How important is focal length? This post is designed to help photographers understand the importance of focal length and how it influences their photography. It offers practical advice that’s applicable to various styles and helps readers make informed choices when selecting lenses.
Focal Length: How to Choose the Right Lens for Your Photography
Choosing a lens with the right focal length is essential, but the notion may be difficult to grasp, particularly for those just starting out in the photographic world. You may utilize your knowledge of focal length to choose the best lens for any subject matter, whether it be landscapes, portraiture, or animals.
Understanding focus length, its effects on photographs, and how to choose the optimal focal length for your photographic requirements are all topics we’ll cover in this essay.
What Is Focal Length?
Simply put, focal length is the distance (in millimeters) between the lens and the camera sensor when the subject is in focus. It determines how much of the scene will be captured (the angle of view) and how large subjects will appear in the frame (magnification).
- Wide-Angle Lenses (10-35mm): These lenses have a short focal length and capture a wide angle of view. They are great for landscapes, architecture, and any situation where you want to capture a lot of the scene.
- Standard Lenses (35-70mm): These lenses offer a field of view that’s close to what the human eye sees. They are versatile and often used for street photography, portraits, and everyday shots.
- Telephoto Lenses (70mm and above): These lenses have a longer focal length and capture a narrow field of view, making subjects appear closer. They are ideal for wildlife, sports, and portrait photography where you want to isolate the subject from the background.
Tip: The focal length is usually marked on the lens itself, so you can easily check it before shooting.
How It Affects Your Photos
Focal length affects two key aspects of your photos: the angle of view and the depth of field.
- Angle of View: Shorter focal lengths—say, 18mm—allow you a larger field of view, therefore catching more of the scene in your frame while longer ones—say, 200mm—allow you a smaller angle of view, thereby focusing in on a particular area of the subject.
- Depth of Field: This speaks to the front to back focus level of your picture. Because wide-angle lenses often have a larger depth of field, more of the scene will be in focus. Because of their smaller depth of focus, telephoto lenses may blur the backdrop and draw attention to the subject.
Example:
- Choosing a lens with the right focal length is essential, but the notion may be difficult to grasp, particularly for those just starting out in the photographic world. You may utilize your knowledge of focal length to choose the best lens for any subject matter, whether it be landscapesWhen shooting landscapes or group photos, the 18mm (wide-angle) lens will help you capture more of the scene.
- The more realistic perspective you’ll obtain at 55mm (standard) is ideal for portraiture.
- Using the 200mm telephoto lens, you may capture the finest details of faraway subjects, such as a flying bird or a sportsman in motion.
Choosing the Right Focal Length for Different Photography Styles
Each type of photography benefits from a different F.L . Here’s a guide to help you choose the right lens for the job:
- Landscape Photography:
- Best FL: 10-24mm
- Why: Wide-angle lenses capture expansive scenes, allowing you to include both the foreground and background in your composition. This is essential for showing the vastness of a landscape.
- Portrait Photography:
- Best FL: 50-85mm
- Why: Standard to short telephoto lenses offer a flattering perspective for portraits. They allow you to get close enough to capture facial details without distortion, and they create a nice background blur (bokeh).
- Wildlife Photography:
- Best
- fl: 200-400mm
- Why: Telephoto lenses let you zoom in on distant animals without disturbing them. The narrow field of view isolates the subject, making it stand out against the background.
- Street Photography:
- Best Focal Length: 35-50mm
- Why: These lenses provide a natural perspective that’s close to what the human eye sees, making them ideal for capturing candid moments and everyday life.
- Macro Photography:
- Best Focal Length: 90-105mm
- Why: With these focal lengths, macro lenses let you maintain a reasonable working distance while getting near to your subject. They’re ideal for catching minute features of tiny things.
Using Focal Length with an APS-C Sensor Camera
Like the Nikon D5200, if you are using a camera with an APS-C sensor you must consider the crop factor, which usually runs 1.5x for Nikon cameras. Your lens will therefore have an effective focus length 1.5 times longer.
- Example: A 50mm lens on an APS-C camera acts like a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera, making it great for portraits.
- Tip: On an APS-C camera, a shorter focal length lens—between 10 and 20mm—will help you to offset the crop factor and get a wide-angle view.
Wrapping It Up
Getting the greatest results in your photography and selecting the correct lens depend on an awareness of focus length. The focal length you pick will define the appearance and feel of your photographs whether your photographing landscapes, portraits, animals, or anything else.
If you use an APS-C sensor camera, consider the crop factor and angle of view and depth of field to guide your choice of lens for every circumstance. Therefore, consider how the focal length influences your composition next time you are out shooting and try using many lenses to see the results on your images.
