{"id":54237,"date":"2021-04-13T11:18:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T15:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=54237"},"modified":"2022-05-31T18:31:24","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T22:31:24","slug":"wide-angle-vs-telephoto-which-lens-should-you-choose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/wide-angle-vs-telephoto-which-lens-should-you-choose\/","title":{"rendered":"Wide-Angle vs Telephoto: Which Lens Should You Choose?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be overwhelming for any beginner to choose their first lens\/lenses<\/a> from the wide variety of choices available for every brand of camera. The simple solution is usually to go for a good walkaround lens that offers a good focal range that suits nearly all types of photography<\/a>. But once you gain experience and begin to feel the need to expand your gear, you\u2019ll eventually want to consider lenses that offer \u201cextreme\u201d focal lengths. Both wide-angle and telephoto (or zoom) lenses are invaluable to photographers. They offer fields of views that we can\u2019t see with the human eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their names are pretty self-explanatory, but once you\u2019ve upgraded to a DSLR or mirrorless camera that gives you a chance to shoot interchangeably with both types of lenses \u2014 like the Canon EOS R5<\/a>, the Sony Alpha a7S III<\/a>, or the Nikon D850<\/a> \u2014 you\u2019ll realize that they do so much more than offer two different fields of view. In this guide we compare and contrast telephoto lens and wide angle lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Telephoto Lens?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"camera
Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Telephoto lenses have longer focal lengths and are great for bringing distant scenes and subjects closer. Like wide-angle lenses, they come in both prime (fixed focal length) and zoom varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201ctelephoto\u201d is also a general term to describe lenses with focal lengths that create a narrow field of view beyond 80mm. However, they are divided into three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n