eli5: Why do cameras and other devices use more lenses and not just one more versatile lens?
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In broader terms, a camera lens is always a compromise. Something like a macro lens is hyper specialized to take very close up photos of small things. It’s so good at this because it sacrifices usability in other settings. You won’t be able to take a landscape with it, for example. Making a single lens that’s versatile requires that you balance these compromises. So that lens won’t be as good at any particular thing as a specialized lens can be.
Think about race cars. An F1 car is hyper specialized for track driving, but if you put it on an off-road course it’s basically unusable. A rally car by comparison is a lot more versatile and can be fast over all sorts of terrain, but it won’t match the F1 car on the track.
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