A Comparison of Focal Lengths


Morton Arboretum.  Lisle, Illinois.  Canon 10D.  17-40L. 17mm, f4.5 @ 1/40.

Lens selection is an important part of equipping a photographer's arsenal.  The choice of focal lengths is one consideration.  The decision is a matter of personal preference.  The purpose of this article is to display the range of choices available, to assist others in making their decision.

In these images, pay attention to the focal length, and try to ignore the rest.  The quality of the images is rather poor.  No real consideration was given to aperture or white-balance.  No tripod was used.  So the image quality varies greatly.  No conclusions regarding specific lenses should be made from these images, so mention of specific lenses has been initially ommitted.

These images have a digital .6 crop factor.  Hence, a lens at 17mm is effectively 27mm.


17mm

20mm

23mm

28mm

35mm

40mm

50mm

70mm

100mm

135mm

200mm

300mm