Lens names often include long lists of letters and numbers, which certainly sound impressive but can also, be thoroughly confusing not only to newcomer but regular users too.
Accord Equips Camera Rental Mumbai being India’s Leading Camera and Lens Rental Company has to keep investing in equipment and lenses to keep up with the latest gear, discusses these terms below.
Every term shown here has a meaning. We have explained how to decipher two lenses. The top line in the picture starting with EF-S explains the commonly used Canon zoom 17-55 lens which is a part of most Canon camera kits. The lower line starting with EF deciphers the expensive Canon 35mm L lens one of the good portrait lenses.
Let’s begin:
- Focal length – Defines the lens’s angle of view. 17-55mm in the zoom lens and 35mm in the block lens. Lenses upto 35mm are called wide lenses. Lenses between 35mm and 70mm are called normal lenses. Lenses above 70mm are called tele lenses.
- F stop or Aperture – Describes how much light the lens gathers. The image shows F2.8 in the zoom lens and F1.4 in the block lens. Lower the F, more the light absorbing capacity and better the lens.
- Image Stabilization – Some lenses include optical stabilization units to counteract the blurring effects of hand shake. Canon calls is IS (Image Stabilizer), Nikon calls it VR (Vibration Reduction), Sony calls it OSS (Optical Steady Shot), Tamron calls it VC (for Vibration Compensation), Sigma calls it OS (for Optical Stabilization), Panasonic calls it O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilization), PowerOIS and MegaOIS.
- Lens mount – Determines whether the lens will physically fit your camera. EF-S is cropped sensor, EF is full frame. Nikon calls then G mount or F mount, Sony has E mount and A mount and so on
- Budget – Once you know this, then you which lens to pick up to suit your pocket.
