A camera lens needs to have the right
- focal length
- aperture
- size and weight
- price
This article assumes that Nikon 1.5x crop DX cameras and Canon 1.6x crop EF-S cameras will be used. Full frame (Nikon FX, Canon EF) DSLRs are not considered.
Why Lens Aperture Matters
The lens aperture affects lens brightness. A bright lens means that faster shutter speeds can be used, freezing movement and reducing blur.
The larger the "f number", the darker the lens. The list below shows decreasing aperture in steps of one "stop". Each aperture is half the brightness of the aperture above it, double the brightness of the aperture below it.
- f1.4
- f2
- f2.8
- f4
- f5.6
- f8
- f11
Why Lens Sharpness Doesn't Matter
Most Canon and Nikon lenses are more than sharp enough. Even their entry-level kit lenses are sharp.
Photography magazines and websites obsess over lens resolution but a photograph is more likely to be blur due to photographer error than to lens quality.
Lenses for Portrait Photography
A 50mm f1.8 or f1.4 makes a great portrait lens. The large aperture is used to throw the background out of focus, drawing attention to the person in the photograph.
50mm allows a comfortable working distance between the photographer and the subject, not too near and not too far. A zoom lens is not required because portraits are posed, so the photographer has time to move closer or further away.
Lenses for Landscape Photography
A wide angle lens is good but longer focal lengths are useful for zooming in to distant mountains and other interesting details of the landscape. Lens weight is important if walking around for miles in the countryside. Heavy large aperture lenses are not required as there are no fast moving objects to photograph.
The Nikon and Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lenses are light, and are wide enough for general landscape photography. For more reach, the 55-200mm lenses are also cheap and light:
- Canon 55-200mm f4.5-5.6
- Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6
Wide angle lenses are useful, but heavy and expensive, only required if the 18-55mm zoom isn't wide enough:
- Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5
- Nikon 10-24mm f3.5-4.5
Lenses for Sports Photography
Sports photography needs long focal lengths to get close to the action, and large apertures for high shutter speeds to freeze movement.
Professional photographers use the Canon and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lenses as the bare minimum for sports photography. Longer lenses are used by full-time sports photographers. These are the huge lenses seen at sporting events. They can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Casual photographers can use the 55-200mm lenses mentioned above. Their f5.6 aperture is bright enough in sunlight but too dark for indoors. The Canon and Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6 lenses will add some reach, but not as much as might be expected.
Lenses for Travel Photography
Sightseeing means walking around all day. Travel photography lenses need to be light. They also should be cheap, in case the camera is stolen.
The 18-55mm kit lenses are ideal. The Canon and Nikon 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 super zooms are more versatile but also heavy and expensive.
One alternative is to use a large aperture prime lens. There is no zoom but the brighter lens is useful for handheld shots of building interiors (museums, art galleries), where flash is not allowed or is impractical:
- Canon 28mm f1.8
- Nikon 35mm f1.8
- Sigma 20mm f1.8 or 30mm f1.4
Lenses for Wedding Photography
The 18-200mm super zooms are popular for weddings. One lens can do it all, no photo opportunities are lost because of time wasted changing lenses: wide angle views of friends and family, close ups of emotional parents, the bride's and groom's hands during the exchange-of-rings ceremony.
The small f5.6 aperture isn't a problem as flash can be used.
A 50mm lens will also be useful for the many portrait photographs taken at weddings.
Lenses for Wildlife Photography
Wildlife photography is like sports photography, only longer focal lengths are needed and large apertures are less important. Few casual photographers are willing to pay for these lenses, and haul them for miles through the wilderness.
Beginner photographers can get their feet wet with the 70-300mm f4-5.6 zooms.
1.4x and 2x teleconverters can be used to increase the focal length, at the cost of a smaller aperture and loss of some image quality. Alternatively, the photographer can crop the photograph to zoom in. Some resolution is lost but the results can be good enough.
Party Lenses
The 18-55mm kit lenses are well suited to the confined spaces of indoor parties, especially if flash is used. The 35mm lenses mentioned earlier work well if flash is not desired.
The Best Lens
While recommendations can be made, photographers are encouraged to experiment with DSLR prime and zoom starter lenses. This will allow them decide which professional lenses to upgrade to.
Yuen Kit Mun - Kit Mun is a self-confessed information junkie, reading an average of a book a week over the past two decades. His growing Internet ...
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