Lens 101: Because Glass Shouldn’t Be This Confusing

Online Mentoring Session · Via Zoom

You know what a camera does. You know where the shutter button is. You’ve even figured out that the big round thing on the front is important.

But then someone asks, “What lens are you using?”

And suddenly there are numbers, letters, mounts, focal lengths, apertures, f-stops and enough abbreviations to make your eyes cross.

Welcome to Lens 101!

In this online mentoring session, we’ll take a beginner-friendly look at the wonderful—and occasionally confusing—world of camera lenses. We’ll cover the basics of focal length, aperture, f-stops, lens mounts, zoom vs. prime lenses, and what all those numbers and letters actually mean.

Ever wondered what an f-stop actually is? Or what E-Mount means? Not sure whether you need a 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 24-70mm or 70-200mm? And why does every photographer seem to own a 24-70mm anyway?

We’ll tackle those questions and more, including which lens to use for different types of photography and how your choice of lens can change the look and feel of your photographs.

This session is designed for beginners, so you don’t need to know your f/2.8 from your f/22. In fact, if you currently look at lens specifications and think “Yep… those are definitely numbers,” you’re exactly where you need to be.

And yes, there will be a few jokes. Because apparently we can’t discuss lenses without talking about f-stops, focal points and getting a little too close.

The goal isn’t to turn you into an optical engineer. It’s simply to give you enough knowledge to understand your lenses, make better choices, and feel more confident when deciding what glass to put on your camera.

The session will be held via Zoom and is open exclusively to current members of the Sackville Photography Club.

Bring your questions, bring your camera and lenses if you have them, and come ready to learn.

We’ll keep things focused. Mostly.