17 - 35mm).

4. A great lens for portrait photography is a medium tele lens (70 -135mm). Their slight telescopic effect allows for a very natural and pleasing perspective.

5. If you're into sports or wildlife photoghaphy, super tele lenses (400 - 1200mm) are the way to go. Keep in mind that they are bulky, heavy and expensive.

6. For creative effects it's great to play with fisheye lenses (13 - 16mm), which makes pictures look spherical.

7. A macro lens (50, 100, 180mm) is perfect for high magnifications.

* Types of Digital Lenses

* Fisheye Camera Lens Tips and Techniques

* Canon Lens Reviews

* Camera Lens Cleaning

* DSLR Camera Essentials

* Tripods for Digital Cameras

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SBI!