Camera Lenses

“What camera lenses do you need? Is a zoom lens better than a lens with a fixed focal length - is the possible reduction of picture quality a price worth paying?”

Digital SLR Lenses

So - what camera lenses do you need and should you buy?

This will very much depend on what type of pictures you want to take, as they will all make different demands of your lens. Portrait photography normally requires a focal length of between 50mm (ideal for a family group) to 135mm (ideal for a flattering “head & shoulders” shot).

Outdoor landscape and interior pictures will need a wider angle of 17mm to 35mm - but there will always be the occasion when you want to “zoom in” on a distant scene in which case, a focal lenght of 100mm to 300mm  would be more appropriate. This longer focal length is also ideal for sport and wildlife shots.

Types of Camera Lenses

Whatever focal length you need there are two types of camera lenses available (excluding specialist equipment). These are:

• Prime: Prime camera lenses have a single fixed focal length. This means that you will have to move towards or away from your subject until you frame the shot as you want it.

• Zoom: Zoom camera lenses have a variable focal length and you can adjust the lens to any focal length within its range. So instead of moving yourself you can use your lens to “zoom” in or out until you frame the shot as you want it. 18mm - 55mm or 70mm - 300mm are typical ranges but there are many, many more.

Amazon has a large selection of camera lenses and to help you see what choices are available I have searched the USA and UK stores.  To see the USA results click here and to see the uk results click here .  These searches will also give you an indication of cost.  (if you see a lens that you want these links will allow you to make a purchase.) 


Buying different prime camera lenses for each focal length you need can make your hobby very expensive and, because a prime lens has a fixed focal length, they are not as convenient as a zoom lens. On the other hand the quality of a prime lens is likely to be better than a zoom lens and it will probably have a better aperture range.

However, with just two or three zoom camera lenses you can easily cover the range of 17mm (very wide angle) to 300mm (telephoto) and have a focal length to suit almost every situation from landscape to portrait and wildlife to interior. This is therefore the cheaper and much more convenient option. The only “downside” to buying zoom camera lenses is that they are unlikely to have as good an aperture range as a prime lens and therefore less able to deal with low light conditions or freeze a moving object.

As you may have gathered because of the cost, flexibility and convenience I am a fan of zoom camera lenses. Their flexibility, convenience and cost saving overrides the possible marginal loss of picture quality. So I recommend that you purchase zoom camera lenses that meet your subject requirements.

The camera manufacturers own camera lenses are probably the best - but are also the most expensive. Manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron make perfectly good compatible camera lenses for most well known cameras such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus at more reasonable prices and these are what I use - but remember the number 1 rule - make sure the lens you choose has an aperture range that will suit the pictures you want to take.

Hopefully, I have given you some help in deciding what camera lenses you need and which ones to buy.





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