Understanding Lens Requirements

You’ve got a little background in lenses now, and you’re ready to learn exactly what you should be looking for when choosing lenses for your digital SLR. After all, the lenses you own affect the quality of your images as well as the kinds of pictures you can take. The most important factors in choosing a lens are the quality of the lens, the resolution of the images it produces, the amount of light it can transmit (that is, its maximum lens opening), its focusing range (how close you can be to your subject), and the amount of magnification (or zooming, in a zoom lens) that it provides. Here are some of the things you should consider.

Image Quality

If you’re graduating from a digital point-and-shoot camera, one of the first things you notice is how concerned your colleagues are over lens sharpness. Most point-and-shooters don’t worry about it that much because there is little they can do about it, anyway, other than purchasing another camera. The lens on a non-SLR is what it is; it may be sharp or it may be less sharp, and that’s it. The situation is similar to the horsepower question in an econobox automobile. You didn’t purchase the vehicle for its horsepower. You’d be more interested in engine power if you had a sports car that, perhaps, could be souped up a little with some aftermarket components.