What do the numbers on a camera lens mean?

What practice the numbers on a camera lens hateful?!

If yous've been asking yourself that question then yous are in the perfect identify, as today nosotros're going to exist talking most what all the numbers on your camera lens ways, and how you can use this information to decide which lens might exist all-time for you lot.

So if you've been looking at lenses online, or maybe yous already have your lens and y'all but don't understand what all these numbers really mean, stick effectually. as by the cease of this post, you'll know exactly what the numbers mean and yous'll know how your lens is going to perform!

Psssst! Don't forget to take hold of your Which Lens Kickstarter guide underneath the video - it will take the video to a whole new level :-)

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The Lens Focal Length Number

And then let's start with the starting time number that you tin can see on your Lens, which is that big number with the mm subsequently it.

numbers on camera lens.png

Now this number refers to the focal length, which is simply how much off the scene you are going to exist able to see when you look through the viewfinder. A larger number will give you a telephoto view, which simply means that when you lot look through the view finder, everything will seem closer to you than it would the naked center.

A smaller number will means you lot will have a wide angle lens, which means when you look through the view finder, everything will seem further abroad.

Now hither is an example of that for you lot. So here is an example of an epitome taken with a 35mm lens, and then i with an 85 mm lens on the aforementioned camera.

focal length comparison.jpg

So the photographer in the same position for both of these images. One was taken with a 35 and y'all can see, nosotros tin can see more in the frame. For the 1 that was taken with the 85mm, y'all tin see that everything seems more zoomed in, information technology'south pulled closer to the frame.

So that's focal length explained - but how tin can we tell just by looking at the focal length number how that lens is going to perform on our camera?

How to tell how a focal length is going to perform!

The thing to call up with regard to focal length is that the 50 mm lens is what is closest to the naked eye.

Then if you forget about having a lens there for a moment and you're but looking at a scene, roughly speaking, if yous put a 50mm lens onto your full frame photographic camera, it is going to give you roughly the same field of view.Now it'south not verbal, but it's kind of close enough.

So any LARGER larger than fifty mm, so for example, 85mm, 135mm, 200mm, they are going to give yous a more than zoomed in look. The larger the number, the more than zoomed in it's going to appear.

135MM.jpg

On the other manus, if y'all take a number that is LESS than 50mm, so 35mm, 24mm or 16mm, then that is going to requite yous a view that is wider than the naked centre.

What+do+the+numbers+on+a+camera+lens+mean+35mm.jpg

How this changes if you lot have a ingather frame camera.

Now and then far, and so kind of easy, only this all of this refers to a full frame camera.

But if you are new to photography, the chances are you're NOT shooting with a full frame camera. Y'all probably have a ingather frame camera and that gives a world of departure on to how your lenses are really going to perform!

That's considering you lot have a different sensor size and it magnifies the scene. So you can take this verbal same 85mm lens, just pop that on to a crop frame camera, then information technology's going to behave differently.

If I took a 35mm lens and popped that onto a crop fame camera, it'south going to look more "zoomed in" than it would on a full frame camera.

And so how can nosotros decide or encounter how a lens is going to perform if we have a crop frame camera?

Well, it's very unproblematic!

What you demand to practise is have the focal length of the lens, and then multiply that by a number. That number is either going to exist ane.vi if you use Canon or 1.5 if yous use Nikon.

So for case, if you were using a 35mm lens on a ingather frame photographic camera, you're going to take 35 - that's the focal length of the lens - and so y'all're going to multiply that by one.5 if y'all use Catechism or 1.6 if you lot utilize Nikon.

That'll give y'all around 52mm, and what y'all will encounter then is closer to how the scene would await with the naked eye.

Make sense?!

That 35mm on a crop frame becomes the equivalent of a 50mm lens.

Let's do the same exercise again this time with an 85mm lens.

So let'southward take that 85mm and we're going to multiply that by i.six (let'southward assume that we have a Canon!) and that's going to requite us an equivalent focal length of 136.

So our 85mm lens on a crop frame camera becomes the equivalent of 135mm . So information technology's going to seem a lot more zoomed in!

Then I practise want you to carry that in mind when people are talking about focal length of lenses. If you lot have a ingather frame camera, call back to do that multiplication by 1.5 or i.6, and that will show yous how how that item lens focal length is going to perform on your photographic camera.

If you want to go an thought of how different focal lengths perform, and so be sure to download my FREE which lens kickstarter guide - information technology has examples of images taken at different focal lenghts, along with a guide most what yous might want to use each 1 for.

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Focal Length and Zoom Lenses

So that was just with one focal length. Just you may have a zoom Lens, in which case you're going to have two unlike numbers separated to by a dash.

Focal Length Number of camera lens.jpg

So this particular lens is a sixteen to 35mm. So that means in that location is a range of focal lens in this one lens.

So when you just take the one number, for example, an 85, information technology's got ane fixed focal length. If you lot want to get closer or further back, you'd go and have to move your feet! It'due south stock-still at that focal lens.

However your Zoom Lens, because information technology has that 2 numbers, means yous tin can move the zoom ring to zoom in and zoom out and you can get through that whole range of focal lengths.

The Maximum Discontinuity Number.

The next number nosotros are going to expect at from the numbers on your lens is the discontinuity.

Now the aperture number is unremarkably just written along the side or on the rim of your lens, and yous'll come across that it'south got 1: 1.viii on lens beneath on the left, meaning that it has a maximum aperture of F1.eight.

Now if I look over again on my Zoom Lens (the image on the right) the 16 to 35mm, you tin see it'southward got one and so it'due south got two.8. So the maximum aperture of this lens is F2.8.

Aperture lens numbers.jpg

Now on some lenses you lot volition actually run across that yous have two discontinuity numbers, and what that means is that you have a variable discontinuity lens. You'll normally find that on your zoom lenses.

What that simply means is if you lot zoom in, you are going to get a different maximum aperture than if yous zoomed all the fashion out.

(If you'd like to learn more about Aperture and Depth of Field, be sure to read this!)

So here's what I'd like you to do at present. Go and grab your lens (or have a wait at the i online if yous haven't got one notwithstanding) and in the comments below, let me know what the focal length is.

And if you're using a crop frame camera, tell me what the equivalent focal length is and let me know what your maximum aperture is - It's a great little exercise just to make sure that yous understand everything nosotros've spoken almost today!

At present I've actually got an extra petty freebie for you that I retrieve you'll honey and will totally help to put all of this into perspective of how each lens will perform and what it can exist used for. It's my FREE Which Lens Kickstarter guide, and in that yous'll get loads of image examples using different focal lengths and so you tin can see what each one brings to the table. Plus you'll get some suggestions on which best lenses or focal lens you lot can utilise for different types of shots! Totally free and totally worth it. Go here to grab your copy!

That'due south it from me today, I hope that this answered your question about what all the numbers on a camera lens actually mean, and how you can apply this information to come across which lens is correct for you!

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