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Lens Buying Guide

Lens Buying Guide

One of the joys of owning a digital SLR is the ability to change lenses to suit a huge range of scenes and situations. The lens is one of the most influential elements of your photography so which should you be adding to your kit?

A top consideration when choosing a new lens is its focal length. This dictates the amount of the object or scene that you'll be able to capture in the frame.

  • Wide Angle
    Less than 35mm - makes it a wide-angle lens and excellent for landscapes
  • Standard
    More than 50mm - then it's a telephoto lens and will bring everything closer
  • Zoom
    85mm to 135mm - is a great choice for taking portraits
  • Telephoto
    More than 200mm - the one to select for sports and wildlife photography

If you're keen to get your hands on a lens over 200mm, it's also good to invest in a monopod to support the weight and length of your new kit. Monopods give you the power to follow your subject in one steady pan, whether it's a striker sprinting towards the goal or a big cat stalking its prey.

Choosing a lens can depend on the camera you own. Unless your digital SLR has a full frame sensor, then it has what's called a cropping factor (APS-C), which reduces the field of view you would achieve with a 35mm camera - in effect, the higher the crop factor, the less you get into the frame when using the same lens focal length. For example, a 70-300mm lens on a Canon digital SLR at x1.6 would cover a field of view equivalent to a 112-480mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Choosing your lens - APSC and full frame
A variety of lenses are available to suit the two main types of digital SLR cameras - APS-C and full frame. A full frame sensor, described above, is the same size as a traditional 35mm film frame and is found in professional standard cameras, while the slightly smaller PS-C sensor is usually found in entry level digital SLRs.

EF
Canon lens suitable for cameras with either full frame or APS-C size sensors

EF-S
Canon lens recommended only for cameras with APS-C size sensors

FX
Nikon lens suitable for cameras with either full frame or APS-C size sensors

DX
Nikon lens recommended only for cameras with APS-C size sensors

DT
Sony lens recommended only for cameras with APS-C size sensors (all other Sony lenses are suitable for both sensor sizes)

Di
Tamron lens suitable for cameras with either full frame or APS-C size sensors

Di II
Tamron lens recommended only for cameras with APS-C size sensors

Understanding the lens codes
Through our range of lenses you will see a number of different codes used referring to the functions of individual lenses. Here is a check list of the fuctions for some of the lens manufacturers:

Canon Lenses

L
Indicates a professional L-series lens -the ultimate in image performance and operability, with protection against weather and the elements. L-series lenses include special optical materials such as fluorite, ultra low dispersion (UD) or super UD elements.

Optical Image Stabiliser
Image Stabilisers detect and compensate for unwanted movement, allowing for the use of shutter speeds up to three stops slower than would be otherwise possible.

Ultrasonic (USM)
Indicates an Ultra SONIC Motor. Technology pioneered by Canon to produce highly responsive, super-fast focusing with excellent holding torque.

Super Spectra Coating
All Canon lenses feature SSC (Super Spectra Coating). This virtually eliminates ghosting and flare.

DO
Indicates the use of multi-layer Diffractive Optical elements. This revolutionary technology, unique to Canon, enables the manufacture of smaller, lighter and outstanding performance photo lenses.

II or III, etc
Indicate the version of the lens. Existing lenses are often redesigned to improve their performance.

EF-S
EF Lenses designed to fit EOS models with the EF-S mount. Use of these lenses on digital SLRs with full frame sensors is not recommended.

Nikon Lenses

DX Nikkor Lens
Specifically designed for use with Nikon DX Format digital SLRs.

Silent Wave Motor
The 'S' in 'AFS'. This motor enables high speed autofocusing that is extremely accurate and super quiet. Designated NAFS in the listings. Required for D40 and D60 models.

M/A Mode
Allows fast switching to manual focusing with AF-S lenses whilst in any autofocus mode.

Aspherical Lens Elements
These virtually eliminate the problem of coma and other types of lens aberration, even when used at wide-open apertures.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating
An exclusive multilayer coating that helps reduce ghost and flare to a negligible level.

Internal Focusing
Allows for a more compact and lightweight construction as well as a closer focusing distance. Featured in most telephoto lenses and a few select zooms.

Vibration Reduction
Special motors in the lens compensate for image blur that would be caused by movement of the lens, resulting in sharper images.