How to Pick the Right Lens for an SLR Camera

A camera lens is the factor that will change the quality of your picture the most.

A good camera lens is crucial to taking a good picture. The type of lens that you have will change the outcome of your picture drastically. It is important to correctly match your lens with what type of shot you want. Lenses come in all shapes and sizes and will often vary wildly in price. Before spending a lot of money on a lens, you should research what the strong and weak points in that lens are.

Things You'll Need

• SLR Camera
• Lens

Instructions

1. Determine what kind of lens will be compatible with your camera body. For example, Canon SLR cameras can use only Canon lenses and third party lenses with the Canon lens mount. Also, determine what you will mostly be shooting. Different lenses are better for different subject matters.

2. Buy a lens with a long focal length of at least 50mm to 75mm if you are shooting portraits. This is because at shorter focal lengths, the subject will be slightly distorted. It is easy to notice slight distortions in the human face since our minds are so used to seeing them on a daily basis.

3. Buy a telephoto lens (a lens with a long focal length) if you want to shoot subjects that are far away. If you are shooting wildlife such as birds, being too close may scare them away. A telephoto lens is ideal for getting the shots you want while maintaining your distance. Telephoto lenses are considered to be lenses that are greater than 75mm.

4. Buy a lens with a short focal length of at most 28mm if you are shooting landscapes. Short focal lengths will allow you to capture everything that is in front of you. This is ideal for wide landscapes as far as the eye can see.

5. Buy a zoom lens if you want to take both portraits and landscapes. Some zoom lenses can go from 28mm all the way to 105mm. The only downside of this is the image quality will be worse than a lens specialized for one focal length (often referred to as prime lenses). Zoom lenses are also costlier than prime lenses since the mechanisms inside the lens are more complex.

Tips & Warnings

• Some third-party manufacturers such as Sigma or Tamron offer lenses that are significantly cheaper than a first-party manufactured lens. Be sure to research the strengths of your respective lens before you buy it.

References

• Digital SLR Guide: Find Your Focal Length