"Telephoto" lenses in the Age of Internet Stupidity...

[Mark Sawyer]

I think most people here know what actually defines a telephoto lens is: it's a lens that gives an angle of view of a certain focal length, but focuses at a shorter distance than that focal length. Most people here also know that most people in general think a telephoto lens is just a long focal length lens.

I was talking with a "professional photographer" yesterday, and this came up. He didn't know what the term "telephoto lens" really meant, and when I told him, he didn't believe me. So I told him, "Google it". Which he did. And here's what we found:

Wikipedia: "A telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length."

Merriam-Webster: "a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object."

Cambridge Dictionary: "a camera lens that makes objects far away look nearer and larger when they are photographed"

Yahoo! Answers, ("best answer"): "tele means distant or distance, tele is used to describe a "longer" view - a tele lens will make things appear closer ."

Answers.com: "a photographic lens or lens system used to produce a large image of a distant object."

We quit searching there, with him satisfied that any lens over 50mm on a 35mm frame is a telephoto. If only I was as smart as the internet...

[Mark Woods]

Hello Mark,

In your first statement I think you're confusing a retrofocus lens where the center of the lens design is not the center of the lens, but moved forward in a wider lens and further back in a longer lens. Look up retrofocus lens and it's pretty clear what it is. Ron Dexter also makes a very clear explanation.

[Heroique]

Look up retrofocus lens and it's pretty clear what it is.

On the Internet, retrofocus usually means manual focus. ;^)

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

It would be interesting to know when the words 'telephoto lens' first appeared in the technical vocabulary of photography.

I have looked at the entry "télé-objectif" in the French on-line reference dictionary, Le trésor de langue française informatisé
http://atilf.atilf.fr/tlf.htm
and the definition is perfectly correct explaining both the aspects of a long focal length (magnifying distant objects, hence 'tele') and the short flange-focal distance obtained using a rear negative lens group. Hence, the Internet is not always wrong ;-)
The French on-line dictionary credits Zeiss in 1899 for the word "telephoto" and mentions the entry "télé-objectif" as early as 1904 in the French Larousse dictionary.

According to the English wikipedia, the principles of the telephoto lens can be credited to Barlow (1834) and Dallmeyer (1860-1890) but the word "telephoto" might be a more recent addition to the vocabulary.

This German book mentions "Teleobjektiv" in 1896 referring to a lens built by Ernst Miethe in 1891.

[Mark Woods]

Telescope?

[ic-racer]

I think most people here know what actually defines a telephoto lens is: it's a lens that gives an angle of view of a certain focal length, but focuses at a shorter distance than that focal length. Most people here also know that most people in general think a telephoto lens is just a long focal length lens.

I was talking with a "professional photographer" yesterday, and this came up. He didn't know what the term "telephoto lens" really meant, and when I told him, he didn't believe me. So I told him, "Google it". Which he did. And here's what we found:

Wikipedia: "A telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length."

Merriam-Webster: "a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object."

Cambridge Dictionary: "a camera lens that makes objects far away look nearer and larger when they are photographed"

Yahoo! Answers, ("best answer"): "tele means distant or distance, tele is used to describe a "longer" view - a tele lens will make things appear closer ."

Answers.com: "a photographic lens or lens system used to produce a large image of a distant object."

We quit searching there, with him satisfied that any lens over 50mm on a 35mm frame is a telephoto. If only I was as smart as the internet...

I studied the 'dark ages' while in college. I remember thinking how could people be so stupid. However, I am now convinced we will have another 'dark ages.' You have given a perfect example. The elements are already in place for the next age of ignroace , for example, the most popular internet search engine (Google) is already so corrupt it is not even a secret that top hits from searches are to sites that pay Google.

[Heroique]

I studied the 'dark ages' while in college. I remember thinking how could people be so stupid. However, I am now convinced we will have another 'dark ages.' You have given a perfect example. The elements are already in place for the next age of ignorance , for example, the most popular internet search engine (Google) is already so corrupt it is not even a secret that top hits from searches are to sites that pay Google.

The Dark Ages:
If she sinks and drowns, she's innocent.
If she floats, she's a witch and must be executed.

The "New" Dark Ages of Google:
If it pays, the definition is correct.
If it doesn't pay, it's false and must be suppressed.

[Bob Salomon]

But telephoto is also in common usage as a longer then normal focal length lens. So while technically your friend was wrong he was also right by the common usage definition.

Scotch Tape is also in common usage. 3M made scotch tape and other companies made cellaphane tape but all brands are commonly called "scotch tape".
Kleenex is another. Many people call all facial tissues a "kleenex".

[Mark Woods]

xerox=copy

[ghostcount]

...the most popular internet search engine (Google) is already so corrupt it is not even a secret that top hits from searches are to sites that pay Google.

...
The "New" Dark Ages of Google:
If it pays, the definition is correct.
If it doesn't pay, it's false and must be suppressed.

Tosh is an acquired taste but this one is funny.

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