Zoombereich

Zoombereich is a term used in optics and photography to describe the range of focal lengths that a zoom lens can cover. It specifies the smallest and largest focal length the lens can achieve, usually given in millimeters, such as 18-55 mm or 70-200 mm. The Zoombereich determines the corresponding image angle, with shorter focal lengths providing a wide field of view and longer focal lengths producing a narrower angle and greater magnification.

In practice, a larger Zoombereich offers more flexibility, allowing a photographer to frame different subjects—from landscapes to distant details—without changing lenses. The zoom factor, which expresses the range as a multiple (for example 3× or 10×), is the ratio of the maximum to the minimum focal length.

Many lenses are characterized by whether they maintain focus when zooming (parfokal) or whether the focal plane shifts as the zoom is adjusted (varifokal). This affects how quickly and easily subjects stay sharp during zooming.

Other optical considerations that interact with the Zoombereich include optical quality across the range, distortion and vignetting behavior, and the presence or absence of image stabilization. Some zooms maintain a relatively constant maximum aperture across the range, while others have a variable maximum aperture that becomes smaller (numerically larger) at longer focal lengths.

Typical examples of zoom ranges are travel zooms (approximately 18-55 mm), standard zooms (around 24-70 mm), and telephoto zooms (such as 70-200 mm). The Zoombereich is a key specification for assessing a lens’s versatility for different photographic applications.