How to purchase the right lens for you and your Canon camera

This will help you determine the lens(es) that will best suit your purposes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A Canon Single-lens Reflect (SLR) or Digital SLR camera

1. Before you start shopping for a new lens, it is best to understand the differences between the lenses so you know exactly what you're paying for.
   
   Focal length is how close or far away the lens makes your subject appear. If a 50mm lens is the equivalent to your eyes then anything less (such as 14mm-35mm) would be a wide angle whereas anything more than 50mm (such as 85mm-800mm) would be zoomed in close.
   
   Some lenses have a fixed focal length (such as 100mm) so that you cannot make it wider or zoom in closer. However, because these lenses are fixed they typically have better optics. Zoom lenses will have a focal range, such as 70-200mm but some of their optics are of lesser quality.
2. When you take a photograph with your camera an opening is made in the lens so the camera can see your subject. This opening, or aperture, will be different in size depending on the lens you're using and the settings of your camera. The f-stop is the chosen aperture setting, such as f/2.8 or f/16.
   
   It is important to note that the smaller f-stop translates to a larger opening in the lens. That means f/2.8 is a large aperture whereas f/16 is small. Lenses that have large apertures will be more expensive.
   
   Depth of field (DOF) is the area in a photograph that is in focus and is determined by the selected aperture. Large apertures have short DOF whereas small apertures have long DOF, which means more of your subject will appear to be in focus.
3. Canon 'L' lenses are professional quality lenses with superior build quality and optics, often have image stabilization, large apertures and usually cost a great deal more.
   
   'IS' stands for Image Stabilization. IS lenses help reduce movement to help you achieve sharper photos.
   
   'TS-E' stands for tilt and shift. TS lenses help correct perspective problems and are typically used for architectural and landscape photography. Expect them to be manual focus only. These lenses can be more difficult to use and cost more than normal lenses.
   
   'DO' stands for Diffractive Optics. All this means is that a DO lens is much smaller in size than a normal lens and much more expensive.
   
   EF-S vs EF type lenses can be used on Canon EOS cameras whereas EF-S lenses only work with Canon APC cameras, at this time. Check your camera manual before you purchase an EF-S lens to make sure it is compatible.
4. Next you will need to determine your price range and and what you will be using the lens to photograph. Since the answer varies depending on this criteria, pick the recommendation closest to your needs.
   
   Here are the categories:
   
   Inexpensive: These are the lowest priced options for those who may not want to spend more than a few hundred dollars and are willing to sacrifice features and performance.
   
   Standard: These are good quality lenses, but cost more.
   
   Excellent: These are the highest quality lenses with the best optics, but they will be expensive.
5. Which lens should I buy first?
   
   Inexpensive: Start with the EF 50 f/1.8 II. This lens usually runs lens that $100 and is a great starter lens. Although it is fixed focal length, it is sharp and cheap. You won't find a better bargain in the Canon lineup.
6. Which lens should I buy if I'm only going to buy one?
   
   Shooting examples: Family and friends, pets and general 'snap shot' photography
   
   Inexpensive: EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 II
   This lens covers a good focal range and isn't too expensive. Due to its largest aperture of f/3.5, it's not a very 'fast' lens so you will need to make sure you use a flash if you're shooting inside or in dark areas.
   
   Standard: EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS
   This lens is almost twice the price of the previous lens but well worth the extra cost. Not only do you get the additional reach (zooms to 135 instead of 105) you also get Image Stabilization.
   
   Excellent: EF 24-105 f/4L IS
   You get a long focal range, a larger aperture and Image Stabilization. The only drawbacks are the price and size.
7. Action Photography - Inside
   
   Shooting examples: Indoor basketball, volleyball...
   
   Inexpensive: EF 100-300 F/4.5-5.6
   Only do this if you can use a high film speed/ISO and you can use a tripod
   
   Standard: EF 70-200 f/2.8L
   The large aperture and Image Stabilization make this one of the best 'indoor' lenses. It is pricey and large.
   
   Excellent: EF 135mm f/2.0L
   Although you don't get the reach of the previous lenses, the large aperture will help when shooting in low light and produce wonderful images. It also takes excellent portraits.
8. Action Photography - Outside
   
   Shooting examples: Any outdoor sports
   
   Inexpensive: EF 100-300 F/4.5-5.6
   A higher ISO is recommended if you cannot use a tripod, even outside.
   
   Standard: EF 70-200 f/4L
   This is a great all around lens and isn't as expensive as the 70-200mm f/2.8. The main drawback is the limited reach.
   
   Excellent: EF 400mm f/5.6L
   If the extra each is required, this is a great pick.
   
   Serious sports photography: EF 400 2.8 IS
   This is a massive and expensive lens that works with Extenders and includes Image Stabilization. The large aperture gives you a great deal of freedom with exposure, such as allowing you to use faster shutter speeds to stop motion.
9. Portrait Photography
   
   Inexpensive: Canon 50 f/1.8 II
   Inexpensive: EF 100 f/2.8 Macro also makes an excellent portrait and macro lens, if you already own it
   
   Standard: Canon 50 f/1.4
   Pick this above the previous lens only if you need shorter depth of field or you want to separate your subject from the background.
   
   Standard: Canon 85 f/1.8
   Choose this if more focal length is important to you.
   
   Excellent: EF 50 f/1.2L or EF 85 f/1.2L II or EF 135 f/2.0L
   Any of these can produce amazing portraits. The extremely large apertures on these lenses can give you a lot of exposure freedom. Choose the focal length that fits your needs. Keep in mind that these are all expensive.
10. Close-up (Macro) Photography
    
    Shooting examples: Insects, flowers, small objects
    
    Minimum focusing distance is one of the important features of a 'Macro' lens. This is how close you can get the front of your lens to your subject with the lens still able to focus.
    
    Canon's 'Extension Tube EF 12 II and Extension Tube EF 25 II' allow you to reduce the minimum focusing distance even further. These tubes fit between your camera and the lens.
    
    It's also important to note that, in general, most macro photographers opt for smaller apertures to increase the depth of field. This is because as you get closer to your subject, the depth of field gets shorter.
    
    Inexpensive: Either the 500D or 250D close-up lenses
    These are filters that attach to the front of an existing lens and reduce its minimum focusing distance. Choose the 250D for lenses with a 30-135mm focal length and the 500D for 70-300mm. Make sure the filter fits the front of your lens.
    
    Standard: EF 100 f/2.8 Macro
    A great multi-purpose lens that would be perfect for macro photography if it had a longer focal length.
    
    Excellent: EF 180 f/3.5L Macro
    If you do a lot of macro photography, this is the lens to have because of the focal length alone. The drawbacks are its size and price.
11. Landscape Photography
    
    Shooting examples: Beaches, mountains, bridges, sunsets...
    
    Again, in general, most landscape photographers want small apertures like f/16 (or smaller) to maximize the depth of field. In this category, focus more on the focal length than the aperture.
    
    Inexpensive: EF 50 f/1.8 II
    A good temporary landscape lens until you can purchase something wider.
    
    Inexpensive: EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS
    Another good multi-purpose lens that is wide enough for landscape photography.
    
    Standard: EF 17-40 f/4L USM
    This is probably the best value for landscapes unless you really really need the lens to be a tad wider.
    
    Excellent: EF 35 16-35 f/2.8L USM
    Choose this option if you plan on shooting in low light and need the larger aperture.
12. Wildlife Photography
    
    Shooting examples: Wild animals such as birds, rodents and large animals you cannot get close to. These will also work for air shows and sports...
    
    At these focal lengths, you should use a good tripod whenever possible.
    
    Inexpensive: EF 100-300 F/4.5-5.6
    A higher ISO is recommended if you cannot use a tripod, even outside. However, if you're serious about this genre then save your money and buy one of the better options.
    
    Standard: 300 f/4L IS or 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS
    The 100-400 is very flexible and has Image Stabilization, but the largest aperture may limit you. With the 300mm lens though, you will probably long for more reach.
    
    Serious wildlife photography: EF 500 f/4.0L IS or EF 600 f/4.0L IS
    These are the big guns that will help you get very close to your subjects and work with the Extenders. They are large, heavy and very expensive.
    
    Canon has announced that an 800mm lens will be available in the future.
    
    Please take a moment and rate and/or comment on this article so that it can be made better. Thank you

Tips & Warnings

• Start your shopping at home - Away from salesmen. The best way to shop for a lens is to get a good catalog so that you can see the lenses that are available. An excellent and free book with information on Canon's lenses (as well as many other brands) is the B&H Photo Source Book (I'm not affiliated with BH at all). You can download it as a PDF or request a copy here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/FreeCatalog.jsp
• Bring your camera into a camera shop, even if you're not planning on purchasing the lens there, and take a few shots with different lenses. You may find that the thousand dollar lens may not really be worth it to you.
• If you're considering an expensive lens, find a local rental shop to try it out for the weekend before buying it.
• Keep in mind that if you want to use polarizing or neutral density filters you will either need to buy a filter system so that you can have one filter that will work with all of your lenses or buy the same filters separately for each of your lenses. If you think you're going to buy multiple lenses then look into filter systems such as 'Lee'; otherwise, just buy the single filter you need.
• Canon Extenders fit between the camera and the lens and increase the focal length of compatible lenses. These only work with Canon lenses longer than 135MM and the 70-200 f/2.8 and f/4.0 and the 100-400L. They do extend the reach of your lens but you will lose one f-stop with the 1.4x Extender and two f-stops with the 2x, which may make it more difficult to get sharp photos. You might also lose auto focus depending on your equipment.
• You should also take into consideration that an EF-S lens you buy today may not be compatible with a camera you might upgrade to in the future. If you stick with 'EF' lenses, this isn't as much of a problem.