Panasonic Lumix Camera Review

Standard Lenses

Positioned between the wide-angle and telephoto settings of your zoom, the approved lens settings contribute the most natural view of the world nearby us

If telephoto lenses start at nearby 70mm, and wide-angle ones are 35mm, then approved lens settings are the ones in between. With such a short range of focal lengths, they might not even seem worth worrying about. But it is the angle of view that this part of the zoom provides that most intimately resembles that of the central vision of our own eyes.

For this reason, approved lens settings will contribute the most natural view of many subjects. Most significantly, this angle of view ensures that tricks of perspective and visual distortions do not fool the viewer. A wide-angle can tend to stretch elements within a scene, whilst a telephoto squeezes them together - playing tricks with perspective. A wide-angle, moreover, can distort the shape of subjects when they are close to the lens.

A approved 50mm lens used to be the first lens that an Slr owner possessed. But even though zooms are the natural all-round choice, there are good reasons why the 50mm should be thought about for a later supplementary purchase. The presuppose is not the focal length, but the wide maximum aperture. For the 50mm approved lens this is typically f/2 or wider. This means that it will let in as much as four times more light than the typical f/4 maximum cleft of a mid-range zoom. This is particularly useful in low light, as it will mean that you will be able to use a shutter speed of 1/60sec, say, where otherwise you would have to use 1/15sec.

The wide cleft also gives you great scope for restricting depth of field. Wide cleft lenses are available in a whole of fixed focal lengths (and some zooms), but the 50mm is the one with the widest cleft and is the most affordable (and is also widely available second-hand).

The perfect indoor companion

It is with interior shots, in a church or museum, say, that packing a 50mm approved lens pays dividends. The maximum cleft allows you to take shots handheld that would be impossible with a general zoom where a tripod would be required.

People and their surroundings

Like the wide-angle, a approved lens can be used for portraits where you want to show the person's surroundings. But the 50mm is only practical if you have enough space to work in.