Selecting camera lenses
Factors to consider when choosing camera lenses include application, flexibility and quality. In addition, analyze your commitment to the hobby, whether you plan to mainly shoot family photos or whether photography is an all-consuming passion and possibly something you hope to pursue professionally? Finally, your budget will ultimately mandate your final lens selection.
Instructions
1. Decide how you want to use the lens.
Determine how you will use the lens. Wide-angle lenses are appropriate for landscape photography. You will want a telephoto lens with a long focal length for maximum magnification to shoot distant wildlife, or a shorter focal length for portrait photography. Close-up photography calls for a lens with macro capabilities.
2. Choose a prime or zoom lens.
Evaluate whether a zoom or prime lens best suit your needs. A prime lens may be a normal, wide-angle or telephoto lens, but has a single focal length (as in 50mm or 85mm). Because it has fewer glass elements, a prime lens may be sharper. A zoom lens, on the other hand, offers a variety of focal lengths (as in 12-24mm or 18-270mm); some zoom lenses can transition from a wide-angle to a telephoto focal length, thus making lens changes unnecessary.
3. A faster lens offers greater flexibility in low light.
Choose the lens speed you need. The largest f-stop or lens opening indicates the lens speed. The larger the f-stop, the faster the lens, meaning more light will reach the camera's sensor. A faster lens allows greater flexibility in low-light settings.
4. Image stabilization can help you combat motion blur.
Determine if you want a lens with image stabilization (IS). Some manufacturers build IS into their camera bodies, while others incorporate the feature into their lenses. It's harder to hold a camera still when shooting with a shutter speed of less than 1/60th of a second. IS, which increases the cost of a lens, offsets body motion and could be invaluable when shooting in low light.
5. Your budget will determine what lens you purchase.
Look at your budget to decide the exact amount you can spend on your purchase. The sharpest lens with extra options can be significantly more expensive.
6. Thorough research will help you select the best lens for your application.
Research the possible choices available before committing to any purchase. In addition to Internet sources, public libraries generally subscribe to databases that supply consumer reviews. Local camera stores will often allow you to test a lens. Take your camera to the store, shoot some photos on-site with the lenses you want to evaluate, and then review the results at home before making your purchase decision.
Tags: focal length, lens with, faster lens, prime lens, budget will, camera lenses
