What Is a Telephoto Lens and What Would You Use One For?
A telephoto lens is what comes to mind when you think of a photographer. Most of us assume a professional photographer uses a big camera and a long lens. While telephoto lenses are highly desirable, they may not be helpful for all your photography needs.
Read on to learn more about telephoto lenses and their uses.
What Is a Telephoto Lens?
A telephoto lens has special elements to focus on long-distance objects. As a result, they are usually long, and their angle of view is narrower.
To understand this better, let’s first explain what focal length is. Focal length is the distance between your camera’s sensor and the lens when your image is focused. It also denotes the angle of view and magnification capabilities of your lens.
Usually, a standard lens has a focal length between 50 and 60mm on a full-frame sensor. On the other hand, a telephoto lens has a focal length between 70 and 200mm. Anything above this range will be considered a super telephoto lens.
What Are Telephoto Lenses Used For?
If you’re a DSLR or mirrorless camera user, you have the versatility of using different lenses on your camera. You can choose a telephoto lens when you want to shoot your subject from a distance.
For instance, if you’re a wildlife photographer, you must be far from your subject for safety reasons, or to not scare away smaller animals. This is where a telephoto lens comes into play; it lets you capture wildlife from a distance. If you’re interested in wildlife, see ourtips to improve your wildlife photography.
Wedding photographers also prefer a telephoto lens, so they are not in the way of the ceremony but can still capture all the action from afar. Both Canon and Nikon’s 70 - 200mm lenses are favorite picks for wedding photographers. Here are some moretips to up your wedding photography game.
Another advantage of using a telephoto lens is that it exaggerates the depth of field. In other words, youget a much more pleasant bokehthan one with a standard or wide-angle lens.
Do You Need a Super Telephoto Lens?
Super telephoto lenses—with focal lengths over 200mm—are perfect candidates for sports and wildlife photography. These lenses have an impressive reach and let you get otherwise impossible shots. But, on the flip side, they can be bulky and long. They are also more pricey.
If you’re a keen stargazer and want totry your hand at astrophotography, then you’ll also benefit from a super telephoto lens. you could shoot various celestial objects like the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other deep-sky objects.
Telephoto Lenses: Zoom vs. Prime
When buying a telephoto lens, you have two options: a prime lens or a zoom lens. You should know thedifference between a prime and zoom lensto choose the right one for your needs.
A prime lens has a fixed focal length and is often fast with a wider aperture. So, it is handy in low-light situations. Also, the image quality from a prime lens can be slightly better than a zoom lens. Prime lenses are more expensive than zoom lenses, however.
Zoom lenses can be very versatile as they let you shoot at different focal lengths by zooming in and out. But a zoom lens may not have the wide aperture that you get with a prime lens, and you may also lose image quality at the extreme ends of the lens.
If you’re a beginner, start with a zoom telephoto lens, and you can upgrade to a prime telephoto lens once you master the necessary skills.
Bring Your Subject Closer With a Telephoto Lens
When you first use a telephoto lens, you are sure to be amazed by its reach. You will find new possibilities to shoot different things. Although it is an excellent piece of gear to own and enjoy, not every photographer needs one.
Landscape and product photographers don’t need bulky lenses because their subjects simply don’t need reach or magnification. If you’re thinking of buying a telephoto lens, think about your subject carefully and choose the right focal length for your needs.
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