Lenses for Digital Cameras: The Basics For those who have opted
to move on from point-and-shoot digital pocket cameras to
digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, how do you decide
what lenses to buy? Should you always use the same
manufacturer’s lenses that come with the camera? Are zoom lenses
inherently inferior to fixed length lenses? What would you use a
close-up (macro) lens, and why do you need a fish-eye lens?
Here’s some basic assistance. The focal length of a camera lens
is measured in mm with the ‘standard’ lens for a 35mm camera
being 50mm and having an angle of view of 45 degrees. Shorter
lenses are referred to as ‘wide angle’ and have a wider angle of
view, often 80 or 90 degrees. Lenses longer than 50mm are
‘telephoto’ with progressively narrower angles of view as the
focal length increases. Zoom lenses can be of the telephoto or
wide angle variety (or both) and have the added feature of being
able to alter their focal length within a given range. Macro
lenses allow close-up photos by exten