Choosing a lens is a demanding task. Before purchasing it, you need to know what types of lenses exist, what are their main features and differences from each other.
Lens selection
Professional photographers assure that a good lens is the key to successful shooting. Of course, the quality of photographs will depend on the skill of the photographer, and on the type of technique, and on a number of other reasons. But the role of the lens cannot be underestimated. Professionals believe that it is better to buy a cheaper camera and choose good optics for it, and not vice versa.
When choosing a lens, you should focus primarily on your own needs. It is very important to consider such an indicator as the focal length. According to this parameter, all lenses are divided into wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, normal, telephoto and telephoto lenses. If the focal length is constant, then such lenses are called "fixes".
Wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses are designed primarily for landscape and general shots. You cannot shoot large portraits on them, since the image proportions will be very distorted at the edges of the frame. An example of a wide-angle prime lens is the Canon EF 28mm f / 2.8 IS USM.
Normal focal length lenses are versatile lenses. They are designed to capture people and specific subjects. Many photographers prefer just such models. The most sought after normal focal length lens is the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.4.
Lenses are considered to be long focal lengths, the focal length of which is more than 50 mm. At the same time, models with a focal length of 85 mm and 135 mm are considered classic portrait lenses. They can be used to take close-up portraits of people. If the focal length of the model is higher than 135 mm, then it already belongs to the so-called telephoto lenses. Such lenses greatly enlarge the image. With their help, it becomes possible to take very interesting pictures, while being at a distance from the subject.
The Canon brand currently produces exclusively autofocus lenses. Built-in autofocus allows you to take pictures in difficult conditions when the subject is in motion. Despite the obvious advantages of such models, some photographers still use outdated non-autofocus lenses for leisurely work.
Varifocal Lenses
Many photographers prefer to purchase zoom lenses that can change the focal length within a certain range to suit their own needs. The quality of such lenses is slightly lower than those in which the focal length remains unchanged, but their use is very convenient. Such a thing will become indispensable when traveling, when a person simply cannot carry a whole backpack with photographic equipment. The inexpensive Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 zoom lens and the more versatile Canon EF-S 18-135mm f / 3.5-5.6 are in high demand these days.
When buying a lens, you should also pay attention to the f-number. The lower it is, the more aperture the lens is. High-aperture models allow shooting indoors with difficult light conditions.
Canon lenses vary widely in their performance. All models of the highest quality are marked with "L". These optics are very expensive and are usually only used by professional photographers.
