How a Sony Zoom Lens Works
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The Purpose of a Zoom Lens
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The word "zoom" refers to the ability of the lens to change the magnification of the object being focused on. The zoom lens on a Sony camera enables the photographer to take pictures of objects that are far away or to get close-up images of objects that are near at hand. Without a zoom lens, for example, the photographer wouldn't be able to take a close-up portrait of a person without bringing the camera close to a person's face.
Sony Zoom Lens Optics
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A Sony zoom lens uses optical elements to change the magnification of the lens. These are curved individual lenses within the lens body. They are either convex or concave. The ordering and distance between the elements establish the focal length of the lens and the amount of magnification seen through the viewfinder, and ultimately in the photo. Sony offers a number of zoom lens options. The number of optical elements within the lens varies with the lens power rating. The Sony 75-to-300 mm zoom lens, for example, uses 13 optical elements, according to a review of the lens done by Camera Labs.
Some Sony lenses, known as Carl Zeiss Distagon lenses, use floating elements within the lens, which helps to improve overall picture quality across the entire range of magnification that the lens provides.
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Sony Zoom Lens Aperture
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In addition to the magnification provided by the optical elements, aperture blades determine how much light enters the camera lens to reach the sensor. The aperture blades close down or open wider to change the amount of light entering the camera. The aperture setting also changes the depth of field of the image. The number of aperture blades within a Sony zoom lens varies from model to model.
Manual Controls
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A user adjusts the settings of a Sony zoom lens using the camera controls. The aperture setting is adjusted by putting the camera in manual or aperture mode and using the directional buttons to change the setting. The setting displays on the screen. The zoom switch adjusts the magnification. Holding the switch to the right increases the magnification. Holding it to the left decreases the magnification. Motorized elements within the camera move the optical elements when the switch is engaged.
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References
- Photo Credit digital camera 6 image by Harvey Hudson from Fotolia.com
