Absolute Beginner's Guide to Digital Photography

Fisheye lenses also produce great depth of field. Objects within inches of the lens and

those in the far distance will be sharp. It is not a lens for every situation, but it can

produce startling and effective views.

Macro Lens

A macro lens is useful for extremely close shots. The lens allows you to focus at a very

close range (see Figure 4.7) and is corrected for aberrations that occur at close focus-

ing distances. The lens is occasionally called, somewhat inaccurately, a micro lens.

Some zoom lenses come with a macro feature. They focus closer than normal, but

not as close as a fixed focal-length macro lens.

CHAPTER 4 THE IMPORTANCE OF LENSES 53

FIGURE 4.7
An art piece
created with a
macro lens.

Copyright ©2004 Nicholas E. Papadakis

Soft-Focus Lens

Aberrations are deliberately introduced in a soft-focus lens, also called a portrait lens.

The goal is to produce an image that will diffuse and soften details such as facial

wrinkles.

Perspective-Control Lens

A perspective-control lensbrings some view/camera adjustments to other types of cam-

eras. The lens shifts up, down, or sideways to prevent the perspective distortion that