Telephoto lenses are bulky and may require a tripod to support them, making them nowhere near as practical as a standard zoom lens.

FOVto focal length calculator

The relationship between Focal Length and FOV depends on the physical size of the film or sensor onto which the image is projected (Sensor Size (Film Gate)). For 35mm film cameras or so-called "full frame" digital cameras, this size is 36mm x 24mm. For such cameras, commonly used Focal Lengths are:

If you’re travelling light, though, you can find zoom lenses with much more range, such as an 18 - 270 mm, allowing you to photograph both close up and in the distance.

_Focal Length = 24mm – Focal length changed, no camera movement. Notice the red cylinder still ½ the height of the green/yellow cylinder, but more of the background is exposed._

The Focal Length of a camera, usually measured in millimeters, is the distance from the film or sensor back to the optical center of the lens. There is a direct (non-linear) relationship between Focal Length and FOV. Longer Focal Lengths result in narrower FOVs, while shorter Focal Lengths result in wider FOVs. There is a direct linear relationship between Focal Length and the apparent size of the subject in the frame. For example, doubling the Focal Length will make the subject twice as large in the frame.

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Field of view definition microscope

If a standard zoom lens isn’t quite strong enough for your needs, then the next step up is a telephoto lens. These big lenses are found within a range of 100mm up to 600mm, sometimes even more.

In conclusion, there are different types of camera lens for almost any situation you could find yourself in as a photographer. Knowing which lens is best for what scenario, will set you on your way to becoming a much-improved photographer.

A fisheye lens is basically an ultra-wide-angle lens, offering an enormous field of view. These are more specialist lenses and aren’t generally needed by most photographers. They are useful if you are photographing indoors or using your camera for design work. An ultra-wide-angle lens can have a focal length as low as 8mm.

Wide-angle lenses are a must-have if you’re a landscape photographer and looking to step up your game. Wide angles have a wider focal field, allowing you to essentially capture more of the scene in front of you than say a zoom lens.

The main advantage of prime lenses is that they specialise in just one focal length. In other words, they are finely tuned to deliver on one specific type of photography, unlike a zoom lens which can be used in a multitude of cases.

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Zoom lenses are one of the most common types of lens that you’ll need in your photography armoury, offering you a great range for photographing anything from people in the streets to wildlife in the African Savanna.

One important point to note though is that some lenses are designed for different camera bodies, so always check before making a purchase. DSLR and Mirrorless cameras are either full-frame or crop sensors. While full-frame lenses can be used on a crop sensor, a lens designed for a crop sensor can’t be used on a full frame!

A prime lens is a classic style that has been around as long as cameras have. Prime lenses have a fixed focal range, which means that you can't zoom in or out.

The Field of View (FOV), or Angle of View of a camera describes how much of the scene is visible from the camera, or how "wide" or "zoomed-in" the view appears, and as a consequence, how large or small objects appear in the frame. FOV is measured in degrees, horizontally and vertically. Larger FOV values indicate that more of the scene is visible and therefore objects will appear smaller, whereas smaller values mean less of the scene is visible and objects will appear larger.

FOVfull form

For budding photographers or anyone needing to photograph in a diverse range of scenarios or conditions, there’s nothing that can really beat a good zoom range for quality and adaptability. It’s the all-round lens that everyone needs!

For this reason, wide angles are perfect for photographing landscapes, as you can capture more of the scenery and create a much more vivid picture. They are also great for photographing architecture, as you’ll be able to capture the whole building in front of you.

If you need to capture an even wider field of view, then you’ll need to invest in a fisheye lens. These create the unusual 'fisheye’ effect, similar to a GoPro image.

Image taken by rotating the camera up to capture the full height of the subjects. Notice the significant perspective distortion.

And knowing when to use the correct lens, is just one step towards becoming a much better photographer. In this article, we take a look at the different types of camera lenses and when they should be used.

Camerafield of view simulator

Camera FOVcalculator

Changing the focal length or FOV is only one way to control the size of an object in the frame ("zooming in" or "zooming out"). The other way is to actually move the camera closer or farther away from the subject. Note that these are not equivalent and will result in very different looks. While the focal length/FOV changes the size of a single object in the frame, the relative sizes of 2 objects in the scene depends ONLY on the location of the camera relative to these objects. Thus framing a scene with multiple subjects involves positioning the camera to achieve the desired blocking and relative sizes of the subjects, THEN adjusting the Focal Length to achieve the desired overall framing. In the following example, the two cylinders in the scene are the same height (10). We position the camera such that the red cylinder is approximately ½ the size of the green/yellow cylinder. We then show the effect of first making the focal length wider and of moving the camera

Because of this, prime lenses produce much higher quality images than a zoom lens in general, but you will need to know in which situation you can use them. For example, the 50mm prime lens, otherwise known as the Nifty Fifty, is perfect for portraits, as the focal length is seen to be as close to the human eye as possible.

If you are a professional wildlife photographer, sports photographer, or if you photograph the night sky and the stars, then a telephoto lens can be invaluable. For amateurs though, it’s perhaps not within your budget.

Field of view human eye

Image taken with camera at the same location, with same focal length, but using shift instead of rotating the camera. Notice that we no longer suffer from perspective distortion.

It can be quite overwhelming in the early stages of getting into photography when you find out just how many types of camera lens there are. Fortunately, camera lenses can be broken down into two types, zoom lenses and prime lenses. We’ll explain what the definition of these two camera lenses are below.

In this article, when we talk about lenses we will be referring to the detachable lenses that are used by photographers. The same principles apply across different brands, be it Sony or Nikon, and across different types of camera body, be it DSLR or Mirrorless.

Zoom lenses are incredibly versatile, with the most popular being the 70-200 mm lens that you’ll see being used by wedding photographers. Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths, so with a 70-200mm lens for example, you can zoom from 70mm all the way up to 200mm.

Camera fov meaningphotography

Even the experienced photographer will be hard-pressed to explain the exact differences and function of each particular lens, but knowing more about the functionality, focal lengths and uses of a lens can help you to employ it in the right situation.

In most consumer cameras, the lens is centered on the imaging plane (film back or sensor). However some professional cameras include the ability to adjust the offset of the lens with respect to the sensor. This lens offset is usually referred to a shift. Shift can be used to maintain a certain perspective while changing the composition of the image, or more commonly, to correct for the natural perspective distortion that occurs when photographing a building or other large structure from the ground.

Focal Length = 50mm – Camera moved farther from subjects to make the green/yellow cylinder roughly the same size in the frame as in the previous image. Notice that the red cylinder is now much large relative to the green/yellow cylinder.