If you own a camera that has the option of interchangeable lenses, you'll know that there are so many other different camera lenses to choose from! This article guide you through the different camera lenses available and what kind of pictures you can expect from them. And even if you don't own a camera that you can swap lenses with you'll find some of the lens titles match some of the settings and modes on your camera so find out how better to utilise those settings in this article.
Making a Lens
Did you know that the process of making a lens is a very difficult one? In fact it's so difficult that a perfect lens is ever-so complex to make, so compromises have to be made. When making a lens there can occur “faults” that mean that the light passing through the lens changes direction or is distorted by the time it reaches the film or digital sensor.
These faults are known as lens aberrations and can occur across the whole range of focal lengths. One reason why there are different lenses made is so that the lens can be designed so there are minimal or no lens aberrations effecting the picture quality at that focal length whereas using that particular lens at other distances than it was deigned for, the aberrations will be present as some sort of light distortion.
Marco Lens
A macro lens is a lens specially designed to take close up pictures. The terms macro is shortened from photomarcography, a whole subject field in the world of photography. A macro lens magnifies from a quarter life size, to a 1:1 radio (life size) and closer still up to 5 or 10 times greater than life size.
The lens is specially designed to focus are close subject distances. However because of this the depth of field of a macro lens is very shallow so you'll need to use a high aperture, a tripod and be extra critical on focussing your subject.
Fish Eye Lens
The Fish eye lens is normally a lens with a fixed focal length of about 180 degrees. You'll notice that in a photo taken with a fish eye lens that all the parallel lines are straight in the centre (if the lens is of good quality) and curve inward toward the centre in the rest of the image, and gives the appearance of great distortion. But this isn't distortion at all but due to the fact that the lens has has a very short focal length and fits in its 180 degree view, leading to some fascinating pictures.
Portrait Lens
Portrait lenses are specially designed to take portraits with. These lenses have a moderately long focal length and have lenses that are made to have a subtle soft focus effect that is seen to be particularly desirable for flattering portraiture. The soft focus effect is actually created by under-correcting the lens aberration for this effect and when used for portaiture, reduces wrinkles and skin textures.
Further Reading
Telephoto and Wide Angle Lenses - Lens Focal length
If you own a camera with interchangeable lenses you'll know that there are so many other different lenses to choose from! This article will guide you through the different lens focal length, how and when they are best used and what sort of photos they will produce, for wide angle and telephoto lenses.
