Camera lenses are optical devices designed to focus light onto a camera’s image sensor, capturing a scene or subject in sharp detail. They are a crucial component of any camera system and play a vital role in determining the image’s quality, composition, and perspective.
What is focal length?
Focal length is the distance between the optical center of a lens and the camera sensor or film plane when focused at infinity.
The optical center is where light rays converge inside the lens. It determines the magnification and field of view for a lens, measured in millimeters. Prime lenses have fixed focal lengths, while zoom lenses can vary, altering the visual properties of the footage with any change in focal length.
Why is focal length so important?
The focal length of a camera lens plays a crucial role in shaping your photography or videography in three key ways:
- Field of View (What is in Frame): The focal length dictates your field of view, determining how much of the scene is captured in the frame. A shorter focal length (wide-angle) allows for a broader view, including more of the surroundings, while a longer focal length (telephoto) narrows the field of view, focusing on specific details or subjects.
- Visual Context (How We Feel): The chosen focal length generates visual context for your shots, influencing the emotional impact of the image. Wide-angle lenses can create a sense of expansiveness, openness, and dynamism, making the viewer feel more immersed in the scene. On the other hand, longer focal lengths can compress the scene, isolating subjects and potentially conveying a sense of intimacy or isolation.
- Visual Properties (How It Looks): Focal length also alters the visual properties of your shots. Different focal lengths affect perspective, depth of field, and distortion. Wide-angle lenses may introduce more depth and emphasize foreground elements, while telephoto lenses can compress distances and create a shallower depth of field. These variations contribute to the overall aesthetics and look of your photographs or videos.
In summary, the focal length of a lens is a versatile tool that allows photographers and videographers to control the composition, emotional tone, and visual characteristics of their images. Understanding how focal length influences field of view, visual context, and visual properties enables creative control and expression in visual storytelling.
Wide angle lenses create the most focal distortion
The basics of lens focal length
Your camera and lens act as the audience, capturing and presenting precisely what you choose to show. Considering all aspects of visual storytelling is vital for effective storytelling in film. Each small creative choice for every image contributes to the powerful effects felt by your audience as the story unfolds. Focal length plays a crucial role, determining how “zoomed in” an image appears, with higher millimeter (mm) values creating a more zoomed-in effect. It is measured as the distance from the focal point where light converges in the lens to the camera’s sensor or film
What is a prime lens?
A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens that does not allow zooming. The focal length is the distance from the point of convergence in the lens to the camera sensor.
Prime lenses feature wide apertures, measured by the size of the opening when the lens is inside the camera. They typically have maximum apertures ranging from f/2.8 to f/1.2. Prime lenses have few moving parts, reducing the likelihood of major problems.
Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths, offering convenience but having a more complex system that may lead to potential issues. In contrast, prime lenses, with fixed focal lengths, are often smaller than zoom lenses and offer various comparative benefits.
Prime Lens vs. Zoom Lens
- Prime lenses are more compact with less involved
- Camera prime lenses are sharper than zoom lenses
- Wider aperture allows for bokeh and other
techniques - Better image quality
- Often better value
What is a prime lens?
A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens without zoom capability. Its focal length is the distance from the point of convergence in the lens to the camera sensor. Prime lenses are characterized by wide apertures, typically ranging from f/2.8 to f/1.2, measured by the size of the opening when the lens is inside the camera. Prime lenses have fewer moving parts, making them less prone to major issues.
Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths, providing convenience but having a more complex system that may lead to potential issues. In contrast, prime lenses, with fixed focal lengths, are often smaller than zoom lenses and offer various comparative benefits.
Prime Lens vs. Zoom Lens
- Prime lenses are more compact with less involved
- Camera prime lenses are sharper than zoom lenses
- Wider aperture allows for bokeh and other
techniques - Better image quality
- Often better value
24mm- Wide angle
A 24mm prime lens is an excellent choice for landscape photography due to its wide-angle view, allowing you to capture more of the scene in a shot. These lenses offer top-notch optics, making them suitable for landscape photography, and their short focal length enhances their effectiveness.
35mm- Wide angle
A 35mm lens is highly versatile and fosters creativity, making it suitable for photographing a wide range of subjects. Its adaptability allows for experimentation in various photography styles. Additionally, a 35mm lens provides a familiar perspective, closely resembling how the human eye perceives the world.
50mm- Normal Focal Length
The 50mm prime lens, often called the ‘nifty fifty,’ is praised for its excellent sharpness and low-light performance. Its small and compact design makes it an ideal everyday lens that is easy to use and carry. The 50mm lens is highly versatile, suitable for a range of photography genres, including architecture, portraiture, and landscapes, especially on a full-frame camera.
85mm- Short Telephoto Lens
The 85mm focal length is considered ideal for portrait photography due to several reasons. It allows you to fill the frame with your subject without being too close, promoting a relaxed atmosphere for better-quality portraits. The 85mm lens, categorized as a short telephoto lens, strikes a balance in focal length, neither too long nor too short for effective portrait capture.
Micro vs. Macro Lens
A macro lens reproduces an image on the sensor or film plane that is of similar size to the actual physical subject, often used for capturing small subjects like insects or coins in fine detail. Micro photography specifically involves a magnification ratio of 20:1 or greater, making the subject appear at least twenty times larger on the camera’s sensor than in real life. While powerful for detailed imaging, micro photography is not commonly used in everyday photography.
Macro and micro lenses are interchangeable terms referring to lenses designed for macro photography. Canon uses the term “macro lenses,” while Nikon refers to them as “micro lenses.” Despite the different names, they serve the same purpose in capturing detailed images of small subjects in macro photography.
Zoom Lens
A zoom lens is characterized by its ability to adjust its focal length by moving optical mechanisms within the lens. This distinguishes it from prime lenses, which have a fixed focal length. Cinematographers and photographers utilize zoom lenses to create the effect of zooming in or out from a subject, providing the appearance of changing the distance without physically moving the camera. Zoom lenses are also employed to achieve specific cinematic shots, such as the dolly zoom.
Fisheye Lens
A fisheye lens is a camera component designed for capturing extremely wide angles, often up to 180 degrees. Also known as a “super wide” or “ultra-wide” lens, it produces distorted images, creating a more abstract yet dynamic aesthetic.
Fisheye lenses are well-suited for capturing extreme sports, providing a unique perspective akin to looking through a peephole. They are also effective in scenes depicting a person waking up or struggling with unconsciousness, as well as for simulating the appearance of security footage.
Thank you : The Different Types of Camera Lenses for Video and Photography (studiobinder.com)
ladybug on leaf,dappled light,golden hour,subsurface scattering,ZOOM LENS,SHALLOW DOF –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
ladybug on leaf,dappled light,golden hour,subsurface scattering,MACRO LENS,SHALLOW DOF –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
ladybug MICROSCOPIC,DETAIL, ,dappled light,golden hour,subsurface scattering,MACRO LENS,STYLE OF LGOR SIWANOWICZ,SHALLOW DOF –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a wide angle lens?
A wide-angle lens is characterized by a focal length shorter than the length of the camera sensor or film. Specifically, for full-frame sensors, any lens with a focal length equal to or less than 35mm is considered a wide-angle lens.
Camera lenses with focal lengths between 35mm and 24mm are categorized as wide-angle lenses, while those between 24mm and 18mm are termed ultra-wide angle lenses. Fisheye lenses come into play below 18mm. Fisheye lenses, common in action sports, can cause unwanted wide-angle distortion in photography and film.
What is a wide angle lens used for in film?
- Accentuating camera movement
- Establishing a more subjective point of view
- To create a larger frame for characters and
settings
In a series of four rerolls using only the prompt “24mm lens,” the results consistently demonstrated traits associated with a wide-angle lens. While it’s advisable to include descriptors like “wide-angle lens” and “deep focus,” these limited tests indicated identifiable characteristics of 24mm lenses, with the exception of facial distortion.
a 35-year-old pope who resembles dev anand holding mass in futuristic vestments in the remnants of a destroyed st. peter’s cathedral, 24mm lens, subsurface scattering, golden light, cinematic color grading, diffuse-back-lighting, small-catchlight, –ar 3:1 –v 5.2
close-up portrait of a 35-year-old pope who resembles dev anand holding mass in futuristic vestments in the remnants of a destroyed st. peter’s cathedral, 24MM LENS, WIDE ANGLE LENS, DEEP FOCUS, subsurface scattering, golden light, cinematic color grading –ar 3:1 –v 5.2
What is a telephoto lens?
A telephoto lens has a longer focal length than a standard lens, resulting in a magnified image and a narrow field of view. It is effective for photographing distant subjects, typically considered telephoto if its focal length is 60mm or longer. While a telephoto lens can be a zoom lens, it is not always the case. Zoom lenses have adjustable focal lengths, while fixed focal length lenses are referred to as prime lenses. Telephoto lenses can be either zoom or prime, with focal lengths ranging from “medium telephoto” (70-200mm) to “super telephoto” (longer than 300mm).
a 35-year-old pope who resembles dev anand holding mass in futuristic vestments in the remnants of a destroyed st. peter’s cathedral, 85mm lens, subsurface scattering, golden light, cinematic color grading, diffuse-back-lighting, small-catchlight –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
dev patel in a futuristic abu ghraib,salman kahn watches, worm’s eye view, steam, style of kubrick and joel peter witkin, haunted and elegant blue tones, warm key light, 85mm, dramatic angle, extreme perspective, diffuse-back-lighting –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
mother and child in futuristic suits lit up with internal lights in shinjuku alley hiding from rioters, cinematic shot, professional lighting, 80MM –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
a woman who resembles deepika padukone and angelina jolie dancing in a hallucinatory vortex with dev patel in a futuristic tuxedo, BOKEH, raytracing, 100MM, studio lighting, detailed skin, dramatic perspective, chiaroscuro, small-catchlight, low-contrast –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a Petzval lens?
The Petzval lens, developed by Hungarian mathematics professor Petzvál József in 1840, is recognized as the first photographic portrait objective lens with a 160mm focal length. Known for extreme sharpness in the center, vibrant color saturation, and a distinctive blurred effect in the out-of-focus areas, Petzval lenses are particularly suitable for producing portraits. They excel at drawing attention to the subject, and their characteristics contribute to a soft-focus aesthetic.
a man dressed up in a glowing costume, in the style of afrofuturism, petzval 85mm, cosmic themes, dariusz klimczak, vibrant stage backdrops, albert joseph moore –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
mona lisa by da vinci, neutral lighting, petzval 85mm lens –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
cowboy portrait, golden hour, petzval 85mm lens, soft focus, sharp in center and soft at edges, dappled light, subsurface scattering, chiaroscuro, haunting, elegant, cinematic color –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
Why is 35mm the most versatile?
A 35mm lens has a focal length of 35mm. While the technical definition involves the length from the optical center of the lens to the camera’s sensor, its practical importance lies in understanding its applications and associated visual characteristics.
The 35mm lens is highly popular and essential for photographers and cinematographers. Its significance lies in closely resembling the focal length that mirrors how humans perceive the world with their own eyes.
Why 35mm?
- Semi-wide, but still a familiar, comfortable image
- One of the “standard” lenses used in film and
photography
What does 35mm film photography ?
The term “35mm photography” typically refers to film photography, specifically analog photography, where light-sensitive film captures impressions when exposed to light. In a format setting, 35mm describes a common image sensor format used in film photography. The general rule is that larger film sizes yield better resolution, while smaller formats like 35mm may exhibit noticeable graininess when printed—a characteristic often cherished in film photography. Including “35mm” in a prompt may pull data related to analog photography rather than the focal length, and this will be tested in the next series of slides.
american gothic painting as a photograph, saturated colors –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
american gothic painting as a 35MM PHOTOGRAPH, 35MM FILM GRAIN, saturated colors –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
afghani tribal girl at a loom making a beautiful coat –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
afghani tribal girl at a loom making a beautiful coat,, 35MM FILM, ANAMORPHIC LENS, FILM GRAIN –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
dutch angle octane render of futuristic shinjuku riot police spaceship exploding, interpolating from blue to orange, spotlights, soldiers on fire, rain soaked streets, torrential rain, looking up, neon lights reflected in windows and on street, joel peter witkin and h.r. giger, ultra wide angle, moody, anamorphic, volumetric lighting, cinematic lighting, 35mm film grain, in the style of fury road –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is so special about Carl Zeiss lenses?
ZEISS camera lenses are known for high-quality craftsmanship, exceptional light intensity, and legendary bokeh. In contrast to standard autofocus lenses, ZEISS lenses provide highly precise and intuitive manual focus. The color rendition from ZEISS lenses is relatively neutral, resulting in natural and realistic colors that tend to be cool rather than warm. The lenses offer clarity and high contrast, contributing to ultra-sharp imagery.
candlelight scene, victorian mansion, sense and sensibility –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
candlelight scene, victorian mansion, sense and sensibility,CARL ZEISS PLANAR 50MM F/0.7 LENS –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
candlelight scene, victorian mansion, sense and sensibility, carl zeiss planar 50mm f/0.7 lens, extreme close-up, staring at viewer –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
dutch angle close-up of mad max fury road burlesque violent roller derby diva in betty page smashing into opponent, multiple exposure, optimized photon capture, tetradic color scheme, high reflectivity, speed racer, subsurface scattering, CARL ZEISS LENS, dappled neon lights, dimensional appliqué, bargello interpolating yellow to blue –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a tilt shift lens?
A tilt-shift lens alters the orientation and position of the lens mechanism concerning the image sensor, deviating from the typical parallel alignment. This ability to tilt and/or shift the lens in different directions employs the Scheimpflug Principle, changing the entire plane of focus. By adjusting the angle of the plane between the lens and the camera’s sensor, the scale of focus and depth of field can be modified. This lens enables the creation of miniature effects by changing the scale, and shifting or tilting can minimize or maximize the blur behind the subject.
TILT SHIFT LENS, roller derby girls: tilt shift a tattooed roller black derby diva in betty page attire smashing dramatically through a series of reflective mirrors, glass shards everywhere, extreme perspective, cinematic composition, subsurface scattering, dappled neon lights, moody lighting –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a fisheye lens?
A fisheye lens is used for capturing extremely wide angles, typically 180 degrees, resulting in a distorted image for a more abstract and dynamic aesthetic. It is also known as a “super wide” or “ultra-wide” lens. There are two main variations: full-frame and circular. A full-frame shot fills the frame entirely with the distorted image, while a circular shot has a black border surrounding the spherical shot. The lens can produce unique effects, as demonstrated in the shots in the succeeding slide, with one taken using a 26mm wide-angle lens and the other with a fisheye lens.
Wide Angle Lens vs. Fisheye Lens
In both examples, the photographer captured coverage using both a wide-angle lens and a fisheye lens. The fisheye lens noticeably expands the space in the photographs, introducing a distorted yet aesthetically chosen effect. It’s emphasized that this distortion should be used sparingly and not overused.
EXTREME FISHEYE LENS DISTORTION, man playing drums behind the scenes at a local chinese opera performance, singapore, hungry ghost festival, colorful –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
RICOH THETA 360 DEGREE CAMERA, man playing drums behind the scenes at a local chinese opera performance, singapore, hungry ghost festival, colorful –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
man running through rough neighborhood, STYLE OF TINY PLANET 360 DEGREE EFFECT –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is an anamorphic lens?
An anamorphic lens is crafted with extra glass elements that horizontally squeeze the image, enabling filmmakers to capture a wider field of view than what the film or digital sensor would typically allow.
In film production, there are generally two predominant classes of lenses—anamorphic and spherical. Spherical lenses, being the more prevalent of the two, project images onto a camera’s film or digital sensor without altering their aspect ratio. Unlike anamorphic lenses, spherical lenses maintain a straightforward projection of the scene onto the imaging surface, providing a standard representation without any intentional horizontal compression or expansion. This simplicity in projection makes spherical lenses widely used in various filmmaking scenarios, offering a versatile and straightforward approach to capturing visual content.
ANAMORPHIC,injured rioter in futuristic austere white floating shinjuku hyperbaric chamber with multiple transfusions, top down view, blue key light, red fill light, moody, cinematic lighting –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
box camera daguerreotype, close-up portrait of an asian male in profile on the las vegas strip with a red scarf and blue shirt, neutral light, neutral colors, ANAMORPHIC LENS, BOKEH –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
box camera daguerrotype, full figure shot of an asian male looking in las vegas bathroom mirror, tiled bathroom, BARREL DISTORTION, ANAMORPHIC LENS –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
box camera daguerreotype, full figure shot of an asian male and girlfriend winning at a vegas craps table, FOCUS FALLOFF, FOCUS ROLLOFF, ANAMORPHIC LENS –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a lens flare?
Lens flare, also known as lens glare or light flare, occurs when a bright light source shines directly into the camera lens, causing non-image forming light to scatter within the lens system. This phenomenon is more prevalent in lenses with a larger number of elements, such as zoom lenses. While lens flare is generally considered detrimental to image quality, it can be intentionally utilized to enhance pictures. Common types of lens flare include ghosting, veiling, starburst, and anamorphic flares.
Bird’s eye view,elliptical lens flare ::2 ,spaceship flying out of a huge smoke filled hangar, incredible scale, 2001 Blade Runner style, and Zaha Hadid and the temple. parthenon,subsurface scattering,elegant monochrome white plate,hasselblad,chiaroscuro,85mm lens –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
¾ bird’s eye view of a futuristic elongated teleportation gate materializing spacecraft into a series of massive floating smoke-filled hangars, awesome scale, style of blade runner 2001 and zaha hadid and the parthenon, god rays, subsurface scattering, ELLIPTICAL LENS FLARE, elegant, monochromatic white palette, hasselblad, chiaroscuro, 85-mm-lens –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is chromatic aberration?
Chromatic aberration, also known as “color fringing,” is a prevalent optical distortion causing stray colors along object outlines in photographs. This occurs when a lens cannot focus various wavelengths of white light onto the same focal plane. Due to differences in light wavelengths and speeds, various colors deviate from the intended focal point, resulting in the visible color distortion. The specific type of chromatic aberration determines the colors that appear in the image.
majestic waterfall, style of sargent, wide angle, elliptical lens flare ::2 , impressionistic, wpa poster, hokusai, graphic, golden hour, CHROMATIC ABERRATION, tetradic scheme,Photography, stockphoto –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
photo-real waterfall, extreme realism, LATERAL CHROMATIC ABERRATION ::3 cinematic color, COLOR FRINGING, cinematic angle, golden hour, tetradic color scheme, caustics, subsurface scattering, reflections, ray tracing –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
CHROMATIC ABERRATION,majestic waterfall , wide angle, impressionistic, wpa poster, hokusai, graphic, golden hour,photography,stockphoto –ar 2:1 –v 5.2
What is a Panini projection?
The Pannini projection is a mathematical method for creating perspective images with exceptionally wide fields of view. It’s named after Gian Paolo Pannini, an 18th-century Roman painter and perspective professor who may have used it for panoramic views. While not currently taught in art schools, the Pannini projection can be easily applied with drawing instruments and corrects panoramas with curvature. Its recent rediscovery by open-source software developers has brought attention to this technique.
style of julius neubronner, black and white, pigeon photography, vintage, extreme realism, aerial view of paris cityscape 1920, panorama, FISHEYE LENS –ar 32:9 –v 5.2
style of julius neubronner, black and white, pigeon photography, vintage, extreme realism, aerial view of paris cityscape 1920, panorama, PANNINI PROJECTION –ar 32:9 –v 5.2
Here are some other Web Prompt AI You can learn more