When buying a SLR camera, close attention should be paid to the lens. In a fit of economy, you may be tempted to buy the kit lens that comes with your camera. It is inexpensive, and the seller praises it. However, there is no need to rush. The quality of your images and the pleasure you get will depend on which lens you choose for your camera.
Company manufacturer
Canon and Nikon are the undisputed leaders in the SLR camera market. The quality of the equipment from these companies has been tested by time and many satisfied customers. Naturally, you have to pay extra for the brand. For this reason, many novice photographers who are just mastering DSLR cameras take lenses from less well-known manufacturers: Tamron, Sigma, etc. Moreover, the combination of price and quality often leaves buyers satisfied. It is difficult to advise a specific company, you must also pay attention to the parameters of the lens itself.
Focal length
The focal length determines how much it will bring objects closer. By focal length, lenses can be divided into three groups:
1. Ordinary. They have a viewing angle of 50 degrees and a focal length of 50 mm. The picture is familiar, with the help of such lenses you can shoot most scenes.
2. Long focus. Angle of view is less than 30 degrees, focal length ranges between 85 and 500 mm (approx). Some lenses have focal lengths up to 1300mm - almost a telescope! Although the same Canon is limited to 400 mm.
3. Wide-angle. Angle of view more than 50 degrees, focal length from 12 to 35 mm. Capable of capturing impressive volumes of space, ideal for those cases when you need, for example, shooting a landscape or an apartment interior.
Do not forget that there are fixes (have a fixed focal length) and zooms (variable focal length). Zooms are more expensive than fixes, but they are more versatile, so it makes sense to purchase one zoom and several fixes.
Aperture ratio
Another important parameter of the lens is its aperture. Expensive quality lenses let in more light than their budget counterparts. The more light that passes through your lens, the better, as it makes it much easier to shoot in dark rooms and allows for greater clarity. If you mainly shoot beaches and landscapes where there is more than enough light, the issue of aperture may not bother you.
Stabilization
Optical image stabilization helps you take good pictures in low light. The optical stabilizer is located in the lens itself. For Canon lenses this parameter is marked with the letters IS, for Nikons - VR, for Sigma - OS.
Bayonet
You should also pay attention to the bayonet - the system for attaching the lens to the camera. Bayonets are of different types, depending on the matrix - it is cropped or full-size. Lenses that have been designed with the crop factor in mind are generally not suitable for use on full-frame cameras. When buying an analog lens, you should pay attention to which manufacturer's camera the lens was created for. For example, Sigma produces lenses with mounts designed for Nikon and Canon cameras.
Self testing
When choosing a lens, especially if you buy it hand-held, do a series of self-tests. You never know what they can slip you. To check the field of focus, take a picture of a piece of paper with divisions or a regular ruler, positioning it perpendicular to the camera. Focus on the marked division, and then check on the computer monitor whether the field of focus is where you were aiming or not.
You can check the uniform distribution of sharpness and the absence of distortion by photographing an ordinary newspaper, if you place it clearly in front of the camera and parallel to the last lens. See if there is distortion, if sharpness does not disappear towards the edges of the frame.
And the last test: take a photo of tree branches against the background of the sky and look at the image at a magnification to check for artifacts in the form of colored stripes around your lens - this is the effect of chromatic aberration. The less pronounced, the better.
