Telephoto lens
In photography, a telephoto lens is a lens. There are two different uses of the word. The less specific use is to mean a lens that has a longer focal length than a normal lens. Their angle of view is smaller than that of a normal lens. With telephoto lenses things look closer than they really are.
The other meaning of telephoto lens applies to lenses that are constructed in a special way so they can be shorter than their focal length.
For 35 mm film, 50 mm is a normal focal length. Typical telephoto lenses are 85 mm (28°50') and 100 mm (24°). They are used for portraits mostly. Other telephoto lenses that are used often are 135 mm (18°), 180 mm and 200 mm. Many are zoom lenses.
Longer focal lengths (300 to 1200 mm) are used in sports and nature photography.
Different focal lengths
Effect of different focal lengths on photographs taken from the same place:
- Angleofview 28mm f4.jpg
28 mm
- Angleofview 50mm f4.jpg
50 mm
- Angleofview 70mm f4.jpg
70 mm
- Angleofview 210mm f4.jpg
210 mm
The above photos were taken using a 35 mm camera, using lenses of the given focal lengths.
Telephoto Lens Media
- Minolta Rokkor Teleobjektive.jpg
A collection of telephoto lenses
- 500mm telephoto lens 01.jpg
A 500 mm non-telephoto long lens with a physical length about the same as its focal length.
- Sigma 150-500 APO HSM.JPG
A 150–500 mm telephoto zoom lens, physically much shorter than its maximum focal length.
- Lens telephoto 1.svg
Diagram of a typical telephoto lens with a large positive lens and a smaller negative telephoto group combined to create a much longer focal length - f.
- Lens telephoto 2.svg
Diagram of a catadioptric mirrors lens.
- Lens wideangle.svg
A diagram of light travel through a wide-angle lens showing how focal length can be shorter than the lens.
- 35mm Camera Canon F1 New with 210 mm telezoom (cropped).jpg
A Canon New F-1 (1981), a 35 mm camera with a telephoto zoom lens with 70-210 mm focal length.
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18 digital camera (2010) set to maximum tele, no.2.jpg
Compact digital cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18 (2010) typically have superzoom lenses with large focal length. The lens is completely stored inside the camera in switched-off state and has a maximum focal length (shown) of 384 mm (calculated equivalent to 35 mm film), minimum is 24 mm, a factor of 16.