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Over the years, I’ve had many questions about how to read a Canon Camera Lens from both beginner and professional photographers. There are a lot of acronyms that Canon likes to use which can tell you a lot information which is helpful when deciding what lens you need to buy or use for your photography needs.

 

There are five main elements that make up every lens name…

 

1. LENS MOUNT

RF & RF-S – these are lenses that specifically made for the Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera range.
e.g. Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens.

EF – Electronic Focus. These lens fit most of the DSLR camera range.

EF-S – Short back focus lens. These are made for APS-C (also known as crop sensor) camera range.

EF-M – EOS Mirrorless Camera

 

2. FOCAL LENGTH

The “mm” e.g. Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens.

Focal length measures the range of a lens from the shortest to the longest distance.
The bigger the number the longer the distance meaning a narrow angle of view. Subjects will be closer to the camera.
The smaller the number the shorter the distance, meaning a wider angle of view. Subject will be further away from the camera.
 
 
24mm at 1/250 F2.8 ISO 2000     70mm at 1/500 F2.8 ISO 2500
 
 
3. APERTURE
 
The “F-” number. e.g. Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens.
 
Aperture allows you to control how much light you let through the lens and into your camera sensor.
The smaller the number, the bigger the aperture and more light can get into the camera.
The bigger the number, the smaller the aperture and less light can get into the camera.
 
For night photography it’s best to use an aperture of F2.8 or below as you will be able to maximise the amount of light entering to your camera sensor.
 
 
4. GENERATION
 
This is illustrated on the camera lens as roman numerals. e.g. “I” or “II” first and second generation respectively.
Each time Canon redesigns a lens it gets released with a new number.
 
 
5. TECHNOLOGIES
 
The final piece to the puzzle is the special features or technologies that are built into that particular camera lens. e.g. Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens.
 
  • L (Luxury) Lens – These are Canon’s professional lens range which have greater optical quality and performance. Commonly used amongst professional photographers. You can easily identify these lenses as having the red ring.
  • ISM (Image Stabilisation) – This is a technology built into the lens which aims to reduce camera shake.
  • USM (Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor) – a type of focusing motor which is commonly found in most Canon lens. These lenses are fast and have manual override features.
  • STM (Stepping Motor Technology) – a quieter, smoother focusing which is greater for filming to reduce focusing noises.
  • MACRO – macro lenses are made for close up photography. These lenses capture great detail and allows you to get a lot close to the subject.
 
I hope that helps!

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