When it comes to photography, focal length is a fundamental concept that affects how your photos look and feel. It determines the field of view and how subjects appear in your frame. Whether you’re using a camera with interchangeable lenses or a smartphone with multiple lenses (eg. 0.5x 1x, 3x), understanding focal lengths can help you take more intentional and creative photos.
On standalone cameras, you’ll often find this measurement written on the lens (e.g., 50mm or 18–55mm). On phones, the physical focal lengths are fixed, but manufacturers label them as ultra-wide (0.5x), wide or standard (1x), or telephoto (>3x)
Types of Focal Lengths (and Their Common Uses)
Below are typical ranges on a full-frame camera, along with phone lens equivalents, to give you a clearer idea of how they match up.
Ultra-Wide
(less than 18mm)
What It Does: Captures an extremely broad view — often used for dramatic or immersive shots.
Characteristics: Noticeable distortion, straight lines can appear curved, and objects near the edges can look stretched.
On Phones: An “ultra-wide lens” usually has an equivalent of around 12–14mm and is labelled as 0.5 or 0.6x
Example: Photographing inside a cramped interior, like a car or tiny room, an ultra-wide lens ensures you capture everything in a single frame.
Additional Note: I often use this focal range for interiors photography to capture wide shots of rooms. This enables me to get an image showcasing the whole space, which can be very useful for property sales, hotel bookings or venue hire purposes.
Ultra-wide lenses are essential for interior capturing spaces in their entirety. This room was taken on a 10mm lens, so is very, very wide.
WIDE-ANGLE:
(18MM-35MM)
What It Does: Offers a wide field of view, making it popular for landscapes, architecture, or large group shots.
Characteristics: Slight edge distortion, which can add a dynamic feel and a strong sense of depth.
On Phones: The main or wide lens (1x) on most smartphones is typically around 24–28mm equivalent, technically still on the wide side rather than a ‘true standard’ 50mm.
Example: Standing before a scenic coastline or mountain range, a wide lens will include plenty of foreground, middle ground, and background, conveying the scale of the location.
Additional Note: A lot of my lifestyle photography is taken on a 35mm lens. This lens provides some depth and separation from the background still, while also creating some energy to the image by pulling in the scene from the edges of the shot. It is especially useful for group lifestyle images.
35mm lenses allow for energetic group shots without a need to back away too far from the subject. This is a very versatile focal length
Standard:
(40MM-60MM)
What It Does: Mimics the approximate perspective of the human eye.
Characteristics: Minimal distortion, making subjects appear in natural proportions.
On Phones: Very few phone lenses are a true 50mm equivalent, but some dual- or triple-lens systems include a lens around 50mm–60mm. Many newer “telephoto” modules on phones are actually in this range.
Example: Taking a casual street shot or a simple, natural-looking portrait where you want a balanced perspective between subject and surroundings.
The 50mm focal length is regarded as a happy medium, allowing for wider shots when backing away, or more focused images in closer, but can sometimes struggle with feeling like a jack of all trades and master of none.
Short Telephoto & Portrait:
(70MM-135MM)
What It Does: Brings the subject slightly closer without heavily compressing the background.
Characteristics: Favoured for portrait photography because it flatters facial features and nicely separates the subject from the background.
On Phones: Some phones’ short telephoto (3x) lenses can be around 50mm–80mm equivalent, edging into this portrait-friendly zone.
Example: Capturing a head-and-shoulders portrait in which the subject appears prominent while the background is gently blurred.
Additional Note: A very large majority of food and drink photography on this website is taken with a 105mm lens within this range. This helps to ensure the products are not warped into unusual shapes on the edge of the frame as they would be on wider lenses, and to draw in focus properly to the subject of the shot.
This focal range is short enough to not need to stand miles away, but also to avoid any warping around the edges as seen on wider lenses
Telephoto:
(150MM AND BEYOND)
What It Does: Brings distant subjects much closer, which is ideal for wildlife, sports, or concerts.
Characteristics: Compresses distance, making the background appear closer to the subject, with a shallow depth of field.
On Phones: Many flagship smartphones have telephoto lenses around 5x optical zoom. Premium models might include “periscope” lenses that reach 10x optical zoom (around 230mm).
Example: From the back of a football pitch, you can zoom in on a player scoring a goal, isolating them sharply against a soft, blurred-out background.
Additional Note: On a camera, this focal length often means very large lenses, but also enables you to focus on a subject from a long way away, which can help with not being too much of an obvious distraction in the moment. I have used my 200mm lens for some images at weddings, where I want to photograph the couple from across the venue without disturbing the couple or the guests.
Using a full telephoto lens allows me to 'compress' the foreground, subject and background into one balanced image, while standing far enough away to not be a distraction.
How Focal Length Affects Your Photos
The quality of light is just as important as its direction. You’ll often hear photographers talk about “hard” and “soft” light, and the difference mostly comes down to the resulting shadows.
Field of View
- Wide lenses capture more of the scene but can distort edges, which can be frowned upon in accurate product photography, and uncomplimentary in portrait photography.
- Telephoto lenses narrow the view, focusing on the subject in a complimentary style, but require you to be much further away from the subject, which sometimes isn't an option.
Note that despite fitting in a lot of the scene, the people on either side of the frame have been stretched unnaturally, a downside of ultra wide angle lenses
Depth of Field
- Shorter focal lengths (wide lenses) generally keep more of the image in focus, from front to back (large depth of field).
- Longer focal lengths (telephoto lenses) have the ability create a shallower depth of field, blurring the background and isolating the subject.
The compression from the telephoto lens used here, allows me to have an out of focus foreground and background, with a sharp subject
Perspective
- Wide lenses exaggerate distance between objects, making close subjects look larger compared to the background, much like you might find on a car wing-mirror.
- Telephoto lenses “compress” perspective, making subjects at different distances look closer together, but more equal in size.
An example of wide lenses and their lack of compression. This look is used with action cams, to better capture everything in the surrounding area.
takeaway
Understanding focal length is crucial for photographers of all levels, whether you're using a professional camera or a smartphone. Different focal lengths offer distinct perspectives and are suited to various photography styles. Ultra-wide lenses are great for expansive scenes and interiors, while wide-angle lenses excel in landscapes and group shots. Standard lenses provide a natural, human-eye perspective, and short telephoto lenses are ideal for flattering portraits. Telephoto lenses bring distant subjects closer, perfect for wildlife and sports. By consciously choosing your focal length, you can control field of view, depth of field, and perspective to creatively enhance your photographs and achieve your desired visual impact.
