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Numbers on a lens

What do they mean?

Each lens has numbers inscribed on the filter ring that give us important information about how it will perform. The information will read something like 1:1.8 f=45mm.

The number specified in mm is the focal length; the distance between the optical center of the lens and the film plane of the camera when the lens is focused at infinity. This gives us an idea of the angle of view (AOV) as shorter lengths give wider angles. Here the focal length is 45mm.

Lenses with a focal length of 50mm are called “normal”; because they create images with roughly the same perspective and size relationship of objects that we see with our eyes.

The other set of numbers refer to the maximum aperture of the lens. 1:1.8 indicates that the maximum aperture is f1.8. This is useful as we can tell how fast the lens is.

  • Rangefinder Cameras
  • Focal Plane
  • Focal Length & Aperture
  • f-stop
  • Numbers on a lens
  • Prime lens
  • Fast lens
  • Angle-of-view (AOV)
  • Elements & Groups
  • Coatings
  • Leaf shutters
  • Shutter speed
  • Film speed ASA/ISO
  • EV / Exposure Value
  • LV / Light Value
  • LV Tables
  • Priority
  • Depth-of-field
  • Bokeh
  • Apparent Subject Motion
  • Light meters
  • Be meter free
  • The Sunny 16 Rule
  • Double & half
  • Parallax
  • Rangefinder Vs. SLR
  • Filters
  • Filters: UV
  • Filters: Skylight
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  • Filters: ND
  • Filters: Black & White
  • Diffraction
  • Multiple Exposures
  • Sharpest Aperture
  • C-41 B&W
  • Zone focusing
  • Half-frame
  • Vignetting
  • Guide Number
  • X & M
About Ilott Vintage

A valuable reference for anyone wanting to learn more about rangefinder cameras, manual film photography, or both, this website is intended to serve not only as a resource to discover some amazing objects but also as a place to learn more about them, to understand exactly what they are capable of, and why. Read More

See Also
  • Minolta Hi-Matic 7s
    Minolta Hi-Matic 7/7s A feature rich classic, manual and semi-automatic shooting down to f22
  • Minolta Repo-S
  • Minolta AL
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    Wednesday 8th February 2023