Lenses: Let’s talk about them

Sept. 10, 2018
By David Riley Jr.

Lenses are what make or break many DSLR & Cinema cameras. Without a good lens the shot could lack the depth you want/need in your shot, not be “zoomed in” enough, and more.

Focal length and depth of field are two of the main things a good lens helps with. The focal length is the distance between the center of a lens and its focus plane, and you can find more in-depth info on that subject by clicking here. Lenses with a fixed focal length don’t zoom in or out, so you’re stuck with how close or far they are.

Depth of field is the distance on the plane of focus where objects appear acceptably sharp in an image. In simpler terms: have you ever watched an interview or seen a picture where the subject is totally in focus but the background is blurry and out of focus? This is an example of good depth of field.

Everyone knows what a lens is, but not many know how exactly they work. Recently a YouTube channel did a video on lenses that was great at visually explaining it, and some relevant terms, so I wanted to share it.

Hopefully this has helped you understand lenses a little more, and will lead you to do some toying around with lenses to perfect the look you want for your next video.