How to Select the Right Lens for a Digital SLR Camera

One of the great advantages of digital SLR cameras is the ability to change the digital SLR camera lens.

This allows a single camera to become very flexible and adaptable to your specific type of photography.

If you thought the huge range of choices made picking out a digital SLR camera difficult, you’ll find picking out the right digital SLR camera lens even more overwhelming.

There are hundreds of digital SLR camera lenses in every size, shape, price, and specialization imaginable. This article will describe some of the most common types of digital SLR camera lenses, and what type of photography they are best suited for.

First of all, know what brand your camera is. Digital SLR camera lenses are not interchangeable. In other words, a Canon lens will not work with a Nikon camera. This is because each brand of digital SLR camera has a unique and proprietary lens mount.

The lens must fit perfectly into the lens mount so that an electrical connection can be established between the camera and lens. Although some third-party companies make generic lenses that will fit specific brands of camera, always make sure your camera is compatible with a lens before buying it.

Telescopic Lens

Also known as telephoto lenses, these make a subject appear a lot closer (and in greater detail) than they actually are, as if you are looking through a telescope. Telephoto lenses are popular for wildlife photography (so you won’t scare the animals away), and for sports photography (allowing close up shots while staying away from the game).

A wide angle lens has a greater field of vision, allowing you to photograph a wider area. Wide angle lenses are useful for landscape photography. They are also particularly useful for the cramped conditions of indoor photography, allowing you to capture an image your would otherwise not be able to back up far enough to frame properly.

Zoom Lens

A zoom lens is one of the most popular and flexible lenses. It allows you to do both wide-angle photography (like landscapes) and telescopic photography (like wildlife) with the same camera, without having to change lenses.

Fast Lens

A fast lens is one with a larger aperture opening designed to allow more light in. Consequently, the shutter doesn’t need to be open as long to capture the image on the light sensor. In other words, the shutter opens and closes faster. This allows a fest lens to capture images of moving subjects with freeze-frame precision, even in low light conditions. Fast lenses are perfect for action, sport, and wildlife photography.

Stabilized Lens

Stabilized lenses automatically correct for small hand tremors and jitters when using a digital SLR camera without a tripod. This is especially useful in telescopic photography, where even the smallest hand jitter, multiplied several times through the lens’s magnification, can blur a picture or throw off a framed shot. Stabilized lenses go by many other names and acronyms, including OS (Optical Stabilization), IS (Image Stabilization), VC (Vibration Compensation), and VR (Vibration Reduction).

The best way to determine what kind of digital SLR camera lens you need is to first determine what kind of photography you will be doing. Landscape, sports, and wildlife photography all require different types of specialized lenses. Once you determine what type of digital SLR camera lens is best for your style of photography, you’ll be able to pick one out with more confidence.