Do I need more 35mm camera lenses?

Without going into the physics of light and lenses, because as everyone knows, I’m definitely NOT a mathematical genius, the length of the lens determines the kind of perspective and the angle of view in your photo.

There are four basic types of 35mm camera lenses: wide angle, telephoto, zoom and macro.

Wide-angle lenses have (ready for this?) a wider angle of view and so are very good for architectural photos, indoor photos, and landscape photos.

Telephoto lenses have a much narrower angle of view, but they bring the subject much closer. Because they bring far away objects closer, they are great for wildlife photography, certain scenic compositions, and sunsets.

One of the drawbacks of telephoto lenses is that, becausethey magnify things, they magnify EVERYTHING, including the slight shaking we do as we take a picture!

It’s the same thing as looking through powerful binoculars: no matter how steady your hand, you see your view with the added shake, because everything is magnified so much.

This means that when using long lenses on your camera, you‘ll need fast film, so you can use a high enough shutter speed, to overcome the camera-shake.

A solid tripod is almost a requirement as well, for the same reason.

Zoom lenses "zoom" from one length to another, encompasing all the ranges in between. So an 75-105mm zoom lens is like having several 35mm camera lenses all in one. This is excellent for outdoor photography, when you want to make sure your gear is as compact as possible!

And finally, macro lenses! These little gems allow you to get into a whole new world, one that exists in an almost parallel universe. Also called close-up lenses, these let you focus very very close to your subject, giving you an EXTREME view of just about anything!

If you want to take really unusual, abstract type photos, I think macro is the way to go.

I'll be postting some ultra strange macro shots in the gallery over the next few months, and you'll see what I mean!

So, that was a long answer to a quick question. But definitely, YES, buy as many 35mm camera lenses as you can afford, but buy the fastest you can, choose a known manufacturer, and ask your friends what they use.