(Last Updated On: July 16, 2023)
What Should I Look for When Buying a DSLR Lens?
Choosing the photographic lens is always very difficult, and sometimes you risk spending money to buy something that you will then have to change in a short time because it does not correspond to your needs. Luckily, expensive lenses do not devalue very quickly, so you can resell them for more than half the initial value. What Should I Look for When Buying a DSLR Lens?
If you have just bought a reflex or mirrorless camera, I guess the idea of purchasing a new lens may also be hanging around in your head.
It is the proper thought to do because if you bought the camera only with the standard lens of the kit, know that it will never show you its full potential. Yes, because the optics of the gears on the market are not exactly the best you can have, indeed consider it a limit.
The standard lenses sold in kits with the cameras, usually with those of the medium-low range, are zooms with a short focal range, often even lower than that of many compact cameras.
According to the camera manufacturer, the most common kit lenses are 18-55mm or 14-42mm.To be clear, we are talking about 3x zoom, and some compacts easily reach 20x. Further, even from a constructive point of view, it is not that they are the best.
However, do not immediately think that there is a second significant expense ahead of you and that you should never use your kit optics because in recent years, however, great strides have been made.
There are some important considerations to make before purchasing a lens, which I want to share to help you make an informed choice.
The first thing to think about when buying a lens is the budget you have available. However, we must also be careful not to waste money by purchasing a product that you may change after a few months. Before buying a medium-quality lens, if you are very passionate about photography, consider purchasing a better lens.
The brighter lenses, that is, with which it is possible to open the aperture a lot (for example to 2.8 but also at larger apertures such as 1.8 or even 1.2), are also the most expensive. It will be impossible for you to take pictures if you do not have bright enough lenses in certain situations.
Moreover, when you buy an interchangeable lens camera, be it DSLR or mirrorless, you automatically choose and accept the consequences that come with it. The first has to select lenses from the same brand or those made by third parties for that particular manufacturer.
For example, trivially, a Canon lens does not have the same amount as Nikon’s bayonet, so it will only go on Canon cameras. Nevertheless, even within the same brand, there may be differences between mirrorless and reflex systems, but not only.
Lastly, to start expanding your kit, remember that it may be wise to think of lenses made by renowned manufacturers to save some money to invest in other helpful equipment.
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