| The following lenses are the most common you | | | | close-up photography - conditions where the |
| will find on the market for amateur and | | | | image is larger than the subject. They are |
| professional use. You may want to add to your | | | | generally of short focus and corrected for close |
| existing lens kit some time; following are lens | | | | subject distance. |
| definitions and major options to consider when | | | | The use of macro lenses at their smallest |
| researching. | | | | aperture should be avoided. The very high |
| Telephoto Lenses (200m, 500mm, 1000mm) | | | | effective f/ can lead to image deterioration due |
| Telephoto lenses or long focus lenses produce | | | | to refraction. |
| larger images of distant subjects than shorter | | | | Bellows and extensions tubes are available to |
| focal length lenses or normal lenses. They require | | | | extend the range of the macro lens. Macro lenses |
| extra extension to place them further from the | | | | are also an expensive lens, so chooses carefully. |
| film plane. The greater the extension or focal | | | | Zoom Lenses (80-220mm, 35-120mm) |
| length of the lens the greater the magnification. | | | | Zoom lenses combine the basic forms of several |
| This extension presents no problem with a stand | | | | lenses in a single lens. For a lens to accomplish this |
| camera but does with portable or hand held | | | | calls for a complex optical system comprising |
| cameras. The lenses are long and bulky, they are | | | | many elements. Zoom lenses are generally |
| unbalanced and awkward to use in the hand and it | | | | acquired to replace a large range of lenses and |
| is virtually impossible to eliminate hand shake and | | | | are particularly useful for travel. |
| movement from shutter release. | | | | Zoom lenses are generally in the longer focal |
| The telephoto lens gives a very shallow | | | | length which presents the problem associated with |
| depth-of-field and is often not corrected for | | | | this focal range. Also because of the additional |
| subjects closer than 5 to 10 metres. It is | | | | elements in the design of the lens, quality suffers. |
| therefore excellent for picking out distant, virtually | | | | This lens is the most popular these days and are |
| perspective less detail, and de-emphasising | | | | usually offrered as part of the kit when you |
| surroundings. The telephoto has the ability to | | | | purchase a camera. As this is a common lens, it is |
| compress scenes. | | | | quite cheap, however, like telephoto lenses, the |
| Tele-converters, an extension tube containing | | | | longer the lens the more expensive. |
| optical components are made for use between | | | | Soft Focus Lenses (120mm portrait lens) |
| lenses and body. They are cheaper than telephoto | | | | A soft focus lens represents a point of light as a |
| lenses but image quality is generally poor. The | | | | circular patch of light with a core of greater |
| most common telephoto lens is around the | | | | intensity. It therefore differs from an out-of-focus |
| 200mm size, and of course, the cheapest. | | | | image. The effect is a luminous halo or softness |
| Wide Angle Lenses (18mm, 20mm, 28mm, | | | | of outline. |
| 35mm) | | | | Soft focus lenses are usually of high quality and |
| A wide angle lens or short focal length lens | | | | have history of use in portraiture, fashion, |
| produces smaller images and wider views than | | | | glamour and more recently in boudoir |
| the longer focal length lenses or normal lenses. | | | | photography. |
| Problems with wide angle lenses are perspective | | | | Soft focus can also be achieved through soft |
| distortions and are gross at close lens to subject's | | | | focus filters. These lenses are very expensive |
| distances. Lines will converge and diverge and | | | | and usually purchased by professional |
| close subjects are size disproportionate. | | | | photographers who are doing a lot of glamour and |
| In addition, because of the wide angle of view | | | | fashion work with models. |
| you are prone to aberrations in strong lighting | | | | Process Lenses |
| conditions. Most wide angle lenses are supplied | | | | Process or copying lenses are specifically designed |
| with lens hoods to help overcome acute light rays. | | | | for copying work. It is essential for such lenses to |
| Such aberrations include lens flare and corner fall | | | | have an undistorted field of view (flat), even |
| off. | | | | illumination and a high degree of chromatic |
| Wide angle lenses are useful when close camera | | | | correction. |
| to subject distance and maximum depth-of-field is | | | | Process lenses are not required to cover a wide |
| required. The 28mm is generally what most | | | | field and need not be of wide aperture. Maximum |
| people choose,and the wider you go the more | | | | aperture is frequently f/8 and the field of view is |
| expensive. The most expensive is the following | | | | normally a 1:1 ratio. |
| lens, the fish eye. | | | | Mirror Lenses (500mm, 1000mm) |
| Fish Eye Lenses (6mm 220o, 14mm 180o) | | | | The mirror differs from all the above as it is a |
| The fish eye lens sacrifices correction of linear | | | | reflecting system and not optical. Mirror lenses are |
| distortion in favour of extreme angle of view. | | | | recognised by their characteristic drum shape and |
| Depth-of-field is extensive and definition quite | | | | the opaque central area of the front element. |
| good. Some fish eyes have been produced for | | | | Mirror lenses are popular for long focal lengths for |
| scientific purposes, such as total sky photography | | | | small cameras as they are considerably shorter |
| for meteorology. Mostly they are used to give | | | | than their optical counterparts. Mirror lenses are |
| spectacular distortions in commercial images. | | | | also cheaper than long optical lenses. |
| High cost and limited applications mean that these | | | | Problems are that these lenses suffer from |
| lenses are usually hired and not purchased. | | | | aberrations and cannot focus to close subjects |
| Macro Lenses | | | | (1000mm min 30m) and lens speed is slow (f/10. |
| Macro is a general term applied to lenses for | | | | |