How to Buy Digital Camera Lenses

Executive summary about Digital Camera Lenses by Gary Hendricks

nikon digital camera lenses

There are so many different Digital Camera Lenses with varying specifications available that it can be quite overwhelming to find exactly what it is that you require from a lens, but that is where we step in to help. This article acts as a guide to explain the jargon and to allow you make a better-informed purchase the next time you are shopping for a new Digital Camera Lenses.

Choosing a Suitable Focal Length : The two main types of focal length are telephoto and wide-angle, and while telephoto lenses have a narrow field-of-view and are best suited for close-up shots and portraits, wide-angle lenses have a wider field-of-view which is perfect for indoor photography and landscapes.

The Need For Speed : When you hear about fast and slow Digital Camera Lenses, reference is being made to a lens’s maximum aperture, which is the maximum amount of light that a lens can let in. Maximum apertures are measured in f/stop numbers, which are actually a ratio of the size of the lens aperture and focal length. The smaller the f/number, the more light is let in. This may seem quite confusing at first, so the easiest way to make sense of it is to remember the following: fast Digital Camera Lenses are best suited towards successful photography in darker lighting conditions, and slow Digital Camera Lenses are targeted towards photography in lighter conditions.

The Ins and Outs of a Zoom Lens : Unlike a fixed-focal-length lens, a zoom lens often gives you the diversity of a range of focal lengths all rolled into a single adjustable lens. This can be great if you often have to switch between various lenses for different shots, but it is important to remember that not all zoom lenses have a constant maximum aperture, and those that do are often larger and more expensive.

Add-on Lenses : Add-on or accessory lenses are targeted towards compact digital cameras, and allow owners of such models to significantly lengthen or reduce the camera’s built-in focal length while at the same time being able to automate camera functions including f/stop settings and focusing. These lenses can be an excellent low-cost add-on to your digital camera, with telephoto add-on lenses being able to increase focal lengths by up to 300%, and wide-angle versions allowing for reduction in focal lengths of up to 30%.