| Digital lenses are without doubt one of the most | | | | standard lenses. The need for shorter focal |
| important weapons in a photographer\'s arsenal. | | | | lengths to compensate for the APS sensor on |
| They are also one of the most variable, coming in | | | | many digital SLRs has led to an influx of new |
| every conceivable weight, size and focal length, | | | | models. A typical digital wide-angle model might be |
| from the widest 10mm fish-eye to the longest | | | | 17-35mm, giving an equivalent field-of-view to |
| 800mm telephoto lens. Whether your passion is | | | | 25-52mm on a full-frame SLR. |
| to isolate fine architectural detail, or you are a | | | | Macro |
| landscape photographer looking to capture | | | | If you\'ve ever looked at a full-frame picture of a |
| dramatic sunsets, there are many options for | | | | small subject such as an insect or petals and |
| lenses, but they fall into four main categories. | | | | wondered how it was achieved, the answer is by |
| Standard | | | | using a macro lens. Macro lenses focus from as |
| Standard lenses for full-frame digital SLR cameras | | | | close as 2 inches and allow for a 1:1 life size |
| fall between 40mm and 55mm, 50mm being the | | | | reproduction. These lenses are specifically |
| accepted norm. Standard lenses are closest to | | | | designed for close-up photography and are usually |
| the normal field-of-view of the human eye, | | | | available in focal lengths from 50mm to 180mm. |
| offering undistorted perspective. They are often | | | | Telephoto |
| used for portrait photography. Many digital SLRs | | | | Any digital camera lenses with a focal length |
| need a shorter focal length than a 35mm camera | | | | above 50mm is designated as telephoto. Portrait |
| or full-frame digital camera, due to their smaller | | | | photography is ideally suited to short telephoto |
| APS-sized sensor, and these cameras will need a | | | | lenses (70mm to 120mm) and longer focal lengths |
| 35mm lens to get the same field-of-view as a | | | | (135mm to 300mm and beyond) are excellent for |
| 50mm lens on a full-frame. | | | | wildlife and sports photography. On most digital |
| Wide-angle | | | | SLRs, with smaller APS-sized sensors, the |
| Wide-angle lenses are well suited to landscape and | | | | magnification of a lens is increased by |
| reportage photography, with their wider | | | | approximately 1. |
| angle-of-view and shorter focal lengths than | | | | |