telephoto and wide angle lens

[echoyjeff222]

As it pertains to landscape photography ... from what I have read so far, the main difference is the ability to skew perspective. Telephoto = makes background larger/ closer than it appears, wide angle = background smaller/farther than usual. Are there any other major differences that I should consider when I use these two lenses for landscape shots? In other words, what situations call for which lenses? Any good rules of thumb?

Also, are macro lenses any good? I just borrowed one from the school, but I've never used them before. What's the main difference between a macro lens vs. the regular one I got (EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM).

 

[Gary A.]

A macro lens will allow to to shoot close-up, very close up. A true macro will allow you to shoot at a 1x magnification. That means if you shoot, say a penny, the image of the penny will be captured on the sensor at the same size as it is in real life.

As to telephoto and wide angle ... a telephoto will bring something far away closer, it will reduce your normal Field of Vision (FOV). A wide angle will increase your FOV to encompass a wider view than what you normally see.

Typically, wide angles are used for landscapes in order to capture a wide vista look. Telephotos are often used to compress the image ... those landscape photos showing mountain ridges all compressed together are shot with a telephoto.

Your choice of lens should be determined by your vision, your mental image of what you desires the final image to be ... to look like ... to reflect.

 

[480sparky]

As the term 'macro' has no official definition, it is subject to misuse by the industry. This results in confusion in the uninformed.

Generally, we as photographers consider 1:1 to be the threshold for calling a lens 'macro'. But some manufacturers tend to take liberties with the word. I have a Sigma lens that, at best, is 1:3, yet is labeled a macro lens. And I've seen lenses that barely muster 1:6 or even 1:8 with a macro designation.

So don't buy too much stock in a lens with the 'macro' moniker. Look at the specs.

Specifics, Bob...... specifics!

 

[dennybeall]

Depth of field is different between wide angle and telephoto lenses also. Not techie enough to explain - perhaps someone will??

 

[astroNikon]

depth of field of various focal length lenses .. This Tokina lens catalog page goes over Perspecgive nicely. ==>

 

[PWhite214]

Macro as applied to most lenses simply has a minimum focus distance (MFD) smaller than a 'normal' lens of that same focal length. Moving the lens closer increases the subject size on the sensor or film.

Phil

 

[TCampbell]

Wide angle will "stretch" the depth of a photograph (sort of like the "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." thing) and telephoto lenses tend to compress the depth so things at different distances don't necessary look like there is much difference in their distances in the resulting image.

But there's another way to think about this in the context of "landscape" photos.

If you go to the Grand Canyon... and you look through the end of a soda-straw... taking photos of various rocks and bits ... you don't really take in the big picture of the scenery. Someone looking at your pictures through a soda-straw may not even really that the various images are part of the Grand Canyon. BUT... if you do this with a wide-angle lens... it'll be pretty obvious where the images where shot.

If you find you need to "look around" to take in a scene... then it's probably a candidate for a wide-angle perspective.

"Context" helps your images tell a story, convey a thought... and emotion, etc. If there's enough "context" in the telephoto image to do that, then you're good to go. If not... consider what else needs to be added to provide that context and what angle of view might help.

 

[greybeard]

I'll chime in on macro. It is one of those lenses that you use all the time or not at all. If you like to get up very close to tiny things and isolate them, like bugs and other really small things, then you might have a use for a macro. If you are more interested in landscapes and or people pictures, it would probably be a waste of money.