A camera lens focuses light onto the camera's sensor or film. It determines several important factors like focal length, aperture, depth of field, and image quality. There are different types of lenses including prime lenses with a fixed focal length, zoom lenses that can change focal lengths, and specialty lenses like wide angle, telephoto, and macro lenses that serve different photographic needs. The type of lens used affects how much of a scene is captured and the sharpness and clarity of the final image.

2.  A camera without a lens is useless to a photographer. The lens is
what focuses light from what you see through the viewfinder into a
tiny, (typically) 35mm spot on the back of your film, DSLR, or
mirrorless camera. If you remove the lens from your camera, the only
kind of image you can produce is white light. Consequently, a high-
quality lens can help you capture great photos even with a cheap
camera, while a low-quality lens can make the best camera
mediocre and the resulting image quality, poor.

3.  A lens is a tool used to bring light to a fixed
focal point. In a film camera, the lens sends
the light to the film strip, while in a digital
camera (like DSLRs or mirrorless cameras),
the lens directs light to a digital sensor.
Camera lenses are made up of a series of
glass plates that are convex (curved
outward) or concave

4.  All lenses filter and focus light so that it hits the sensor or film
strip correctly. However, there are a variety of other factors that
determine how a camera lens affects the look and quality of the
final photo.
 Focal length is the measurement of distance (in millimeters)
between the point of convergence of your lens and the sensor
recording the image. The focal length range of a lens is
expressed by a number, and that number tells you how much of
the scene your camera will be able to capture. Smaller numbers
have a wider angle of view and show more of the scene; larger
numbers have a narrower angle of view and show less.
 Aperture is how big the opening is that lets light in, expressed
in f-stops. F-stops are counterintuitive, because the larger the
number, the smaller the opening. For example, f/2.8 allows twice
as much light into the camera as f4, and 16 times as much light
as f11. Aperture affects the depth of field: larger openings create
a shallower depth of field, while smaller openings make more of
the image in focus.

5.  Maximum Aperture. Lenses will list a maximum aperture on
the barrel, indicating the maximum width a lens aperture can
open. Typically, lenses with a wider maximum aperture cost a
bit more. A lens with a wide maximum aperture is great for
low light situations, so if you are considering night
photography, it might be worth the investment.
 Depth of Field. Controlling the amount of the photo that is in
focus is one of the photographer’s best tools to help draw the
viewer’s eye where you want it. For example, landscapes are
typically shot so that everything is in focus, so photographers
will shoot at small apertures (e.g. f11 or f16). The depth of
field varies with the type of lens, due to maximum aperture.

6. There are two basic categories of camera lenses:
 Prime lenses. Primes have a fixed lens focal length,
making them faster and sharper. While prime lenses are
less flexible due to the fixed focal length, they are also
fast and lightweight, making them easy to travel with
 Zoom lenses. Zooms use a series of lenses to allow
different focal lengths from a single lens, making them
more flexible but not as fast. They contain more glass,
which aids in their flexibility, but they also tend to be
bigger and heavier than prime lenses.

7. Within both prime and zoom types of lenses, there are a
variety of lenses, all with different focal lengths.
 1. Macro Lenses
This type of camera lens is used to create very close-up,
macro photographs. They have a unique design that allows
them to produce sharp images at extremely close range.
These lenses are great for nature photography, enabling you
to capture an enormous amount of detail in one image.
 2. Telephoto Lenses
Telephoto lenses are a type of zoom lens with multiple focal
points. These types of lenses are great for isolating a subject
that is far away. However, such great magnification comes at
the price of a narrower field of view. In the same way that you
would use a telescope to look at stars and planets, a
telephoto lens is used for focusing in on distant objects.

8. Many sports photographers use telephoto lenses to provide a
sense of intimacy with the subjects on the field (the players) while
standing on the sidelines or in the bleachers. There are many
different types of telephoto lenses, and some can be quite large,
heavy, and expensive, so take some time in choosing the right
telephoto lens.
 Wide Angle Lenses
Wide angle lenses are ideal for fitting a large area into your frame.
This is especially useful for landscape photography or street
photography. With wide angle lenses, almost everything is in focus,
unless your subject is very close to the lens.
 4. Standard Lenses
Standard lenses can be used for a variety of different types of
photography. Their focal lengths fall somewhere in the middle,
usually between 35mm and 85mm. A zoom lens within this range
will have a small enough focal length at the bottom end to take a
wider angle, full-frame photo, and a large enough focal length at
the top end to zoom in on subjects.

9. Many sports photographers use telephoto lenses to provide a
sense of intimacy with the subjects on the field (the players) while
standing on the sidelines or in the bleachers. There are many
different types of telephoto lenses, and some can be quite large,
heavy, and expensive, so take some time in choosing the right
telephoto lens.
 Wide Angle Lenses
Wide angle lenses are ideal for fitting a large area into your frame.
This is especially useful for landscape photography or street
photography. With wide angle lenses, almost everything is in focus,
unless your subject is very close to the lens.
 4. Standard Lenses
Standard lenses can be used for a variety of different types of
photography. Their focal lengths fall somewhere in the middle,
usually between 35mm and 85mm. A zoom lens within this range
will have a small enough focal length at the bottom end to take a
wider angle, full-frame photo, and a large enough focal length at
the top end to zoom in on subjects.

10.  Specialty Lenses
Finally, there are some more specialized camera lenses that can
impart a unique look and feel to your photographs. There are
several types of specialty camera lenses, but a few of the most
prominent examples are:
 Fisheye lens. A fisheye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens that can
take in a full 180 degree radius around it. Fisheye lenses are so
named because they distort an image’s field of view, making even a
room in a house look like a bubble.
 Tilt shift lens. A tilt shift lens distorts perspective, making things
look smaller than they really are—almost as if they are toys.
 Infrared lens. These lenses play with light rather than perspective,
filtering out all light waves except infrared for a unique visual effect.

12. 16mm Lens
 Angle of view: Very wide
 Description: Very wide view of the world. Great for landscape
photography.
 Depth of field: Everything is in focus. Impossible to have a shallow
depth of field.
 Distortion of space: Makes things seem farther away than they
actually are. Exaggerates the size of anything very close to the
camera.
35mm Lens
 Angle of view: Wide
 Description: Roughly what a cell phone would capture. Great for
street photography.
 Depth of field: Pretty much everything is in focus unless your subject
is very close to the camera.
 Distortion of space: Less spatial distortion than a very wide lens, but
it still makes things seem farther away than they actually are.
 .

13. 50mm Lens
 Angle of view: Normal
 Description: Roughly the way the human eye sees the world.
Good for just about any type of photography.
 Depth of field: Easy to have a shallow or deep depth of field,
depending on aperture range.
 Distortion of space: Very little or none.
85mm Lens
 Angle of view: Medium telephoto
 Description: Great for isolating a subject from the
background. Good for portrait photography.
 Depth of field: Easy to get a shallow depth of field.
 Distortion of space: Makes things seem closer than they actually
are.

14. 200mm Lens
 Angle of view: Telephoto
 Description: Ideal for picking out a distant subject, the way a telescope
does. Good for compressing your subject and the background.
 Depth of field: Quite often has a shallow depth of field unless everything
you’re shooting is quite far away.
 Distortion of space: Makes things seem significantly closer than they
actually are