Once you have decided on the right Canon EOS camera, your decision making process is not over. How do you pick the right Canon digital SLR lens?
The first decision, the one that ended up in your choice of cameras, was probably one that involved research, seeking out the opinion of other camera owners, and lots of fretting. But now you are faced with a immense sea of lenses, both by Canon and by third party manufacturers.
Then which one do you choose?
Maybe you choose to avoid this whole situation and buy package deal that includes the kit lens. And there are even packages that have two or three kit lenses that cover a wide spectrum of focal lengths. Then there would be no decision.
But picking out the lenses for your digital SLR is half of the excitement of owning a camera like this.
Some new digital SLR owners worry over this decision for days, weeks, and months. If you go online to some of the camera forums, you will see how totally involved some photographers are in lens selection. Some people take it too far for it to be fun.
At the end of the day, you want this decision to be the right one. The one that gets just the right lens onto your camera.
Before moving on, let's settle this question, 'Why not merely get the kit lens?' Buying the kit lens was mentioned above, and the answer is a simple one. Even though the kit lens is ok as a beginner Canon camera lens, it is not the best lens they create. Its function is to get a lens on that camera so you can get started taking pictures right out of the box. Many buyers opt to get just the camera body and buy the lens or lenses for their camera separately.
As you go through the lens evaluation process, consider some questions that will help you slim down the number of choices.
1. What is your budget?
Possibly, you may not have to go past this question. If funds are limited to just a camera with the kit lens, you're done. If, however, there is some cash allocated for a lens, you can think about the remaining questions. A limited budget of $500 or less will put you in one area, whereas $1000 will give you much more flexibility in your final decision.
2. Do you have a favored sort of photography?
Most photographers tend to move toward a specific favored style. After all, most individuals do not purchase a digital SLR camera as their first camera. If you shoot lots of snapshots of family and friends or vacation photos, possibly the focal range of 18-70mm (or something within those parameters) will be great. But if nature, sports, or portraits are your favorite types of images, the ranges you consider are going to be much different.
3. Is your plan to begin with a number of lenses? Not just one?
Usually buyers of digital SLR cameras have plans for having a variety of lenses. It is the number one or two reason many folks go the DSLR route in the first place (the other reason is simply to get better images with a better camera). With an additional lens or two in mind, start off with a zoom lens with a range of about 17-75mm. Then add to that range with a 70-200mm, or even a 70-300mm lens. There are several Canon lenses in these focal lengths to choose from.
4. The final question is this: Which Canon EOS camera did you decide on?
This is an important question that may eliminate a few lenses from your consideration. This may sound strange, but if you buy one of the lower end Digital SLR cameras, for instance a Canon Digital Rebel, you have more choices. In fact, you can go with any of the lens offerings available. The more expensive, professional Canon models will not accept lenses that are made specifically for the entry level digital SLRs. These lenses have a designation code of EF-S.
The choice to move to a DSLR camera is an exciting one, but it is not without its exploration and challenges. You really need to do your homework before making this buying decision.
Making the wrong lens choice is especially painful if you only have a limited amount of cash for photography equipment.
Fortunately, there are resources available to help you decide which Canon digital SLR lens is right for you.
Make the right Canon digital SLR lens choice.
Choose your resources wisely!
www.canoneoslenses.org is such a valuable resource for Canon lenses.
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