by Cameras! are one of the most amazing inventions that the human race has ever come to invent. How amazing is it that you end up capturing the very same image you see with your own eyes on a little device? Ever wondered what makes it possible to capture the very same image with your camera? A lens.
With an extremely effective lens, you can capture some of the most amazing clicks. We know some of you are here because one or the other thing drove your curiosity about what camera lenses actually are. Or for some of you, curiosity goes in line with what is the number on the camera. What do they even mean?
Rest assured, by the end of this article; you will know everything you need to know about camera lenses and the numbers on them. In brief, a camera lens always captures a beautiful image like you’d capture it with your own eyes in your memories.
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What is a camera lens?
Camera lenses are something that you need to attach to your camera, and if it is not there, you will not be able to click any pictures at all. Even if your camera captures the images, they will not be worth seeing at all because of their low quality. All good photographers always prefer to have a lens that is suitable to the area of photography that they want to do.
Camera lenses are one of the most important accessories your camera can have. But there is one thing that you have to look out for the type of lens that you want to get for your camera.
They can basically be attached to any type of camera, whether mirrorless, DSLR, or even your film camera. With an appropriate lens attached to your lens, you will get the best possible stills and videos that you can get.
What camera lenses basically do is help you have a fixed focal length which sends the light to the filmstrip and ends up capturing the still that is absolutely amazing. There is also an aperture in these lenses, which will help you get the best focus that you need for the perfect picture.
There are certain things that you can look out for before you start looking for a good camera lens for your camera. These things will be to make sure that the aperture is good, the glass of the camera lens is sturdy and scratchproof, and its compatibility with the camera you want to use.
Characteristics of the camera lens
There are multiple things that you should look at when it comes to the camera lens, but have you ever wondered what are the characteristics of a lens before you figure out the correct choice of the lens? Let’s understand them,
Aperture– The aperture of the lens is a very important part of the lens, which ensures the lights in the image and videos you capture. Usually, you can figure out the aperture of the lens by checking the f-stops specification of the lens. If the aperture is large, the lens will have a small opening, and when the aperture is small, the lens will have a large opening. You also need to know that the aperture is something that decides the depth of field with better light, even in low light.
Depth of field– Now that you have learned about aperture, you might be wondering about what is the depth of field. Well, have you ever seen a picture that has an object in complete focus and the background or the other areas of the image background are blurred? A good aperture and a good depth of field will ensure that you are getting a good focus on the subject that you want to capture. Also, if you want to have a good landscape shot, you must have a lens that has a good depth of field.
Focal Length– Next, you need to know what the focal length of the camera is. Basically, it is the length of distance between the lens and the maximum distance it can capture. You might have to figure out what kind of photography you want to do before figuring out which lens you should use and which focal length it should have. The small focal length will provide you with a wide-angle image. If you get a lens with a large focal length, you will get an image that will not capture the wide image that you might need.
Other than that, you might want to figure out how sturdy the lens is and how it can be easily compatible with your camera. One cautious thing that we suggest to most people is that they should always get a lens that is compatible with multiple cameras that you might plan to purchase.
The key to getting the best lens is that you go through each specification with the kind of photography that you want to do.
Why should you use a camera lens?
The simple way to answer this question is, do you want to capture an image that is as perfect as it can be? If yes, you should definitely get a lens to ensure that. There are endless reasons that tell you why you should use a camera lens, but one of the main reasons is that you want your pictures and videos to be of professional quality.
You get the perfect light that you need when you are using a lens. You also get to have a proper focus on the object or the shot that you are trying to capture. Without the lens, you will never be able to get the perfect shot.
You want your images to be turned out full HD, and with some lenses, they will turn out to be UHD as well. Who wouldn’t want that? Camera lenses make your photography better and give you the best of your camera.
With a proper lens attached to your camera, you will get the sharpest image out of your camera. There are so many benefits of using the lenses in your camera, which you will get to know once you start using the lens. But you might be wondering how you will know which lens is best for your camera and the type of photography that you want to do. Let us figure it out by looking into the different types of camera lenses.
Types of the camera lenses
Getting a lens for your camera is one of the best choices you can make, and on top of that, choosing the right camera lens for the type of photography you want to do is an even better decision than that.
Here are a few different types of lenses you can choose from,
1. Wide-angle lens
These are one of the most preferred camera lenses for photography enthusiasts who want to click landscape and travel photos. What they do is that they help you cover the large part in a single frame, so the next time you see a scenic view and get the image that is crisp in every corner. It is more suitable when you want to capture the image at a very short distance and want to cover more parts of it.
2. Telephoto lens
Have you ever wondered how photographers manage to click the perfectly focused image of an object which is far? Well, it is mostly captured by a telephoto lens attached to your camera. These lenses are basically zoom lenses that have multiple focal lengths. Having that ensures that you are getting the perfect image captured. Other than that, this lens is used to capture an image that is far, but you want it to appear close. If you are into sports, wildlife, etc. kind of photography, this lens might be the correct choice for you.
3. Standard lens
A standard lens is suitable for those who want a lens that is perfectly suitable for those who want to try their hands at different types of photography. It has a focal length of 35mm to 85mm, meaning that you will be able to use this lens for almost everything. With a small focal length, you will be able to capture an image with a wide angle, and with a larger focal length, you will be able to click the picture with Zoom.
There are also some special lenses that you can get for your shots, but specialty lenses are only suitable for those who have special needs in capturing the shot like those, for example, fish eye lenses to get the shot 180 degrees shot with an extreme wide angle shot. And there are many more different types of specialty lenses you can choose from based on your needs.
What does the number on the camera lens mean?
Coming to the main point for which some of you are here is the number on the camera lens. Those of you who already know a little bit about camera lenses can easily figure out what those numbers might mean, but for those who are completely new, we are sure that the following information will give you the best information that you need.
No matter which lens you get, there is always going to be a number in the lens that will help you figure out the specification and type of lens that you have picked up.
For example, the Lens name is followed by 35mm f/1.4. Other than just these, there are also some different numbers that are mostly seen in some of the elite lenses; we will get to know about all of those lenses.
Let us get to know what it means and how you can identify these numbers,
Aperture in lens
The aperture in the lens is defined by the aperture number in the lens. The larger the aperture of the lens, the lower the light in the image; if you want to capture the image in low light, you want to have a lens that has a smaller aperture. Depending on the camera and the lens that you have, based on your photography genre and styles, you can choose as well as identify the lens with the numbers.
Focal length number
Focal length is usually mapped in the mm. All the lenses have this number on them. The focal range of the lens is seen at the very beginning of any given number on the lens. What you need to know about the focal length is that the smaller the focal length, the wider the image, and the larger the focal length gives you the image which is captured in a telephoto lens.
You will have to know that whatever the focal length that you have in your lens, the angle of your picture will turn out to be like that. There are lenses available with the utmost small focal length, and there are lenses available up to 300mm focal length.
Shutter Speed
The shutter speed of the camera can be known by the f/number given on the lens. When it comes to the shutter speed on the camera lens, the smaller the number on the lens, you want to opt for the lens which has a small number.
But you might come to notice that the lens that has an excellent shutter speed is usually heavier than most of the other lenses that you get with less shutter speed. In simpler words, if you want to get a lens that is quite good in speed, you have to handle the heavy lens. For example, f/2.8 has a speed of 2.8.
Stabilization
Whatever lens you are getting, you can know the stabilization of the image with certain words written on the lens. You might not see numbers, particularly for this part of the identification, but you will see things like IS, OSS, VC, etc. Meaning in order of Image stabilization, Optical SteadyShot, Vibration Compensation, etc.
There are also some different ways of stabilization that you can see through different lenses. To figure out the cost of the lens, you can look into the stabilization of the lens; the more expensive the lens will be.
Although there are so many different numbers shown in the camera lens depending on the lens that you get, you can always refer to the user guide and the specification of the camera lens.
Conclusion
Camera lenses are one of the most important things you can get for your camera. With lenses, you can easily capture the images in perfect quality as well as with perfect focus.
There are so many reasons that we can list down to show why you should consider getting one that is highly suitable for your camera and probably with other cameras that you have.
Basically, a camera lens has multiple numbers written on it, which is basically a specification of the lens and its features. We hope this article helps you in finding out the best suitable lens by reading into the numbers and identifying what it means on your own.
If that doesn’t happen, save this article, and you can always come back later to check which number means what! After all, the camera lens helps you capture some of the best memories you have.
