Some Guidelines for Buying a Digital Camera Lens

Once you have spent some time mastering your digital camera and its basic lens, you may want to invest in at least one additional lens for even more advanced shots. Until you have a strong need to take those special kinds of images, a mid-focal-length lens will accomplish most desired shots. A good rule of thumb is to purchase an additional lens with at least twice the focal length as your starter lens. Three lenses to consider are generally a 28-millimeter (mm) macro lens with a wide angle for close-up shots, a 50 mm lens for most regular focal length shots, and a 100-105 mm lens for longer shots and for quality portraits.

An ultra-wide-angle lens is one that is measured 24 mm or less, and a 200+ mm lens is often known as an ultra-long lens. These types of lenses are more highly specialized and tend to have a more limited range of application.

Buying a zoom lens can also be tricky because many of them automatically reduce the lens aperture as you increase the focal length. This can result in too little available light for indoor shooting without the use of the camera flash. These lenses can also be subject to blurred subject matter without the use of a tripod if you use them with slower shutter speeds.

Some specialty lenses have more of an F-stop range than others, and they can be noticeably higher in price as a result. Extra aperture options may or may not be useful depending on the subject matter and lighting conditions you plan to shoot. F-stops that can open to F-2 or even lower can be used in mostly dim indoor light without the camera flash firing.

A used camera lens can be a good choice if you wish to save on the price of a more advanced lens with a wider aperture range. Many secondhand photo equipment dealers are reputable and thorough about checking lenses for defects prior to selling, though it never hurts to double-check for excess wear and tear or lens scratches. Any lens should also open easily over each F-stop in the aperture range.

The best ways to try out a new camera lens are to take several pictures at each available F-stop. Many camera supply stores offer camera test charts that can be useful for testing the ideal clarity of each resulting image. It is also always a good idea to ask about warranties or trial periods prior to making the purchase of a new camera lens.

Once you have selected and tried out each of your choices for a new lens and are happy with the results, another recommended accessory is often a detachable lens hood. The correct size of a lens hood is usually one that matches up to the measurement of the lens focal length.