How Do I Choose The Right Lens For Photography?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Aperture. Maximum aperture is stated on all lenses. …
  2. Focal Length. The first thing to consider when choosing your new lens is the focal length. …
  3. Fixed or Zoom. …
  4. Crop Factor. …
  5. Image Stabilization. …
  6. Color Refractive Correction. …
  7. Distortion. …
  8. Perspective / Focus Shift.
Contents hide

What 2 lenses should every photographer have?

  • 1 – The Mighty 50mm. If you only have budget for one extra lens, make it a 50mm. …
  • 2 – The Ultra Wide-angle. If your budget allows for two new lenses, buy the 50mm and then invest in a wide-angle optic. …
  • 3 – The Magical Macro.

What lens should I start with photography?

As a beginner, the best first lens to buy is

the kit lens for your camera

. For many entry-level cameras, this lens would be the 18-55mm lens. With a moderate zoom range and an affordable price tag, the kit lens is by far the most versatile for anyone just getting starting in photography.

What 3 lenses do I need?

  • The general-purpose zoom. A general-purpose (standard) zoom goes from around 18mm to 70mm. …
  • The macro lens. …
  • The telephoto zoom. …
  • 3 must-have camera lenses: conclusion.

Which is better for portraits 50mm or 85mm?

If you do a lot of headshots,

85mm

is probably the better choice. You can capture beautiful, tight images from a reasonable distance, whereas headshots at 50mm can put you uncomfortably close. On the other hand, if you gravitate toward full-body or even group shots, 50mm is ideal.

What lenses should a beginner have?

Two lenses are what most beginner photographers settle for. The first one is the 55 – 250mm and the

other is the 55 – 300mm

. The first one is produced by Canon and the second one is produced by Nikon. Both these lenses have an aperture range of f/4.5 – f/5.6.

What is a 58mm lens used for?

Professional photographers often use 58mm lenses on a crop sensor—around 85mm on full frame

—to shoot portraits

.

What are 50mm lenses good for?

50mm lenses are fast lenses with a fast maximum aperture. The most basic 50mm lenses are typically F1. 8 – a very wide aperture. This means they are great for

low-light photography

(e.g. low-light portraiture or indoor shooting) as they allow more light into the camera’s sensor.

What size lens do I need?

If you want to fit more into your frame, you might want to look into wide-angle focal lengths:

14mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm

. On the other hand, if you want to get as close as possible to your subject, go for a telephoto lens with focal lengths that usually range from 50 to 100mm.

What Canon lens should every photographer have?

The absolute golden staple for serious portrait photographers must be the

85mm f/1.4 lens

. Its long focal length, and wide fixed aperture combine to create a portrait like no other. The image quality of pictures taken on this lens is instantly recognizable to those in the know.

Is it worth having a 50mm and 85mm lens?

If you are shooting on the sideline of a basketball court,

than a 50mm will be perfect

. If you are shooting subjects farther away then the 85mm will help you get some tighter shots. … But 50mm is a much more versatile lens during a wedding day than an 85mm.

Do I need 85mm if I have 50mm?

The 50mm is a good all around focal length for half

to full-body portraits

, and I use the 85mm for tighter shots with a little more subject isolation. It’s great for party and event candids, portraits, pets, you name it. Try one and see if you like the way it feels. That will be your best indicator.

Is 50mm lens good for portraits?

50mm lenses for portraiture are

really good for anything as tight as the upper quarter of a person

. Anything closer and you’ll end up distorting the subject. Additionally, you can focus on a subject very closely by using a variety of 50mm macro lenses.

What focal length should I use for portraits?

Although most lenses can be used for portraiture, fast telephoto lenses with moderately short focal lengths have long been the first choice of professional portrait photographers. Focal lengths typically considered ideal range from

about 70mm to 135mm in 35mm format

, with a bias in favour of the 85-105mm section.

Which contact lens should I buy?

If comfort is your primary consideration,

conventional soft contact lenses

usually are your best choice. Most people find soft lenses are immediately comfortable, whereas gas permeable lenses usually require a period of adaptation (that can be several weeks) before the lenses are perfectly comfortable.

How many lenses do I need for photography?

So to end things off, for the up and coming photographer and or videographer, these

five lenses

, the wide angle, normal, and telephoto prime and the wide angle and telephoto zoom, make the perfect combination to shoot almost anything.

What does the 50mm lens mean?

50 mm refers to the focal length of a lens. By itself, 50 mm means 50 millimeters, which is

about 2 inches

. In terms of photography, this measure is a general description of how much magnification a lens will have.

How far will a 300mm lens shoot?

Focal Length Distance (Crop frame) Distance (Full frame) 100mm 19 yards 12 yards 200mm 38 yards 23.5 yards 300mm

56.5 yards


38 yards
400mm 75.3 yards 50 yards

What is 300mm lens used for?

This lens is most commonly used by

sports and wildlife photographers

, but is short enough to be use for extreme close-up portraits. Because of its rather high native magnification, it can be used for some macro type photography.

What is 30mm lens good for?

As you can see, the 30mm lens

allows more content into the photo

. This is great if you’d like to feature a beautiful background or if you’d like to have the person in your portrait be shown from head to toe and don’t have much room to physically back away to take the photo.

Does bigger lens mean better picture?

A faster lens (shorter f-ratio) will have a narrower depth of field (smaller plane of focus). … While a larger aperture diameter might increase the brightness and sharpen the focus, increasing the

lens magnification will increase the focal length

and thus enlarge an image.

What is a 100mm lens good for?

The 100mm focal length is perfect for

portraits

, enabling flattering close-ups without distorting facial features. The Hybrid Image Stabilization allows shooting of beautiful images, handheld in low light.

What is the difference between 50mm and 35mm lens?

While a 50mm prime lens will give you a field of view of just under 40 degrees, the 35mm prime lens gives you

54.4 degrees

— significantly wider.

Is a 50mm lens a wide angle?

Technically it is any lens that has a wider field of view than what the human eye sees. Back in the days of film a 50mm lens was considered “normal” because it is closest to what you see with your eye normally. … So

anything wider than 50mm (full frame)

or 35mm (APS-C) is considered a wide angle lens.

What’s the difference between telephoto and zoom lens?

A zoom lens is any lens has a variable focal lengths; this is contrast to a prime lens which has a single fixed focal length. A telephoto lens is one that

has a longer than normal focal length

. “Normal” in this context means that it provides about the same field of view as the human eye.

Is 18 55mm lens good for portrait?

The best thing about the 18-55mm lens is its versatility. At 18mm, it is fairly wide-angled and is great for landscapes. In the middle of its range, around 35mm, it is perfect for street, travel, and documentary photography, while

the short telephoto zoom of 55mm works wonders for portraits

.

What is 16mm lens used for?

Uses a 16mm ultra-wide angle focal length. This exaggeration of relative size can be used to

add emphasis and detail to foreground objects

, while still capturing expansive backgrounds. If you plan on using this effect to full impact, you’ll want to get as close as possible to the nearest subject in the scene.

Is 35 mm good for portraits?


35mm primes are fantastic for portraits

. … Traditional thinking will make you believe you need 50mm, 85mm 105mm, 135mm and even 200mm lenses to take stunning portraits. While those lenses are great for portrait photography, so are 35mm primes.

How far should a 50mm lens be from a subject?

How far should you stand from a 50mm lens? – Quora. As a very rough rule of thumb, for portrait photography you want to be

at least 3–4 meters / 10–15 feet away

from your subject, regardless of the focal length of the lens you are using.

What lens should I use for portrait photography?

The closest focal length to the perspective of our eyes is the 50mm lens. However, photographers, in general, consider a portrait

lens from 85mm up to 110mm

. These lenses give you significant background blur and a shallow depth of field. They also allow you to position your subject far away comfortably.

What is a 24-70mm lens good for?

24-70mm lenses offer close focusing

The minimum focusing distance does vary from model to model, but it’s generally around 15 inches (38 centimeters). In other words, you can use a 24-70mm lens to

capture stunning close-up shots

– of flowers, leaves, portrait details, and more.

How far should an 85mm lens be from a subject?

85mm Focal Length

The minimum focusing distance or focal length with it is

approximately 2.8 feet

from your intended focal point.

How far can a 85mm lens shoot?

The closest focus of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G is 2.6 ft (0.8m). With a depth of field calculator at f/4 and a subject distance of 20 ft, the depth of field would be a bit

over 2.5 ft.

That will vary depending on if you have a full frame sensor, your subject distance and your aperture.

Do you really need 85mm?

The 85mm lens

is mostly recommended for portraits

, people praise it for portraiture, I do understand why, but you can actually use it for a ton of things. The first reason why people love it so much is the absence of distortion, warping and it’s respect for your model’s facial and body features.

What is an 85mm prime lens used for?

As a portrait lens, the 85mm prime lens

captures a portrait of a face

, an entire body without distortion. For outdoors and nature, this prime lens is a an effective tool in creatively capturing beauty and imagery with clarity.

What is 85mm lens best for?

An 85mm lens is excellent for

portrait work

. By isolating the subject and minimizing distortion, this lens can produce captivating, flattering portraits, headshots, and full-body images. Ask “What is 85mm lens good for?” and you’re likely to get the default response “portrait work.”

Is a zoom lens good for portraits?

Zooms are certainly more versatile, providing a handful of useful focal lengths in a single package. A

70-200mm zoom

, for instance, is a great portrait lens because every focal length it offers works well with faces.

What is the sharpest aperture for portraits?

The best aperture for individual portraits is

f/2 to f/2.8

. If you’re shooting two people, use f/4. For more than two people, shoot at f/5.6.

What focal length is the most flattering?

The short answer, and the easy way out is that an

85mm lens on a full frame camera

is considered the ideal focal length for flattering portrait photos.

Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.