It can be overwhelming for any beginner to choose their first lens from the numerous options for each brand camera. The simple solution is usually to choose a good walkthrough lens that offers a good focal length range for almost all types of photography. However, once you gain experience and start feeling the need to expand your rig, you'll eventually consider lenses that offer "extreme" focal lengths.
Both wide-angle and telephoto (or zoom) lenses are invaluable for photographers, providing a field of view that we can't see with the naked eye. When you have the opportunity to shoot interchangeably with these two types of lenses, you realize that they do much more than just provide two different areas of shooting. In this article, we will compare telephoto lenses and wide-angle lenses to understand their advantages, disadvantages and differences.
OneWhat is a Telephoto Lens?
Telephoto lenses have a longer focal length, making them ideal for zooming in on distant scenes and subjects. Like wide-angle lenses, they are also available in prime lenses (fixed focal length) and zoom lenses.
The term "telephoto" is also a general term to describe narrow field of view lenses with focal lengths of more than 80 mm. However, they fall into three categories:
Short focal lengths – ranging from 85 mm to 135 mm – are compact and lightweight, making them ideal for everyday use.
Medium telephoto – larger, longer, heavier because they have focal lengths between 135 mm and 300 mm.
Super Telephoto Lens – This telephoto lens has a focal length of more than 300 mm and provides magnification similar to that of a telescope, but is too heavy for handheld shooting.
Unfortunately, the longer the focal length of the lens, the darker the image captured. To solve this problem, some high-end telephoto lenses integrate a larger maximum aperture or aperture opening, allowing more light to enter the lens.
In addition to being able to "zoom in" digitally through optics rather than just magnifying the pixels on the screen, a telephoto lens affects the relative size of the subject to the background and compresses them together. This will make your background appear larger and closer to your subject – as if your subject is leaning against the background.
When paired with a shallow depth of field, this compression effect of a telephoto lens will give you a larger, smoother bokeh effect than you would with a wide-angle lens. This cool technique is very useful when you want to bring the background into the shot while effectively highlighting the subject in focus.
When to use a telephoto lens
The most obvious reason to use a telephoto lens is the need to be involved, and you'll be able to "get closer" to the scene without actually getting closer. But given its heavier construction, not everyone can use and afford a mid-to-super telephoto lens. So, before buying a telephoto lens, find out if your photographic goal is the following:
filming on the sidelines of sporting events; Cover events where you need to capture a key moment without disturbing the moment or wasting precious time through crowds and obstacles, just to get the perfect shot; Conduct professional wildlife and nature photography; Try astrophotography; Capture stunning images of the Moon up close; Reduce the visual distance between the subject and the background; Produces a better-looking bokeh.
Different types of telephoto lenses
The features and capabilities of telephoto lenses vary widely, and they can be used in a variety of applications, but one thing all telephoto lenses have in common is the ability to display a larger focal length than the actual physical length. This is achieved in one of two ways: by using refraction or by using mirrors.
Refractive lenses contain multiple internal lens groups, also known as lens elements. They bend the light and then straighten it before it reaches the sensor or film to get a magnified image.
Mirror lenses contain multiple curved mirrors in the lens body that reflect light, creating a magnifying effect that allows smaller lenses to achieve longer focal lengths.
When choosing between a refractive telephoto lens vs. a mirror telephoto lens, it is important to remember that while refractive lenses are more expensive, they have higher image quality overall and are more commonly used.
IIWhat is a Wide-Angle Lens?
As the name suggests, the wide-angle lens offers a wider angle of view from 64° to 180°. Wide-angle lenses have a shorter focal length and are marked with smaller numbers. These lenses have focal lengths of 34 mm and below, and the field of view begins to become wider than that of "normal" lenses.
When shooting wide-angle with an ultra-wide-angle lens or fisheye lens at a focal length of more than 14 mm, the image begins to become distorted at the outer edges of the frame. This type of lens can definitely create unique images, although not all photographers can benefit from using a wide-angle lens because it creates distortion.
Compared to other lenses, the wide-angle lens brings more scenes. This is useful when you want to include more elements in the framework, add context, and provide context for the topic. You'll also notice that the center of the image looks farther away when shooting from the ground. This creates an exaggerated perspective, adding depth and giving the viewer more perspective.
As the edges of the frame are stretched, the lines and horizons eventually appear to be curved. This distortion doesn't always look good, especially when shooting portraits. That's why it's important to know when you should and shouldn't use it.
When to use a wide-angle lens
Take a table of food or take a group photo in a confined space;
Real estate photography showcasing the entire room;
Make the image and** look more immersive (use an action camera with a built-in wide-angle lens);
Photographing buildings** for outdoor architectural photography;
Photograph sky landscapes, cityscapes, and expansive panoramic landscapes (if you don't mind distortion);
Convenient**, will not be cropped;
creating artistic and abstract images, especially using fisheye lenses;
Increase the visual distance between the subject and the background.
The type of wide-angle lens
There are three different types of wide-angle lenses: wide-angle lenses, ultra-wide-angle lenses, and fisheye lenses. Lenses in the 24-35m range are considered wide-angle, the 18-24mm range is ultra-wide-angle, and anything wider than 18mm usually falls into the category of fisheye lenses.
For most traditional applications, consider using wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle options. They provide the best balance of vision and visual quality. Fisheye lenses are known for their curved lines and strange viewing angles, which can be stylistically useful in some applications but rather jarring in others.
Wide-angle lens vs. telephoto lens
Once you know the unique effects that wide-angle lenses and telephoto lenses can produce, you'll realize that these lenses shouldn't be confused with each other. When it comes to choosing between the two, it depends on the specific need to zoom in on the telephoto vs the wide-angle angle of view.
Wide-angle lens vs. telephoto lensofMain differences:
The field of view is a noticeable difference in the comparison of a wide-angle lens to a telephoto lens. The wide-angle lens provides a wide field of view, allowing you to capture more of the scene in front of you. On the other hand, telephoto lenses have a narrower field of view.
Depth of field is another feature you can't afford to ignore when making wide-angle vs. telephoto decisions. If you want the entire scene to be in focus, you'll need a deep depth of field, hence the need for a wide-angle lens. Conversely, if you need to create a shallow depth of field and blur the background, it's easier to do with a telephoto lens because the depth of field decreases as the focal length increases.
In terms of size, telephoto lenses are longer, making them heavier and more difficult to handle. Since the wide-angle lens has a shorter focal length, the overall lens is shorter, lightweight, and easy to handle.
Due to the wide angle lens' large field of view, filters may obscure the corners of the image. This effect is called vignetting. This is usually the case when you use an ultra-wide-angle lens or multiple filters. However, you don't have to worry about filter vignetting for telephoto lenses.
When you understand what a telephoto lens is, you know that it reduces the sense of depth in your image. The telephoto lens makes the object in the background appear larger and closer to the foreground object. Wide-angle lenses do the opposite, making background objects appear smaller and farther away from the camera.
Advantages and disadvantages of telephoto lenses
Pros:You can keep a greater distance from your subject, which is especially useful for photographing wildlife. You don't need to move your body to shoot distant objects. You can act as a passive observer at events such as weddings and shows.
Cons:Telephoto lenses are usually heavy and bulky. You may need to use a tripod to balance the telephoto lens. Telephoto lenses with an extremely wide aperture are usually very expensive.
Advantages and disadvantages of wide-angle lenses
Pros:You can shoot very large objects, such as buildings. Wide-angle lenses have a very wide aperture. The wide-angle lens creates interesting perspectives.
Cons:Wide-angle lenses often suffer from distortion. Wide-angle lenses aren't good at portraits. High-quality wide-angle lenses can be expensive.
As for the specific focal length, you need to accumulate more experience in shooting at different focal lengths. Being able to see a variety of different perspectives in person is indeed the best way to choose the perfect lens, which will benefit the type of photography you choose.
It can be overwhelming for any beginner to choose their first lens from the numerous options for each brand camera. The simple solution is usually to choose a good walkthrough lens that offers a good focal length range for almost all types of photography. However, once you gain experience and start to feel the need to expand your gear, you'll eventually consider lenses that offer "extreme" focal lengths.