Normal Lenses

Normal Lenses

A normal lens approximates the field of
view of the human eye. In the past, with
35mm film cameras, the normal lens focal
length was 50mm. dSLR cameras have a
sensor that is smaller than a frame of 35mm
film, so the normal lens focal length has
shortened to a range from 28 to 35mm to
accommodate for the smaller sensor size.



Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens

Normal lenses are very versatile and can be
used in a variety of shooting situations.
Everything from landscapes to portraits can
be photographed using a normal lens with
very good results.

Most cameras today usually come equipped
with a zoom lens that encompasses a wideangle
to short telephoto zoom range (such
as the D60’s 18-55mm) that has the normal
focal length somewhere in between the
wide and telephoto settings, but a good 28
or 35mm prime lens can be found relatively
inexpensively. And, either of these prime
lenses is lighter and usually has a faster aperture
than a common zoom lens. Therefore,
one of these lenses can be very useful if you
need to pack light or if you are shooting in
low-light conditions