Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Differences Between Macro & Telephoto Lenses

Telephoto lenses are used to photograph wildlife and sports.


Photographers often have telephoto and macro lenses in their camera bag. Macro lenses have extra-close focusing capability, while telephoto lenses photograph items from a distance. Macro lenses are often used in product and flower photography, while telephoto lenses are typically used in wildlife and sports photography.


Function


Macro lenses allow close-up photographs of small objects such as flowers and insects. Telephoto lenses allow a photographer to get details in distant objects.


Features


Macro lenses provide life-size magnification, meaning a bug will look the same size in the photograph as it does in real life. Telephoto lenses compress the distance between objects, making it appear closer to the photographer than it is.


Identification


Macro lenses will have "macro" in the lens name. Nikon calls macro lenses "micro." Telephoto lenses have focal lengths of greater than 50mm.


Considerations


Telephoto lenses are good to use when you cannot get as close as you would wish to the object, such as a baseball pitcher or a grizzly bear. Macro lenses usually have smaller f-stops than standard lenses.


Benefits


Macro lenses are designed for flat-field reproduction, making them ideal for document copy work, according to John Shaw's, "Closeups in Nature." Telephoto lenses can help isolate your subject from the background of the photograph.

Tags: Macro lenses, Telephoto lenses, lenses allow, lenses have, Macro lenses, macro lenses