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Camera Lenses and their Effect

Types of Lenses

Wide-Angle Lenses 

These lenses usually range between 16 and 35 mm, the lenses allow you to fit more in frame therefore they are good for shooting landscapes and cityscapes. Wide angled lenses are used for shooting establishing shots in films very commonly as they allow you to capture a lot in the shot therefore, they help the audience decipher the time, location and context behind a specific film (Adorama).  With wide-angled lenses there is a deep depth of field allowing you to capture more of the shot in focus at once. However, one of the main drawbacks is that close-up shots may seem distorted and wider than they are in reality (Holtzer).

Macro Lenses 

A macro lens is used to make tiny objects seem larger, it allows as photographer to capture even the tiniest details that are not even visible to the naked eye. Macro lenses have a very close focusing distance therefore when using the lens you must be extremely close to the subject in order to capture a crisp image. There are a wide variety of focal lengths for macro lenses which all have a different purpose, the use of a 50mm lens will capture very tiny objects such as coins, stamps and jewellery; 100mm lenses are used for small insects, and things such as flowers, 160mm lenses are more commonly used for larger insects and reptiles. In macro photography the Depth of Field is limited to close range therefore it is important to understand all your technical settings well in order to maximise how much of your shot is in focus. Keeping the object as flat as possible will keep it on the same plane of focus allowing more of the image to be in focus (Shastany).

Zoom Lenses  

A zoom lens is a lens with a variable focal length, by twisting the zoom ring on the lens you can alter the focal length of the camera lens. On many zoom lenses there is a variable aperture as well for example when using a small focal length such as 18mm the aperture may go as low as f/3.5 where when the focal length is higher (around 40mm) there lowest the aperture may go is f/5.6, this is all relative to both the camera and the lens being used. The lenses are very versatile which makes them very desirable as it allows a film crew to shoot on location without having to carry a multitude of lenses to capture each desired shot (Barrance). 

Telephoto Lenses

Telephoto lenses has a larger focal length usually above 70mm they are most commonly used for bringing distant things closer in order to capture a better image. They create a flattening perspective which isolates the subjects from the background. Telephoto lenses are usually quite big and heavy as they are very long which means that the use of a tripod can be useful in these situations in order to stabilise the camera and capture better images. The longer the focal length the darker the photo will become therefore, when using a telephoto lens it is important to understand the correct technical settings to use in order to capture a correctly exposed image. Telephoto lenses affect the size of the subject compared to the background, they make the background seem bigger and closer to the subject. Telephoto lenses have many uses such as capturing footage at sport events, capturing wildlife footage from afar in order to not disturb the wildlife and capturing action shots from afar in order to not disturb the moment (Adorama).

My Example of the effect of Different Lenses



References

Shastany, M., 2020, What is a Macro Lens (Online)
Available at : https://www.borrowlenses.com/blog/what-is-a-macro-lens/ 
Holtzer, G., Wide Angle Lenses
Available at : https://expertphotography.com/wide-angle-lens/ 
Barrance, T., Choosing the Best Lenses for Filmmaking (Online)
Available at : https://www.learnaboutfilm.com/making-a-film/equipment-for-low-budget-filmmaking/choosing-lenses/ 
Adorama, n.d., 2018. Wide Angle vs Telephoto Lens (Online)
Available at : https://www.adorama.com/alc/wide-angle-vs-telephoto-which-lens-should-you-choose 
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