Home Blog Archive Photography What focal length means? Simply explained

What focal length means? Simply explained

  • Oct 09, 2025
  • 476
  • 0

In photography often the term focal length is used. What is the meaning of this technical word, and what is the influence of the focal length when shooting your subject has, we will explain in this practical tip.

What focal length means? - simply explained

  • Subject-specific terms, the term "focal distance" describes the distance between the lens and its focal point where the light rays from the lens in a point, be concentrated. The focal length determines how big the image or the image angle is to be imaged on the camera sensor and thus photographed.
  • The focal length is specified in millimeters (mm) and is usually on the lens (see photo). Especially when dealing with SLR cameras you have to with focal lengths deal.
  • A lens with a short focal length of, for example, 18 mm shows a large image section. This value is a wide-angle focal length, and is used when a short distance from a wide-area subject, such as, for example, a mountain lake, photographed to be.
  • You want to corresponds to a portion of an image of the angle of the human eye, then a Normal focal length of about 50 mm is recommended.
  • If you want to photograph a subject in a larger distance, such as by way of example a cross on the summit, or a ship on the horizon, then you need a lens with a telephoto angle. The tele focal lengths starting from 70 mm.
  • The focal length change at a constant location only the angle of the picture, and as a result, the perspective of the photographer. The choice of subject has an influence on the chosen focal length. A short focal length allows a large angle with a smaller figure and a long focal length ensures a small angle of view, with an enlarged illustration. The zoom in and zoom Out is, ultimately, just a change of the focal length.
  • In the case of a short focal length (10 - 35 mm) you will receive for your image of a large depth of field and a long focal length, you get a low depth of field. Taking into account this knowledge, you can make, for example, Portraits of active.
What focal length means?
In addition to the correct focal length, the ISO - value is crucial. What is the term ISO means and how the value is correctly set, we explain step-by-step, in a further article on photography.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

0 COMMENTS

LEAVE A COMMENT

Human?
1 + 3 =