About Camera Lenses

Camera lenses are interchangeable on an SLR, or single lens reflex, camera. With a variety of camera lenses available, a photographer can choose the way he wants his photographs to look simply by attaching different styles of lenses to his SLR camera body. The versatility of camera lenses gives variety to the look of the photographs and gives the photographer more options.

Types

Fixed focal length lenses offer one type of look to photographs. They do not have the ability to zoom but offer the sharpest image possible, since there are fewer elements for the light to pass through.
Wide angle zoom lenses generally range from 17 mm to 35 mm. They offer convenience, since they have the ability to change focal lengths without changing lenses. These are popular for large family group pictures in a small room.
Telephoto zoom lenses generally range from 55 mm to 200 mm. These are popular lenses since they have a wide range of zoom to bring subjects in closer. They are popular for sports and vacation photography.

Features

The barrel of a camera lens contains a lot of data about the lens and how it will work with the SLR camera body. A feature to operate the camera lens with manual or auto-focus can be found on the camera lens. Filter size, focal length and minimum and maximum aperture settings are also listed on the camera lens. When the lens is rotated, the distance and aperture setting may show, too, depending on the brand of lens.

Function

Camera lenses are mounted onto the front of SLR camera bodies. There are two types of camera lens mount styles. A bayonet style mount can be found on older, fully manual SLR cameras. SLR cameras that offer auto-focus on the lens attach to the camera body with a twist-and-click-style mount. This is the most common style of mount found today, and is on all digital SLR camera bodies.

Benefits

The benefits of using camera lenses applied to an SLR camera are numerous. The ability to zoom into faraway subjects is the most common reason consumers use an SLR camera with a telephoto lens. Camera lenses also allow the photographer to record a wide scene when working in a tight space. Macro lenses allow the photographer to photograph small objects, with detail, close up.

Misconceptions

A camera lens will not fit on any brand of SLR camera body. The camera lens must have the same mount as the camera body. Generally, a Canon camera will require a Canon mount lens, for example. However, there are some third-party lens manufacturers that offer lenses to fit a variety of camera body brands.