What lens will I need?
The 4 recommended lenses to start
Although Nikon lenses generally can’t be used on Canon camera bodies and vice versa, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck buying only Canon/Nikon lenses; there are quite a few third party lens manufacturers that create lenses of varying qualities. Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and Carl Zeiss all create lenses for a multitude of cameras. Third-party lenses aren’t necessarily ‘worse’ than lenses made by the manufacturer of your camera — a high-end Sigma zoom can often be better than a similarly priced Canon or Nikon equivalent. However, if you compare the best third-party lenses with the best ‘brand’ lenses, the big-brand lenses tend to come out a little bit better in test.
Kit Lens, 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
- They’re great for getting started because they can act as several lenses in one.
- They’re usually some of the most inexpensive starter lenses available
- Because the f-stop is a range and is not fixed, the depth of field is limited. This means that if you zoom in all the way, your aperture will automatically adjust from f/3.5 to f/5.6 and allow less light to enter the lens.
Telephoto Zoom, 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6
- This lens can get to be a bit pricier, but the range you’ll have access to zoom through is remarkable.
- Because this lens also has an f-stop range of f/4.0-5.6 and is not fixed, you will lose the capability to allow more light into the lens when you zoom in closer.
- This lens can get to be a bit pricier, but the range you’ll have access to zoom through is remarkable.
- If you’re looking for a wider range of zoom and don’t want to lose any depth or light, there are great telephoto zoom lenses with a fixed f-stop.
Wide Angle, 10-18 or 24mm, f/4.5-5.6
If you find yourself shooting outdoors frequently and want to get as much of the view in your frame as possible, the width of a kit lens’ focal range just won’t cut it. These lenses are great for landscape and architectural photography, and work especially well for taking large group portraits.
Our favorite - 50mm f/1.8
This lens is not expensive, but can be used most frequently. Although the 50mm lacks the ability to zoom in or out due to its fixed focal length, it allows for beautiful depth to achieve that blurry, dream-like background. The images you take will be sharper and crisper than those taken with your kit lens. This lens works surprisingly well in low light and the its compact size makes it easy to travel with. Especially good for portraits.
