What Are the Types of Photo Lenses and How to Use Them

Find out how to maximize each click, as we explain the difference between macro, telephoto, and fisheye lenses

There are a few differences between each of the five most popular photographic lenses that go beyond size and shape. Here are the keys to deciding which lens to use when and improve your photography skills.

Fisheye

Fisheye lenses have become very fashionable over the last few years and are characterized by minimal focal length (between 6 and 16 mm). This feature allows us to include massive areas of the space photographed with a view up to 180º or more, distorting straight lines.

Recommended for: fisheye lenses are for photographers who do not want to capture the world as it appears, but rather as a bright, magnificent, and distorted place.

Not recommended for: neutral-toned images without distortion.

Wide-angle lenses

Wide-angle lenses have a focal length between 18 and 35 mm and also allow for a broad field of view (between 180º and 60º) but without the distortion of a fisheye. Their main feature is the considerable depth of field, giving brightness and sharpness to all the image elements.

Recommended for: landscapes, architecture, or interior spaces, to capture more of the scene.

Not recommended for: close-up photography or portraiture. Wide-angle lenses do not perform well with objects at a short distance, as they tend to deform the lines. If, however, you wish to take unusual portraits, using this lens will have the desired effect.

Standard

Standard lenses are the middle ground, with a focal length of around 50 mm and a human-like view-point, of around 45º. Straight lines are accurately reproduced, so is the brightness, and they are quite versatile. They cannot emulate the depth of field of a wide-angle lens or the high definition close-up detail given by a zoom or macro lens.

Recommended for: portraits or objects at close range, as well as buildings and landscapes. They can be used for most projects, both indoor or outdoor.

Not recommended for: broad field of view, distorted effects of wider lenses, nor the close range definition achieved by telephoto or macro lenses.

Telephoto

Specially designed to enlarge an image's size, with a viewpoint of around 30º and a long focal length above 45º, the wide range of telephoto lenses in the market all aim to reduce the depth of field. Faraway objects, people, and scenery appear closer to the photographer, allowing them to focus on specific subjects while leaving everything else out of focus.

Recommended for: sports photography of all sorts, investigative journalism, etc. You will need a substantial amount of light to perfectly depict objects in motion (such as a ball or someone running) as they decrease shutter speed: telephoto lenses do not take in a lot of light.

Not recommended for: wide landscapes and panoramic photography, especially if you aim for a broad depth of field.

Macro

Macro lenses magnify in high definition, to capture very small objects at very close range (there are, however, some macros with a larger focal length that allow you to be further away). They are used to achieve images in which the subject is depicted in its natural or zoomed in. With their highly-reduced depth of field, macro lenses are designed for photographing details.

Recommended for: capturing very small details perfectly, or to depict very small subjects: insects or other tiny creatures, detailed parts of the human body, etc.

Not recommended for: landscape photography due to their shallow depth of field. Macro lenses are used essentially to capture small details within highly blurred backgrounds. In the same way as telephoto lenses, you will need to use the flash if the light conditions are not favorable.

If you want to know more about photography, sign up to Jesús G. Pastor’s (@jesus_g_pastor) course Introduction to Digital Photography, in which he shares the best tips to get into this art.

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