The spherical lens is a fantastic lens that will make your photos look stunning. Ernst Abbe invented this lens in 1846, and it was one of the breakthroughs in the history of optics. The significant part of this lens is that it can create any focal length between 17 and 120 mm. It has no chromatic aberration, which means that the colors will be accurate in every part of the photo.
Types of spherical lenses
The spherical lens is perfect for all types of photography, especially landscape, macro, and close-up photography. There are two types of spherical lenses:
Fixed Spherical Lenses:
These lenses are available in two different types:
A-mount:
This is the most common lens used by almost all camera makers. It is an excellent choice if you start as a photographer because you can buy a starter kit with a zoom lens and an A-mount camera body for a meager price. It also has an impressive 50-year warranty!
Canon EOS R-mount:
This is the newest type of lens. It has a 28 mm wide angle of view and f/2 maximum aperture, and it also has a unique “R” design. This makes it the perfect lens for street photography, architecture, and other types of low-light photography.
Sigma DC H-mount:
It is a wide-angle lens with a focal length of 28 mm, which gives you an adorable portrait angle. d) Tamron SP 90° PC H-mount: It is an ultra-wide-angle lens with a focal length of 90 mm. This makes it a fantastic choice for travel and landscape photography.
Tokina 12mm F-Mount:
This is a trendy lens, mainly because it has a fantastic price tag. The lens is made for crop sensor cameras, but it also works on full-frame 35 mm cameras.
Voigtländer VERT 24 mm f/2:
It is one of the widest lenses available in the market, and it also has a super-wide focal length of 24 mm.
Voigtländer 25mm f/2:
It is a short telephoto lens with a focal length of 25 mm. This lens is an excellent choice if you take some close-up photos.
Zoom Spherical Lenses
These lenses will give you the ability to change the focal length without changing the lenses. They work the same way as the fixed focal length lenses, but they have a built-in zoom ring. If you own an SLR camera, you need to invest in a good quality zoom spherical lens. Some of the best choices are:
Canon EF 24-70 mm f/4.8:
This is a trendy zoom lens, and it can be used from wide-angle to 70 mm.
Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4:
This is another popular zoom lens, and it is perfect for travel and street photography.
Canon EF 24-105 f/4:
It is another excellent zoom lens for travel and landscape photography.
Nikon AF-S VR 16-80 mm f/4: It is a fantastic zoom lens, and it gives you a focal length of 16 to 80 mm.
Sigma 12-24 mm f/5.8:
This is a trendy lens with a focal length of 12 to 24 mm.
Tokina 10-17 f/ 6.8:
This is a super-wide zoom lens with a focal length of 10 to 17 mm.
Voigtländer 15mm f/2:
It is one of the widest lenses available, and it has a focal length of 15 mm. If you are new to photography, I suggest that you get an A-mount lens with a kit or go straight to full-frame. If you are willing to wait, you can find great deals on pfg precision optics, spherical optics, and Plano optics. Just remember that the best quality of the lens does not matter as much as the knowledge you have when you use it.
Conclusion
The ability to understand what the lens is trying to tell you will take you a very long way. If you already own a DSLR or mirrorless camera, go ahead and get the Tamron SP 90° PC H-Mount lens.