Telephoto Lens

"Great for those long distance shots."

The telephoto lens drastically decreases the perspective of the photographer. The long focal length, from 70 to 500mm, creates a very narrow angle of view, commonly between 8 and 15 degrees.

Perspective

The narrow angle of view allows the photographer to take photographs of subjects that are far away and make them appear as though they were much closer. They are basically framing a very small piece of a scene in front of the camera and taking a picture of only that small piece. That small piece of the scene is represented on the full sized photograph.

Depth of Field

The depth of field with these lenses is much narrower than with a normal lens. This characteristic comes in handy when you want to make the subject stand out from a busy background. The narrow depth of field causes the foreground and background to be blurred while the subject stays in focus. With its naturally narrow depth, the aperture can usually be left on auto, but the depth can still be adjusted a bit by altering the aperture settings.

Common Uses

Sports photographers use this lens so they can get up-close shots without having to be out on the field with the athletes. This also allows them to get better angles than just the ground level straight on shot.

Nature photographers use this lens to get close-ups without taking the chance of startling their subjects. Some wildlife can be pretty skittish and will take off if they suspect a predator (what they think people are as well) around. They also use this lens to get great shots of predatory wildlife without the risk of being attacked

Return to the top of Telephoto Lens, Camera Lenses, or Photography Tips.