Buying A Lens For Your Digital SLR
So, you have a brand new digital SLR, and might be thinking about buying some new glass to go on front. After all, being able to change out lenses is one of the best reasons to get an SLR in the first place. You will be on the hunt for new glass soon if you aren’t already.
So, you’re getting some lenses, but which ones? It really depends on a lot of different factors. What kinds of things do you want to photograph? What do you want to spend? You’ll have to be thinking about all of these things.
Let’s say you’re just an average user. Your camera probably came with a decent, versatile zoom lens. You probably want your next lens purchase to fill in a gap left by this zoom lens. Like to take wildlife or sports pictures? Then you’ll need a fast telephoto lens. Like to do landscapes? Then a wide angle zoom (or fixed) lens might be in your future.
The zoom vs. prime debate is one thing you’ll certainly come across. Primes lenses are cheaper, sharper, and faster than zoom lenses, but of course they only give you one focal length. Zooms are more versatile, so its your choice as to which you value more.
If you do a lot of low light work, like concerts, you’ll need some fast lenses. Unfortunately, fast lenses come at a huge cost premium. They are also really heavy and bulky because of all the extra glass. Still, though, they are a great item for any photographer to own.
If you’re on a budget but want the kind of image quality a mid grade consumer zoom can’t give you, check into using old manual focus prime lenses. Many modern DSLRs can take excellent manual focus lenses from as long as 45 years ago. You’d be amazed at the quality of some of these lenses.
So, you can see that there are many, many different options for getting a lens for your new DSLR. Just be sure that you figure out what you’re looking for, and you should be able to find some awesome lenses that will greatly enhance your photographic experience.
Tags: Digital Photography, dslr lenses, electronics, hobbies, hobby, lenses, Photography Posted in
