Take unique wide, circular photos

Fisheye lenses are characterized by extremely wide angles of view and unique renderings that heavily distort straight lines. With a fisheye lens, you can enjoy reflections of the world that are utterly unique to human eyes, such as deformation effects, where straight lines like the sides of buildings or the horizon are bent nearly 360′, or exaggerated perspectives that exceed even those of wide-angle lenses.

Unique circular photographs

Fisheye lenses can capture an expansive area even in narrow locations. The dome-like effect at the edge of the photo is unique to fisheye lenses.

Source: Canon JP

Excel at architectural and other technical photography

Tilt-shift lenses are specialty lenses that permit the perspective between the lens and the sensor to be adjusted in two ways: tilting and shifting. The shift movement can correct the oblique view normally seen in photos taken when looking up at a building or other tall object. The tilt movement can focus on the both the near and far points of a subject with depth or concentrate the focus on only a single point of a picture. A tilt-shift lens gives you access to image expressions that ordinary lenses can’t take.

Keep your perspective

With this very specialized lens, you can take photos of a building exteriors and interiors where parallel lines are kept parallel (no oblique distortion)

Source: Canon JP

Magnify miniature worlds

Macro lenses can take close-up shots of miniature worlds you can’t get close enough to with a normal zoom. Macro lenses let you attempt photos that other lenses can’t duplicate, such as filling the picture with a piece of jewelry or a single flower or even entering the insect world.

Depicts worlds we normally can’t see

What draws people to macro lenses is their ability to fill the picture with tiny objects such as flowers or insects.

Get right up close to your subject

Because macro lenses, designed to focus at much closer distances than ordinarily designed lenses, allow you to get within centimeters or close of your subject.

Source: Canon JP

Fit immense worlds in a photo

The wide-angle zoom naturally excels at depicting expansive natural landscapes but is also effective when photographing buildings, street scenes, and interiors in situations where you cannot back up to take the photo. The trick to mastering wide-angle photography is to keep the background simple since the extra wide angle of view tends to include unwanted details in the picture.

Sprawling scenery

Wide-angle lenses with a dramatically wider angle of view than normal zooms are ideal for portraying the grandeur of the natural world.

Tight interiors

One of the advantages of wide-angle photography is the ability to capture wall-to-wall detail in a narrow interior space where you can’t back up.

Coverage of wide-angle zoom lenses

Although there is some overlap with the wide-angle focal lengths of normal zooms, the breadth of the angle of view at maximum wide-angle on wide-angle zoom lenses is overwhelming. It’s a fun exercise to try to capture objects that won’t fit in the picture with a normal zoom.

Source: Canon JP

Make distant objects appear large

With a narrower angle of view than a normal zoom, the telephoto lens is sought for its ability to magnify subjects taken from a distance. It’s useful for not only photographing animals and sporting events where you can’t get close to the subject but also shooting landscapes. Another benefit is that the narrow angle of view reduces the amount of background captured in the photo, thereby keeping photos simpler and free of distractions. Telephoto lenses are essential in portrait photography because of their inherent ability to defocus backgrounds.

Makes distant objects appear larger

Telephotos are at their best when shooting animals or sporting events that can’t be approached.

Greater background defocusing

Use of a telephoto lens with a long focal length will result in greater defocusing of the background. Defocusing helps separate the subject from the background

Coverage of telephoto zoom lenses

The focal length of the telephoto zoom lens generally begins near the telephoto end of a normal zoom and extends to four to six times this length. Its attraction lies in its power to draw distant objects up close.

Source: Canon JP