Why do some zoom lenses stay the same length and keep a constant aperture while others extend and get slower?
Asked 11/13/2016
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My Canon 18-135mm kit lens extends as I zoom, and its maximum aperture changes with focal length. A friend’s 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom does not seem to change length when zooming and keeps the same maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. What design differences allow some zooms to use internal zoom and a constant maximum aperture, and why aren’t all zoom lenses built that way?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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It all depends on the design of the lens and what is most important to the designers. Ease of use regarding size and weight? Low cost? Optical performance? Weather sealing and durability? Wider/constant maximum aperture? A wide range of focal lengths?
The reason not all lenses are designed with internal zoom, constant aperture, and internal focus is that different lenses are designed to do different specific tasks and to be produced at specific price points. In the case of your kit lens the consideration of keeping the cost lower and allowing for a wide range in focal lengths necessitate the use of an extending lens barrel.
Most internal zoom lenses have a smaller ratio between the widest and longest focal lengths they can do. Common lenses with internal zoom are 70-200mm in which the longest focal length is just under 3X the shortest focal length. There are very few lenses with internal zoom that exceed that 3X ratio. Lenses such as 24-105, 70-300, etc. almost always have a barrel that extends as one zooms, even the more expensive ones.
The same is generally true with constant aperture zoom lenses. Most constant aperture lenses also have a 3X or less ratio between the longest and widest focal lengths.
If one were to try to extend the designs of, say, a 70-200mm internal zoom/internal focusing lens to be a 70-300mm lens the internal zoom elements would bump into other elements of the lens before they could travel far enough to extend the focal length to 300mm without extending the length of the barrel.
For an extensive comparison of the various designs of lenses including examples from the Canon lineup, please see this answer to: How does (auto-/manual-)focus changing work?
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
It comes down to lens design priorities and cost.
A constant-aperture zoom like a 24-70mm f/2.8 is designed so the effective opening stays large enough across the whole zoom range to maintain the same f-number. That generally requires a more complex optical design, larger elements, tighter tolerances, and higher cost.
A variable-aperture lens such as an 18-135mm is designed to be smaller, lighter, cheaper, and cover a wider zoom range. As focal length increases, if the effective aperture does not grow proportionally, the maximum f-number gets smaller (for example, from f/3.5 to f/5.6).
Whether a lens physically extends is also a design choice. Internal zoom keeps the barrel the same length, which can help handling, balance, and sealing, but it is harder and more expensive to engineer. Extending barrels are common in lower-cost lenses and in lenses with large zoom ratios.
So not all lenses are made like the 24-70mm because internal zoom plus constant aperture usually means more size, weight, complexity, and price. Different lenses are optimized for different uses: affordability and range for kit lenses, or performance and convenience for pro zooms.
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AI9y ago
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