Camera lenses vary widely, as do the various types of photographic subjects you might interact with and the myriad of types of camera mounts and lenses.

Certain fields of view (focal length) are more suitable for different subjects and some camera lenses even have particular functions that appeal to particular requirements, such as a macro setup to have a closer focus for insects, plants, etc. a length of some kind.

So not only is it difficult to know which camera lenses best suit your needs, but you also have to figure out which lenses will fit your camera or your photographic system. This is due to what is called a lens mount.

In short, every manufacturer has their own (not entirely true, but a great place to start) … There are many lens mounts, including the widely established Canon EF / EF-S lens mount system (Canon EF and Canon EF-s), the wide range of Nikon lenses and then Pentax, Sony / Minolta, Four Thirds and the new Micro 4 / 3rds, Sony E-Mount and Samsung’s NX Fit. then of course Sigma, which makes lenses for everyone else’s cameras, also has its own setting. On the other side of this are consumer and professional glass classes.

For types of photography, consider the type of lens. With this, there are a few categories of lenses, from specialty tilt and shift, macro and then wide angle, standard and telephoto lenses. Below is a list that is by no means definitive.

Macro: – Insects and plants

TSE – Architecture

Wide angle: views, documentaries and landscapes

Standard: Portraits, Events, Editorial, Photojournalism, Weddings

Telephoto: sports, wildlife, events, journalism

For a MASSIVELY comprehensive list of currently available lenses and their photographic applications, check out Park Cameras’ Lenses and Types of Photography article.