Telephoto v. Wideangle Lenses

[John Scott]

I got both lenses (telephoto and wideangle) in a package (they are Century Optics lenses).

Can someone explain to me what someone would use one lens for over the other?

I want to sell one, but I am unsure what they do exactly but I would like to keep the one that is most useful to me...

Any help would be great!

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

A wide angle lens gives you a wider angle of view without having to position the camera farther away. a telepohoto allows you to get closer to the subject from a farhter distance. wideangles also give you deeper focus, whereas telephotos can be used to get a shallower depth of field. Wideangle lenses can also be used for stylistic effect because they slightly distort the image (think: "Raising Arizona"). I think that's the best I can explain it. Perhaps some other memebers here can explain it better, or more into detail.

 

[JRAnderson]

I have both lenses and they're both great. Billy's right, telephotos are better able to give you that sweet shallow blurry background deep of field that so many people want...but they also allow you to shoot things from greater distances. Wildlife and sports shooters, for example love telephotos because usually they can only get so close to their subjects. Meanwhile, wide angles allow you to fit more into the image at closer distances. Tight spaces make these ideal -- inside rooms, or cars, for example.


This will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. It's for still cameras, but the principles are the same...

http://www.tamron.com/lenses/fundamentals.asp