5 tips on buying a camera lens (contd..)

Tip 351 (Third party lenses): When buying 3rd party lenses, remember that they are cheaper, however, it is also true that their re-sale value is comparatively lower than that of Canon or Nikon lenses. If that if a factor for you, then do consider that point.

Tip 352 (Third party lenses versus equipment manufacturer lenses): Even though lenses made by camera manufacturers such as Canon and Nike are more expensive, and some of that is a premium charge, in many cases, the optics of these lenses are more improved as move away from the cheap lenses.

Tip 353 (Compatibility with future cameras): This one is a bit harder to visualize, but consider the upward compatibility of the lenses you buy. If you buy a lens from Canon or Nike, they will do their best to ensure that this lens works with future cameras; they do not make any such effort to guarantee this for 3rd party lenses.

Tip 354 (Consider the trade-off between weight and sturdiness): Plastic lens bodies are cheaper, lighter, but not as durable as the heavier lens bodies. This will be a trade off between ease of carrying and the physical conditions it can take.

Tip 355 (Trade off between price and quality): Third party lenses can offer some focal lengths and such features that are not available from the camera manufacturers. However, it is difficult to get accurate comparisons between third party lenses and lenses made by equipment manufacturers, so in the end, it is your choice.

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Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age

5 tips on buying a camera lens (contd..)

Tip 346 (Canon L series lens): When you are buying Canon lenses, sometimes you may have come across some lenses that are much more expensive, and have a thin red line at some point on the barrel of the lens. These are marked L for 'luxury', and are lens that are more sturdy, made of better material, and have a much better optical finish; but given that they are more expensive, you need to evaluate whether you have such a need.

Tip 347 (Color of great Canon telephoto lens): You must have been surprised sometime about seeing some Canon telephoto lens being white or off-white instead of black. These are the higher end telephoto lens for Canon, and are typically much more expensive.

Tip 348 (Just the red stripe on the lens not enough): So you found a lens for your Canon Digital camera, and it has a red stripe, and you are excited about getting a superior lens. However, you should assume that only if the lens is made by Canon, then a red stripe lens means that it is superior; buying a lens made by other companies with a red stripe is not reassurance of any kind.

Tip 349 (Canon low cost prime lens): Canon sells lenses in different price ranges, with the consumer plastic body lens being the most inferior. However, the prime lens in this range is still fairly decent, since these lens don't have to worry about the quality problems associated with the optics of a zoom lens.

Tip 350 (Kit lenses are on the lower scale of lenses in terms of quality): So, you are looking to buy a new Canon camera, and you find a great bargain in terms of a camera with 2 lenses, one being the typical 18-55, and the other being a lens that could be a zoom. You feel you have got a good bargain, but keep in mind that there is no such as a free lunch; the lens you got is at the bottom of the scale in terms of quality.

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5 tips on buying a camera lens (contd..)

Tip 1 (What are Canon's EF vs. EF-S lens): Deciphering what the acronyms written for the lens mean can be confusing for people who don't know what they mean. Till 2003, all the lens prepared by Canon were called EF (electrofocus); however, in 2003, Canon introduced the Digital Rebel series of cheaper DSLR's. For this new camera, there was a new lens introduced that was known as EF-S. All new Canon digital cameras are EF and EF-S compatible. However, the main difference between the EF and the EF-S lens are that EF-S lens have smaller mirror boxes, and smaller sensors. The EF-S lens work with the current range of Digital SLR's, but because of their smaller sensors, they will not work with any full frame cameras that Canon releases.

Tip 2 (Same lens works differently on film and digital cameras): Consider the above case again, where the EF lens will work on both film and digital cameras. However, the EF lens on a film camera will show more of the scene that a digital camera (except for a full frame digital camera).

Tip 3 (When the lens has the term full frame equivalent or 35mm equivalent): This term refers to the fact that most digital cameras have a sensor that is smaller than on a film camera, and as result, there is a factor known as the cropping factor. So a digital camera with a cropping factor of 1.6 will mean that a lens with a 60mm focal length will actually be the same as a lens of 96mm focal length on a film camera. Keep this calculation in mind when deciding to purchase a lens.

Tip 4 (Read the focal lenghts printed on the lens and the box): Many times, people are confused when they read all the acronyms printed on the lens (and on the lens box). One of these acronyms refers to the focal length, so a lens with the text 80-200mm refers to a zoom lens with the focal lenght between 80mm and 200mm

Tip 5 (Aperture printed on the lens): Lens also have the aperture printed on them. If you don't have a high end lens, it is likely that your lens will not have the same maximum aperture at all zoom lengths, it is more likely that your zoom lens has the following text: 1:2.8-4.5. This means that the lens will have an aperture opening of 1/2.8 at the mimimum zoom, and 4.5 at the highest zoom, which means that you will have less light, and is certainly not a fast lens.

5 tips on buying a camera lens (contd..)

Tip 1 (Consider your use): Lenses have their own specific uses. Don't go in for a lens before taking a detailed look at what your needs are. Consider the case of a friend of mine who always hankered for a zoom lens, and then bought a 80-200 zoom lens. After buying it, a few months later he realized that he had not utilized the lens significantly, and then realized that there were few situations where this lens is required. So, evaluate your need, and then go ahead for the purchase.

Tip 2 (Do an intensive study of your needs): There are a whole host of questions you should ask yourself before you go in for a lens. Some of these questions are:
- Do you need them for specialized work such as wildlife or sports photography: This would mean that you need zoom lens, but with a good constant aperture. The lens is likley to be more expensive
- Are you more interested in portraits or wedding events: Less need of a zoom lens, and more to get a prime lens or a normal high aperture lens
- Interested in macro photograhy: Take lens that are more suited to macro photography
- Interested in normal city life / urban life, along with capturing street level views: Might want to consider a wide angle lens, since that will give you a greater coverage. Would need to explore to buy a lens that give you a good quality in such shooting
- Interested more in night and low light photography: There are lens that work fast in such a situation
- Interested in shooting for stock purposes: Carefully review and evaluate the lens so that the quality of the lens is high, else the photos will have defects or will not be totally sound

Tip 3 (Set a budget): Once you set a budget, it helps in making your mind up more easily. Else you may get tempted by the technical specifications of a lens and spend more money that you really wanted to

Tip 4 (Ask around, friends and forum): If you have friends who are avid photographers, or somebody who is in a business related to photography, or you are a member of a photography club or forum, there is nothing wrong in outlining your needs and asking for a recommendation. It will be far easier for you to come close to a specific lens decision this way.

Tip 5 (Read and learn more about the lens): The internet is a wonderful resource for learning more about a lens you may have selected. There will be a large number of reviews, and it might help you in confirming your selection, or learning that there are serious deficiencies because of which you dropped your current lens selection.

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5 tips on buying a camera lens

Tip 1 (Zoom lens and apertures): A zoom lens may seem great, since you can get different focal lengths in the same lens. So, if you have a lens that covers say from 70-300, that lens should supposedly be great. Unfortunately, there are some problems that start coming up. For example, most zoom lens don't have a constant maximum aperture, and you may find that you are not able to shoot at the maximum largest aperture, and hence start finding inadequate light in some cases. For zoom lens that have constant maximum aperture, the cost can be much higher.

Tip 2 (Difference in magnification power between digital camera and film camera): If you have a film camera, or a digital camera, the magnification power varies, and is generally higher on the same lens fitted digital camera.

Tip 3 (Aperture and maximum apertures): You would have heard of aperture many times, so what is it ? Aperture essentially defines the size of the opening on top of a lens that lets in the light, and as you might imagine, a larger opening lets in more light. Apertures are defined in terms of f-stops, and confusingly, is in reverse, so a larger opening has a smaller value, and hence f/1.4 lets in much more light than f/2.8, which lets in much more light than f/22.

Tip 4 (Fast lens and slow lens): Sometimes you hear about fast lens, and slow lens, and you must be wondering about these terms. A fast lens lets in much more light than a slow lens, and is essentially related to the aperture of the lens. A fast lens allows for better photography when the light is less.

Tip 5 (Keeping a grip on prices): Lens can increasingly get very expensive, so super-zoom lens are very expensive, and also fairly heavy, needing their own tripod support. Further, fixed aperture zoom lens are much more expensive than lens on which the aperture is not constant, and you should evaluate as to whether the need for constant aperture is important to you.

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5 tips on evaluating your lens before buying

Tip 1 (Check that the lens works on the body): This may seem a very obvious tip, but I have seen a couple of people get very impressed over a lens; they went ahead to buy it after doing a cursory check with their camera specs. Later they found that there was a mismatch because of which they were not able to use the lens to its full potential. Before drooling over that lens and whipping out the money, be sure to check whether it works with your camera.

Tip 2 (When buying ultra zoom lenses, check for color blurring): For telescopic lens, there is a problem known as color blurring that happens as the lens is beig used at its maximum focal length. This problem can be corrected inside the lens itself through the various lens elements, but you should check to make sure that the lens you are buying has this reduced to the maximum possible.

Tip 3 (Evaluate the need for silent): Some lens make sounds when they are being used, such as the sounds of the focusing motor being clearly audible. This is a huge impediment when you are a photo-journalist, or shooting wildlife. Be sure to check out the sound levels of your lens, rather than be stuck with an advance warning signal that scares off animals.

Tip 4 (Check for lens ruggedness): For people who travel a lot, or who take shots in conditions that are not controlled, it is important that your lens have a proper tripod mount, be packed well in a case that reduces shock, and the lens itself is rugged and water prood (depends on the usage).

Tip 5 (Try out a lens before buying): You are getting a great deal on a lens bargain (either from a friend or a sale on the internet), but you have not used the lens yourself, not even held it and tried to use it. Avoid such situations; you need to have tried out the lens before buying it so that you know that the lens options, feel on the hand, and hefting is all comfortable to you. Being able to take quick snap shots depends on how comfortable you are with your camera and lens.

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