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Photography vocabulary · Lenses & Focus

Wide-angle lens

Meaning in photography, with examples

nounCore term

In photography, wide-angle lens means: A lens with a short focal length, roughly 35 mm or shorter on a full-frame camera, that shows a wide view of the scene.

In Turkish: geniş açılı objektif, geniş açı

How it is used

Used for landscapes, architecture, interiors and real estate. Very wide lenses, below about 24 mm, are called ultra-wide. Close to people, a wide-angle lens stretches faces and the edges of the frame, which photographers call distortion.

Example sentences

  1. Bring a wide-angle lens for the hotel rooms; they're quite small.

  2. Don't use a wide-angle lens for close portraits; it makes noses look bigger.

Common collocations

  • ultra-wide-angle lens
  • wide-angle shot
  • wide-angle distortion
  • telephoto lensA lens with a long focal length, usually 70 mm or more, that makes distant subjects look bigger and closer.
  • focal lengthA lens measurement in millimeters, such as 24 mm or 200 mm, that tells you how wide or how magnified the view will be.
  • landscape photographyPhotography of natural scenery such as mountains, coasts, forests and skies, usually showing a wide view of the place.
  • zoom lensA lens whose focal length can be changed, such as a 24–70 mm or 70–200 mm, so you can go wider or closer without moving.

More terms: Lenses & Focus

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