What do “telephoto end” and “wide-angle end” mean on a zoom lens?
Asked 11/21/2011
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My Canon Rebel T3i manual says that with a zoom lens I should use the “telephoto end” for portraits and the “wide-angle end” for landscapes. I’m using the EF-S 18–55mm IS II and wasn’t sure whether “end” meant an accessory that mounts on the lens. What does it actually mean on a zoom lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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'End' in this case is just referring to the end of the zoom range available. So zooming in on an 18-55 lens would take you to the 55mm end of the zoom range, which would be the telephoto end, and the 18 mm end of the zoom range would be the wide angle 'end' (although on this lens the telephoto end isn't very telephoto). So while it may sound like a physical 'end' they're referring to, it's just the ends of the zoom range of the lens they are referring to
Originally by user3584. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3584
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Here, “end” means one extreme of the lens’s zoom range, not an accessory.
On your 18–55mm lens:
- 18mm = the wide-angle end
- 55mm = the telephoto end
So if you rotate the zoom ring all the way toward 18mm, you’re at the wide end (wider view, good for fitting more of a scene in). If you rotate it all the way toward 55mm, you’re at the telephoto end (narrower view, making the subject appear closer and filling more of the frame).
More generally, on any zoom lens, the “ends” are just the two limits of the focal-length range:
- 70–200mm: wide end = 70mm, telephoto end = 200mm
- 10–22mm: wide end = 10mm, long/telephoto end = 22mm
So the manual is simply telling you which zoom setting to use, not to attach anything to the lens.
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