possible stupid question: why zoom lens?

[Kofman13]

So i just got my first dSLR and it came with ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens. I also played around with my friend's pancake lens. This is probably an uninformed question, but whats the point of a zoom lens like the one that came with my camera?
To get a shot as close to the subject as my own human eye sees it, I have to zoom all the way in. Whats the point of a zoom lens if you cant zoom in closer than your eye sees. And pancake lens already is pretty much as your eye sees. Is zoom lens perhaps for situations when you cant get far enough away from a subject (small room) so you zoom out and seem farther away than you are?

 

[PhotoXopher]

So you can capture more of the scene. There are much larger zooms out there - all a zoom lens does is give you more options than using your feet.

Let's say you want to photograph the Grand Canyon, well you can only move back so far... a wide angle zoom allows you to capture more of the scene. Same holds true with 'zooming in', you can only move forward so far...

I dunno... weak example but hopefully you got the idea.

 

[lbridges]

Comparing camera captured images to how the eye "sees" is an apples to oranges kind of thing. With the brain integrating information and minor eye movements, we can "see almost 180 degrees in width (ultra wide-angle to a camera), and then when we want to focus on something in the far field the brain "cuts away" the side data and "zooms in" (telephoto lens to a camera) effect.

 

[Kofman13]

I get it. So or my medium zoom lens it's mostly so you don't have to move away physically for ladscapes etc

 

[DennyCrane]

50mm (in either a full-frame or 35mm film camera) is generally accepted to be equivalent to what the human eye sees insofar as magnification. So, a 50-250mm telephoto zoom lens would simply give you a variable magnification beyond that.

 

[Hardrock]

So you can take a picture of a rattle snake without holding it.

 

[DScience]

Ultra fast Primes all the way!!!

 

[DennyCrane]

It's highly unrealistic to be carrying every prime lens made to avoid a single zoom.

 

[Torus34]

Zoom lenses provide convenience. There is nothing they can do that an extensive set of fixed focus lenses cannot do just as well. As you've guessed from the last sentence, one zoom lens is cheaper than a set of fixed focus lenses.

Due to optical compromises, zoom lenses will not be as sharp at some focal lengths as comparable fixed focus lenses.

 

[Rifleman1776]

You are right. It is an uninformed question.
Try the zoomer once. You will then understand why they exist.

 

[DennyCrane]

Having a good sensor with plenty of megapixels can compensate for a lack of zoom somewhat, considering you can crop to your needs, but a zoom is great for any kind of distance... zoom to the desired size and shoot away. On the small end, though, I'd agree a prime would be better as long as you have room to move yourself to the correct distance.

 

[Josh66]

What is a pancake lens?

 

[Derrel]

Zoom lenses provide convenience. There is nothing they can do that an extensive set of fixed focus lenses cannot do just as well. As you've guessed from the last sentence, one zoom lens is cheaper than a set of fixed focus lenses.

Due to optical compromises, zoom lenses will not be as sharp at some focal lengths as comparable fixed focus lenses.

The above statements were true some years ago, but the newest zooms can easily be *significantly better* than prime lenses. The best example would be the Nikon 14-24mm zoom lens--at f/5.6 it is better than Canon''s 24mm f/1.4-L prime lens. it is better than Canon or Nikon's 14mmm f/2.8 prime, better than Nikon's 15,16,18,20,and 24mm prime lenses, as well as better than several Canon prime and zoom lenses. Better than some Zeiss wide-angle primes as well.

The better zoom lenses made today are as good, or better, than prime lenses designed a decade ago. New zoom designs using ED glass, aspherical elements, and the new Nano-crystal type coatings, plus advanced computer design software and ambitious PRICING structures, are creating a world where the best zoom leses are better than prime lenses. Olympus is a god example; with their smaller than industry standard 2.0x FOV factor, Olympus has begun making some of the highest-performance zooms ever made. Downside? The prices on the highest end Oly zooms are very high.

 

[kundalini]

What is a pancake lens?

I'll bet it doesn't come with whipped butter, maple syrup and a side order of hot link sausage at 2:00 in the morning.

 

[Derrel]

A pancake lens is an unusually compact lens from front to back. Focal length is often from 35mm to 50mm in length.

Nikon 45mm Pancake f2.8 Black Lens on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Current pancake lenses include some offerings from Olympus and Panasonic and Pentax, as well as Cosina-Voigtlander with quite a few pancake wide-angle and short normal lenses like their 40mm f/2.