Wide-angle lenses are mostly used in landscape and other types of photography where you need to include a lot of a scene. Lenses shorter than 50mm are consider wide angle. Most common ones are 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm with 14mm and 17mm lenses becoming popular. These focal lengths are now covered in many zoom types. You can cover some of these focal lengths with one zoom lens such as a 24--50mm or a 28-85mm lenses. Keep in mind that zoom lenses are generally slower than single focal length lenses but in my opinion this is not too important as you will rarely use these lenses wide open.

Above Image: Minolta Maxxum 9000, 24mm f-2.8 Lens, Fuji Velvia, Bogen tripod and Pan/tilt head. Spot metering (orange sky and opening up 1 stop) at f-11, shutter speed not recorded. Manual exposure mode and manual focus.

The most "Disliked" lens is probably the 50mm standard lens (also called normal lens). I have heard people calling this lens boring, useless, among other things. The reason for that I guess is because these lenses are close to what we see, so when we look through one of these lenses we don't see anything that different compared to wide or tele lenses. The fact is that 50mm lenses are some of the sharpest, fastest, lenses you can own for under 100 dollars and they are not boring or useless. They are as useful as any other lenses. If you have a 50mm lens use it. You'll learn to love it.

Above Image : Canon EOS D30, Tokina ATX 20-35mm f-2.8 zoom, 1/45 sec at f-11. Bogen tripod and Pan/Tilt head. Multisegment  metering. Aperture Priority exposure mode and manual focus.

Lenses longer than 50mm are considered telephotos. Lenses in 85mm to 200mm range are considered short telephotos. 85mm and 135mm lenses are sometimes called portrait lenses since they are often used to photograph people. 100mm lenses are great for nature and close-up work when used with extension tubes (see Extension tubes). My favorite lens is a 200mm f-2.8. It is small, light weight, affordable and very sharp. I call it the Swiss army knife of lenses. You can use it to photograph a variety of subjects. Attach a 1.4x or 2x converter (see How to choose and use teleconverters) and you have a 280mm f-4 lens and a 400mm f-5.6 light and sharp lenses great for wildlife and sports photography. When used with extension tubes this lens is great for close-ups of flowers and similar subjects. Most popular zooms cover this focal length, however many of these zooms don't work too well with teleconverters attached.

Above Image : Minolta Maxxum 9xi, 200mm f-2.8 APO Lens, Fuji Velvia, Bogen tripod and ball head. Multi-segment metering, f-11, shutter speed not recorded. Manual exposure mode and manual focus.

Longer lenses, 300mm and up are mostly used by wildlife and sports photographers. These lenses bring in the subject very close. 300mm and 400mm lenses are great choices for photographing large mammals and birds. 500mm and longer lengths are used when you can't get close to the subjects such as smaller birds or wild animals and still need to fill the frame. The cost of one of these fast telephotos are high. A 600mm f-4 can cost you over 7000 dollars, more than I can afford. You can purchase a 300mm f-4 or a 400mm f5.6 which are more affordable and use faster films (see News & Reviews ). When using one of these lenses a tripod or some other type of support is necessary as these lenses are long and heavy.

Above Image : Minolta Maxxum 9xi, 300mm f-2.8 Lens, Fuji Velvia, Bogen tripod and ball head.
Spot meter (tiger's face and opening up 1 stop), at f-2.8 and 1/30 sec, on manual exposure mode and manual focus.

Mirror, or catadioptric lenses are an alternative to more expensive long lenses. They have two major draw backs. First they are too slow. 500mm and 600mm ones have a maximum aperture of f-8 and it's fixed. You can't change f-stops. Second, they render out of focus highlights as doughnut shapes which can ruin a picture. Their main advantage is their size and low cost. Currently only Minolta offers an AF 500mm. Sigma makes a 600mm mirror lens for most AF cameras but in manual focus mode only. d larger to carry.

Above Image: Minolta Maxxum 9, Minolta 500mm f-8 mirror Lens, Fuji Provia 100.
Bogen tripod. Multisegment metering at f-8 and 1/250 sec on aperture priority.

Macro lenses are used for close-up photography, although they can also be used for any other types of photography such as landscape and portrait. Macro lenses focus very close on their own without the need for any other attachments. They are manufactured in 50mm, 100mm, 200mm ranges. Most of these lenses focus down to 1/2 life size (See Close-ups) and to life size. If you do a lot of close-up photography consider a macro lens. I recommend a 100mm macro. With this lens you can keep your distance from your subject and still fill the frame. With a 50mm macro you must get twice as close to your subject which can be difficult. 200mm macros are even better except they are higher in price and larger to carry.

Above Image: Minolta Maxxum 9000, 100mm f-2.8 macro Lens, Fuji Velvia , Bogen tripod, flash held off camera. Spot meter at f-16 and 1/250 sec on aperture priority and manual focus.