Each camera body has a unique mounting interface for attaching lenses. This is called the Lens Mount. Lens mounts tell you which lenses are compatible with which cameras. For example, Canon EF-M lenses are only compatible with cameras that use the Canon EF-M lens mount.

Every camera lens produces an image circle, and the size of this circle is called coverage. The coverage of an image circle must be large enough to cover the sensor or film being used. Lens Format Coverage indicates which type of sensor or film a particular lens can cover.

Lenses can be classified as either Zoom or Prime. Zoom lenses have a variable focal length (and thus field of view) that can be adjusted by the user. Prime lenses have a single (fixed) focal length that cannot be adjusted.

Lens Type indicates whether a lens is zoom or prime (fixed) lens, as well as its general focal length and field of view.

Zoom lenses provide a range of adjustable Focal Lengths within a single lens. Adjusting the focal length changes the field of view, with lower focal lengths producing a wider field of view, and higher focal lengths producing a narrower (telephoto) field of view.

Lens Series are brand-name groups of lenses with unique sets of designs, features, or capabilities.

Maximum Aperture indicates the widest opening a lens is capable of and thus how bright or fast it is. Measured in f/stops, the size of the aperture represents how much light is passed through the lens and onto the sensor or film. The lower the f/stop, the wider the aperture.