Lenses made easy
Lens lingo
ZOOM AND PRIME
Lenses can be split into two types. There are ones which allow you to zoom in and out – you guessed it: zoom lenses. And there are ones that don’t. These are called ‘prime’ or ‘fixed’ lenses as they are fixed at one particular focal length.
FOCAL LENGTH
This is measured in millimetres. Put simply, focal lengths are either ‘short’ or ‘long’. Shorter focal lengths give a wide-angle effect which makes objects seem further away. Longer focal lengths give a telephoto effect which makes objects seem closer.
FIELD OF VIEW
This refers to how much of the world you can see through the lens. Wide-angle lenses (shorter focal lengths) offer a wider field of view. Telephoto lenses (longer focal lengths) offer a narrower ...
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