Name three common lens categories and give a typical use for each.

Name three common lens categories and give a typical use for each.

• A. Wide-angle (<35mm) for environment and establishing shots; Standard (35-70mm) for natural perspective; Telephoto (>70mm) for compression and isolating subjects.
• B. Macro (1-10mm) for close-ups; Ultra wide (<16mm) for environment; Telephoto (200mm) for distance.
• C. Normal (50-70) for all uses; Telephoto (5-10) for compression; Fisheye (8-12) for distortion.
• D. Zoom lens; Prime lens; Tilt-shift lens.

Answer: (A)

The idea here is how different focal lengths change how a scene looks and what you emphasize with a lens.

Wide-angle lenses have short focal lengths, giving a wide field of view. They’re great for capturing expansive environments and establishing shots where you want the audience to take in the surroundings and spatial relationships. The perspective tends to exaggerate depth, making foreground and background feel more separated.

A standard (or normal) lens sits in the middle range and produces a natural perspective that most closely resembles what the human eye sees. It’s versatile for many everyday shots, including scenes with dialogue or movement where you want a familiar, believable look without dramatic distortion.

Telephoto lenses use longer focal lengths. They compress the distance in the scene, so subjects at different depths look closer together, and they help isolate a subject by narrowing depth of field. This makes it ideal for close-ups from a bit of distance or for pulling distant subjects up close while keeping the background less distracting.

The best choice matches these three common categories with uses that line up with how each focal length changes perspective and isolation in a frame. The other options mix in nonstandard or less representative pairings (for example, macro specifications that aren’t tied to a single focal-length category, or lens types listed without clear, typical uses), which makes them less consistent with how filmmakers typically describe these three core lens categories.