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As you get more and more used to your beginner photography gear, you start to think about how other focal lengths might benefit your photography. Some focal lengths all beginners should try are ultra-wide-angle lenses, macro lenses, fast prime normal lenses, and short telephoto lenses.
Some other questions might include are there focal lengths for beginners and what are the differences among all of the focal lengths and lens types?
Why Try Other Focal Lengths?
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For much of the history of popular photography, beginner photography tips didn’t seem to cover much about focal lengths but instead were more concerned with exposure and composition tips. The reason is because many of the cameras designed for casual users did not have interchangeable lenses.
These cameras, whatever the film format, tended to have lenses in a focal length that would correspond to the “normal” lens for that format. Normal in this context means a lens that approximates what the eye sees. (There is lots of good reading covering normal lenses that you find on PhotographyTalk...just check the Learn More links in this article).
Normal focal length for a film format can be described as equal to the measurement of the diagonal of the format. For a 24x36mm format (classic Full Frame 35mm format) the normal focal length would fall into the general area of about 43mm.
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The 50mm focal length was a simple and cheap design and also had other usable characteristics, so the Nifty Fifty became a standard lens for 35mm format cameras. If you’re shooting APS-C of MFT cropped formats, this would correspond to 35mm focal length for APS-C and 24 or 25mm focal length for MFT cameras.
Lenses for beginners in digital photography are most often a zoom lens that covers from a little bit wider angle than the normal for the format up to a little bit telephoto and include the normal for that format. These are often called kit lenses since they probably came with the entr- level camera as part of an overall kit.
Kit lenses cover an extremely versatile range and are also very good optically. The limitations of kit lenses are that they are usually kind of slow in maximum aperture and they are often designed to be inexpensive and lightweight so they aren’t very robust for heavy duty use.
However, slightly wide-angle, normal, and slightly telephoto is a pretty nice range of focal lengths to have as options, so keep the kit lens for general photography. Not only is it a great lens to learn on, but they are optically sharp.
Ultra-Wide-Angle
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Many beginners in serious photography are continuously looking for more reach, to be able to zoom in on subjects. Which is precisely why I think a very wide-angle lens is one of the first other focal lengths all beginners should try.
Here’s my reasoning: It requires us to look at the scene, subject, and image in a different way, with a different mindset. This is a fantastic way to grow as a photographer.
Instead of always wanting to “zoom in” on a subject, a very wide-angle lens can accomplish two things for our photographic art. It shows us the grand scope of scenes, such as a beautiful landscape vista. Or, it requires us to become part of the scene, when we get physically closer to enhance apparent perspective changes.
Learn More:
Macro
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Macro photography is the art of getting really close to something so that the image recorded on the sensor is at or near lifesize. When the image is enlarged, either by making a physical print or by viewing it on a screen, the subject is seen as larger than life.
While a lot of lenses, including our first kit lens, may have a macro focus designation on it, in reality these are simply close focus. True macro is like what I described above, plus an actual Macro lens adds special optical corrections for this ultra close-up range.
Again, I like to recommend a macro lens because it requires a different mind set to capture interesting and technically usable images of the ultra close-up world. Macro lenses come in a variety of focal lengths, but short telephoto and normal or near normal are the two most common.
Fast Prime Normal
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Why include a focal length that is within the range already covered by our first lens? Because it lets us concentrate on crafting the photo, since we only have the normal point of view and perspective to consider.
Being a single focal length prime lens, this type is also usually very fast in lens aperture compared to the zoom lens that we got at first. This characteristic helps our photography in two ways, allowing us to shoot in lower light levels without flash and it lets us use selective techniques, making a fast prime normal one of the focal lengths all beginners should try.
Short Telephoto
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One of the best focal lengths for beginners who enjoy portrait photography is also a fast prime lens, the short telephoto, sometimes referred to as a portrait lens.
In addition to the capabilities of being a fast lens, the low light shooting and selective focus techniques, a short telephoto lens also introduces a desirable trait for making portraits, a pleasing apparent perspective.
Short telephotos can have a myriad of other lenses, but it’s often those portrait work benefits that initially draw a photographer to this type of lens.
How to Try Lenses
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So, now you have an idea of what focal lengths all beginners should try, now just how do you actually try them?
Sometimes you can find these lenses available used for your camera mount, so that buying them doesn’t cost a lot of money. And then if you decide not to keep it, reselling used equipment is more budget-friendly than if you purchased it new.
Another option is lens rentals. Why spend a ton on a pricey lens you’re unsure of when you rent one for a week for a very practical sum? Online lens rental is a very simple operation.
If there are local camera clubs in your area, or a great brick and mortar camera store, you might also be able to play around with inviting or seeing a camera company rep. Brand reps will usually allow you to try out a lens on your camera while you’re in front of them.
Wanting to move beyond your beginner photography gear is a normal right of passage as you get more and more serious about your photography. This is simply the beginning of the road, and these 4 lens types are focal lengths all beginners should try.