!7: Digital Slr Lens Buy: 2011

!±8± Buy Your First Canon Digital SLR Lens - 4 Questions to Ask Before Buying

Decisions, decisions! Which Canon Digital SLR lens should you buy?

It was probably a research and decision process just to decide on the right Canon EOS camera, right? But now you are faced with a huge sea of lenses, both by Canon and by third party manufacturers.

So which one do you choose?

Of course, you could just pick up the package deal that includes what is know as a kit lens. And there are even packages that include two or three kit lenses that cover a wide spectrum of focal lengths. Then there would be no decision.

However, if you are a discerning shopper, you will want to get the best Canon camera lens possible for your money.

Some new digital SLR owners agonize over this decision for days, weeks, and months. In fact, there is a posted question on one of the camera forums that is over two years old, and the original poster has not yet made up his mind. Now that is a bit extreme.

But the truth is, you want to make sure you get a lens that will serve your photography needs with the best quality photos possible.

This brings up the question, "Why not just get the kit lens?" The answer is a simple one. While the kit lens is adequate as a beginner Canon camera lens, it is not the best lens they make. Its purpose is to get a lens on that camera so you can get started taking pictures right out of the box. Many buyers opt to get just the camera body and buy the lens or lenses for their camera separately.

Here are some questions that will help you narrow the field.

1. What is your budget?

This may just be the only question you have to answer. If your budget only includes the camera and a kit lens, then you are done. If, however, there is some money allocated for a lens, you can think about the remaining questions. A limited budget of 0 or less will put you in one area, whereas 00 will give you much more flexibility in your final decision.

2. What type of photos will you be taking the majority of the time?

You probably have a preference as to the types of images you prefer to capture. After all, most folks do not buy a digital SLR camera as their first camera. If you take lots of snapshots of family and friends or vacation photos, perhaps the focal range of 18-70mm (or something within those parameters) will be perfect. But if nature, sports, or portraits are your favorite types of images, the ranges you consider are going to be much different.

3. Will you be buying more than one lens for this new Canon Digital SLR camera?

Buying more than one DSLR lens is really the second reason why most photographers move into Digital SLR photography, the first reason being their desire to get a more sophisticated camera. If you budget allows for another lens or two, then the first lens choice can focus more on getting the best image in the 17-75mm range. Your second lens should be one of the 70-200mm or 70-300mm lenses.

4. Which Canon EOS camera did you buy (or will you be buying)?

This is an important question that may eliminate a few lenses from your consideration. If you buy one of the entry to mid level digital SLRs, you can buy almost any Canon EF lens or third party lenses made for Canon. If, on the other hand, you buy a more professional "full frame" camera, you can not get any of the lenses that are designated at EF-S lenses, as they are for only the crop frame models such as the Rebel series.

The decision to move to a DSLR camera is an exciting one, but it is not without its research and challenges. You really need to do your homework before making this buying decision.