Camera Lens Focal Length Explained
It’s easy to be a little daunted when it comes to choosing a lens for your camera. The different sizes, weight and numbers associated with camera lenses can become overwhelming. However, understanding lens focal length meaning and what it does will better help you decide the best lens for your type of photography. Here’s a guide to focal length, explained simply.
How Does Focal Length Affect an Image?
Many beginners put a lot of thought into choosing the right camera body, but we are here to tell you, your camera lens has a huge influence on the quality of your photographs. Not only is a camera lens responsible for bending and shaping the light, but it also determines the field of view you’ll see through the finder, and your image sensor will capture.
Before purchasing a lens, consider your photography goals and specific requirements:
- Lens Kit: Do you prefer a versatile single lens or a collection of specialised lenses?
- Weight: Is portability a priority?
- Subject Matter: What will you primarily photograph (portraits, macro, wildlife, architecture, landscapes)?
- Shooting Distance: Will you need to get close to your subject or capture distant scenes?


Understanding these factors will help you determine the ideal focal length for your needs. Our camera lens buying guide can assist you in selecting the perfect lens.
What is the focal length of a lens?


Put simply, the focal length of a lens is a measurement attributed in mm. Often people mistakenly think that this measurement refers to the physical length of the lens. It actually refers to the angle of view of the lens when focused to infinity. This dictates how magnified your subjects will be when using the lens and how far away from your subject you can be for optimum use.
A shorter focal length is presented by a smaller number, such as 16mm. This will provide you with a wider field of view more commonly used when you want to get more into your photographs, like landscapes for instance. A longer focal length, such as 400mm, provides a much narrower field of view and is used to zoom in on something such as an animal or a person or object far away.
Note: While they are often confused, focal length and focus distance are two different things. As stated, focal length is a characteristic of a lens which determines its field of view, while focus distance is simply the measurement between the focal plane of your camera and the subject you are focussing on.
Zoom vs. Prime lenses: which one is right for me?
There are two different types of lenses, regardless of their focal length; zoom lenses and prime lenses. With a Zoom lenses you can alter the focal length of your image! You may have seen a lens that extends or contracts when twisting it on the camera enabling the user to zoom out or zoom in on their subject. A 24-70mm zoom lens operates at 24 at its widest and at 70mm focal length at its most zoomed-in. It affords flexibility without having to change lenses, which makes it the best camera lens for travel, as you only need one zoom lens in your kit to cover all your bases.


A prime lens is like a fixed lens in that its focal length cannot be changed. You need to change lenses to adjust the focal length. Prime lenses most commonly come in the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm varieties. Prime lenses are not as versatile as zoom lenses but they usually provide superior optical and low-light performance, at a lower price point.
Lens Focal Length Comparison: How to choose the right focal length?


Wide-angle lenses are generally considered to be 35mm and below and afford a far greater field of view. These lenses are often thought of as having the best focal length for landscape photography, sought after by landscape photographers who can make use of getting more in the frame.
Standard lenses sit around the 50-60mm range and are suitable for a variety of objects at mid-range distances such as portraiture. They provide a focal length similar to what the human eye sees.
Telephoto lenses are longer lenses and offer a far greater capability to zoom in on a subject. 70-200mm range lenses are commonly used by portrait and event photographers, while they are also useful for sports and wildlife photography.
Super-telephoto lenses are, as their name suggests, super-long telephoto lenses and often veer into 300mm and above. These lenses have the invaluable ability of getting you a tight crop of subjects that are considerably distant, which makes them perfect for professional sports and wildlife photography.


Browse some popular Camera Lenses at Ted's
Choose the best camera lens focal length for you
At Ted’s Cameras, we have a wide range of resources to help you get started and ensure you’re choosing the best camera gear for your needs. Read our beginner’s guide to shooting in manual mode, and browse our range of camera lenses to get inspired. To get expert advice on all purchases, you can also visit your local Ted’s Cameras store and speak to our expert staff.
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