Digital Home Thoughts: Guide to Choosing a Lens: From Macro to Astrophotography

Product Category: SLR Camera lenses (specifically Canon lenses)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Where to Buy: Amazon.com Affiliate Store
Price: Varies from lens to lens
System Requirements: SLR Camera
Specifications: Depends on the lens

Should:

• Know your application;
  
• Know the various parameters in a lens;
  
• Know your budget.

Should not:

• Rush into buying a lens;
  
• Buy a lens that looks or sounds cool but you might not use it because it is too heavy or delicate.

Summary:
I wanted this article to serve as a guide to someone in the market for a lens for their SLR camera, or if they were just getting a camera body and didn't know which lens to get. I am writing this article on lenses instead of one on how to pick a camera because I believe, quite strongly, that it is the lens that makes or breaks the photo. Obviously, there the camera, the settings, the lighting, the sensor are all important, but I feel that the lens is the focal point. I got into the SLR photography market about two years ago and I feel like I have learned a lot. Honestly, I wish there had existed a short and succinct article like the one I am going to write here to give advice on what lens to get because honestly, it is the lens that is the most important piece of hardware equipment in your setup. BTW, this article is focused on Canon cameras an lenses, however I will be discussing extremely basic concepts so they apply to all products.

Read on for the full article!