Different Lens types for Different Style

 Using the Correct Lens to Tell Your Story 

Lenses are one of the most powerful storytelling tools CG artists have.  Each kind of lens has its own characteristics and it’s important for animators to have a clear understanding of these. 

Your choice of lenses helps to communicate the emotional weight of the scene. Choosing the right lens will either communicate your message or confuse it. 

Wide Angle VS Telephoto 

Wide Angle Lenses create a wide field of view, meaning what is visible in the frame from side to side and top to bottom. These can be exceptionally useful when creating an environment with confined spaces such as the interior of a car or a small room. 

Wide-Angle Lenses also stretch space, meaning rendering animation  with this kind of lens will look very close and very large. This kind of  lens creates an optical illusion known as forced perspective

Telephoto Lenses are the exact opposite; they have a very narrow field of view, similar to looking through a paper towel roll. Telephoto Lenses compress space and offer a more flattering perspective when rendering close-ups of a CG character, for example. These are often called ‘beauty lenses’ because they make people’s facial features appear proportionate.


Lens Type 

Focal Length

Super-Wide Angle 

12-18mm

Wide Angle 

21-28mm

Normal 

35-50mm

Telephoto 

75-135mm

Super Telephoto 

200+ mm



Nefertiti with 75mm lens 

Nefertiti with 12mm lens. 

Notice the forced perspective on her facial features and the grid.

Excellent article: https://nofilmschool.com/toy-story-4-pixar-cinematography



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