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Canon Lens

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Canon Lens

Which Canon EOS Lens Is Best For A Beginner - 3 Hints For Choosing A Good All Purpose Lens

What do you believe is your beginning consideration as a new digital SLR owner? It should be which lens you want as an all-purpose lens. Believe me, there are plenty of folks who have agonized over this decision.

There are many really superior lenses to consider as walk around lenses. It's kind of like buying a compact point and shoot camera, though. What zoom range are you looking for?

For the purpose of this article, it shall be assumed that you are searching for a Zoom Lens rather than one with a fixed focal length. Most, though not all, new owners opt for the Canon "kit lens" as their first lens. While choosing a kit lens may make sense to you now, you will likely not be happy with the lens down the road. You either think you will just wait and purchase a better lens later, or you don't even think about a different lens.

That is not my view. You should get the very best glass(lens) that money can buy rather than spending money on an inferior kit lens. After all, you will want to upgrade fairly soon, anyway, so why not get more bang for your buck right up front.

There are several things to consider about the lens you are planning to buy.

First consideration is focal length. In general, a focal length of about 18-24mm on the short end and 55-75mm on the long end will give you a very useful range. Keep in mind that these numbers are not critical. There are also some excellent quality lenses that have about 105mm at the long end.

Canon, Sigma, and Tamron have recently released some pretty good lenses in the super-zoom category. These have focal lengths of 18mm at the short end and 200-270mm on the long end. They have gotten favorable reviews, however just keep in mind that the image quality will not be as good as those lenses with less zoom capability.

Second consideration is aperture. The best lenses will have a constant aperture of f/2.8 across all focal lengths. You can almost always save money by getting a lens with a variable aperture, such as f/3.5-5.6, but they will not give you the same performance in all situations, especially when lighting is a challenge.

The final thing to scrutinize when buying your first lens is price. For some, this may be the first thing to consider, but with DSLR photography, it really needs to follow the other two factors. Rather than getting the cheapest lens on the market just to have one, it would be far better in the long run to save enough money to start with a good lens. Don't make the same mistake that so many who have gone before you. If good image quality is something you take seriously, you will not be satisfied with a poorly constructed lens. It is very frustrating to try to take great pictures with poor quality lenses.

Now, you can save money by using Canon EOS lenses from third party manufacturers. Some third party lenses are top-notch and less costly than a Canon lens that is identical in capabilities.

A word of warning. Camera forums can be very informative, and they are full of well-meaning photographers, but they can also be very confusing. This is because the folks in those forums are very passionate about their opinions. They can mislead you by bashing certain cameras and products. While this is not always the case, if it happens to you, it could cloud your thinking and mess up your research.

User opinions on the Canon USE camera manufacturer site are much more helpful. Then there are other sites that will guide you as well. These are FredMiranda.com and online stores like Amazon.What do you believe is your beginning consideration as a new digital SLR owner? It should be which lens you want as a all-purpose lens. Believe me, there are plenty of folks who have agonized over this decision.

There are many really superior lenses to consider as walk around lenses. It's kind of like buying a compact point and shoot camera, though. What zoom range are you looking for?

There are several things to consider about the lens you are planning to buy.

Now, you can save money by using Canon EOS lenses from third party manufacturers. Some third party lenses are top-notch and less costly than a Canon lens that is identical in capabilities.

User opinions on the Canon USA camera manufacturer site are much more helpful. Then there are other sites that will guide you as well. These are FredMiranda.com and online stores like Amazon.

About the Author

I love photography and all things related to it. Cameras, camera gear, and image editing software fascinate me, so I am either buying the newest piece of equipment (or software) or researching my next purchase.

You can also find a short list of Canon EOS lenses that are really good for all-purpose or "walk-around" use at www.canoneoslenses.org.

World's First Canon 300mm L Lens Cup (real L lens!)