Buy Your First Canon Digital SLR Lens - Which Lens Is Right For You

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L

Once you have decided on the right Canon EOS camera, your decision making process is not over. Which Canon Digital SLR lens should you buy?

It was probably a research and decision process just to settle on the correct Canon EOS camera, right? Before you lies this huge range of lenses. Not only Canon lenses, but those from third party suppliers as well.

Now what, how do you select one?

Maybe you choose to avoid this whole situation and go with the package deal that includes the kit lens. Some online stores even have deals that involve two kit lenses to cover the basic spectrum of focal lengths. Then there would be no choice to make.

But, if you are anything like,similar to most new digital SLR buyers, you will want to get the best lens available. After all, that's where some of the excitement comes from, the assembly of the camera bag and its contents.

Some new digital SLR owners fret over this choice for days, weeks, and months. If you go online to some of the camera forums, you will see how totally involved some photographers are in lens selection. Some people take it too far for it to be fun.

At the end of the day, you want this decision to be the right one. The one that gets just the right lens onto your camera.

Before moving on, let's settle this question, "Why not merely go for the kit lens?" Buying the kit lens was mentioned above, and the answer is a simple one. You could purchase the kit lens and be quite happy with it. Lot's of do that. But it just is not most fantastic lens created for a Canon EOS digital SLR camera. Its aim is to get a lens on that camera so you can get started taking pictures right out of the box. Perhaps you are thinking about what lots of people do. Buy the camera body only, without the kit lens. Then you have the freedom to get a lens of your own choice separate from the kit lens.

As you go through the lens evaluation process, think about a number of questions that will assist you slim down the number of choices.

1. What is your budget?

This may just be the lone question you have to answer. If your money does not allow for any lens wiggle room, you just get the kit lens and start shooting. If that is not the case, and you are in a position to spend some of your budget on a lens or two, you are ready to move ahead with the questions. A limited budget of $500 or less will put you in one area, whereas $1000 will give you much more flexibility in your final decision.

2. What kind of photos will you be taking the majority of the time?

More than likely, you have developed a preference concerning the images that you really like and work well with. Most photographers acquire a favorite style even before they buys to their first digital SLR. For shooting photos of family and friends or vacation, the focal range of 18-70mm (or something within those parameters) will be perfect. But if nature, sports, or portraits are your favorite types of images, the ranges you regard are going to be much different.

3. Is your plan to begin with a number of lenses? Not just one?

Usually buyers of digital SLR cameras have plans for having a variety of lenses. It is the number one or two reason many folks go the DSLR route in the first place (the other reason is simply to get better images with a better camera). If you budget allows for another lens or two, then the first lens choice can focus more on getting the best image in the 17-75mm range. Your second lens should be one of the 70-200mm or 70-300mm lenses.

4. The final question is this: Which Canon EOS camera did you decide on?

Depending on your answer, you may not be able to get some of the Canon or third party lenses simply because they will not work on your camera. If you buy one of the entry to mid level digital SLRs, you can buy almost any Canon EF lens or third party lenses made for Canon. If, on the other hand, you buy a more professional "full frame" camera, you can not get any of the lenses that are designated at EF-S lenses, as they are for only the crop frame models such as the Rebel series.

The decision to move to a DSLR camera is an exciting one, but it is not without its research and challenges. You really need to do your homework before making this buying decision.

Making the wrong lens choice is especially painful if you only have a limited amount of funds for photography equipment.

Fortunately, there are resources available to help you decide which Canon digital SLR lens is right for you.

Go to www.canoneoslenses.org to continue your quest for the best lens for your Canon EOS camera.