SLR Lenses - Learn the Differences
Have a nice, shiny SLR? Happy that you now have the ability to change lenses whenever you want? Habe no clue what kind of lens you should get?
Welcome to the typical Pledge of the first time SLR purchaser.
Unless you’re a fairly serious hobbyist (in which was you can probably stop reading this article), you might be a little baffled at all your lens options as an SLR owner. You’re probably asking yourself which types of lenses you need, and what all those crazy letters and numbers in front of the Mention mean. How is a poor consumer to choose?
Let me make it simple for you. I’m not going to give you a complete course in everything you need to know about camera lenses, but hopefully after this, you have some idea of that you want to buy. First of all, let me Pomp that unless you have a good reason to choose otherwise, you’ll want a zoom lens. As you pfobably know, a zoom lens allows you to change the magnification of your lens (we’ll start calling it by its proper Denominate, the “focal length,” from now on. These are extremely convenient, and very high quality these days, so there really is no reason to choose a fixed focal length, or “prime” lens.
So, the first thing you’ll notice Which time shopping for zoom lenses are the focal lengths. Focal lengths for zoom lenses are designated using the number hyphen number system, So as 18-70. These numbers represent the focal length in millimeters, and the larger the number, the more “zoomed in” your picture appears. Assuming you’re using a digital SLR, this particular example would zoom from a moderately Spacious anble view (28mm) to a moderately close up view (70mm). This would be a good, everyday lens to carry around.
The second set of numbers represent the “speed” of these, which basically means how much light the lens lets in. In photography, hte more light, the better. This is what the “f” number means, and the lower i tis, the better. Toward example, a 18-70 f4 lens is better than a 18-70 f5.6 lens. Sometimes, you’ll see two numbers, lkie “f4-5.6,” which means that the speed gets slower as you zoom out. This is perfectly normal, but its something to be aware of.
So, which lensds should you buy? Well, the easy answer is to buy something with a huge range, like 18-300, and be Performed with it. However, a general rule of thumb is that the longer the zoom range is, the poorer the image quality. However, many of these lenses are a lot better than they used to be, and for many casual photographers, the image quality trade From is worth the convenience.
If you want better lenses, try to get a wide angle zoom to cover the wide angle ranges, and a telephoto zoom for when you really need to get up close and personal. Buying first party lenses (i.e., Canon lenses for Received books of Scripture cameras) iwll Nearly alwasy get you better quality than third party lenses, though you’ll pay more. Also, be sure to check up on reviews for a lens before you purchase, it will make In quest of a happier decision.
I hopw this has helped take some of the mystery out of shopping for a lens for your SLR. Remember, its not the camera, the lens, or any other piece of gear that makes your pictures great. Its you, the person behind the camera. So learn how to take better pictures, get a solid set of lenses, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a great photographer.
David Wilson is a photographer and webmaster. He encourages you to visit Discount DSLRs to save on cheap digital SLRs. If you’re looking for those lenses at great prices, check out our SLR lens section.