Now that everyone has turned to digital cameras and developed their latest film, large numbers of people are switching from a fixed lens camera to a DSLR or SLD. Compared to all but a handful of premium prime lens models, these cameras are noticeably more expensive, especially when you consider the cost of the lenses.
When choosing which DSLR to buy, a host of models compete with prices ranging from around $ 400 to over $ 8,000 USD. It’s easy to find a model that costs your entire budget and tell yourself you bought the best DSLR you can afford while forgetting about the cheap lens that comes with it. This is the biggest mistake you can make when buying a DSLR because:
The secret to modern digital SLR cameras is that they are ALL really good.
Despite the difference in price between the cheapest and most expensive DSLRs, the image quality is similar and indistinguishable for the most common print sizes and for sharing on the web. In reality, it often happens that an $ 800 camera and a $ 1600 camera share the same image sensor! There’s a jump in quality between cropped sensor DSLRs and full-frame ones that you can afford on a budget of at least $ 2,500 excluding a lens. However, even that jump doesn’t compare to the difference in quality between a cheap lens and a high-end one. So spending more money on a lens will often improve image quality far more than spending more on a camera.
Now that the differences in image quality are gone, it’s time for you to know that image quality has very little to do with the impact of photography. What makes a great image is complex, but the least important aspect is its quality. That’s right, people appreciate images based on many factors with image quality playing a small role. Take a look, for example, at some great National Geographic photos taken over 30 years ago. They are still excellent images, even though the cameras used were more capable than the current ones.
Lenses play an important role in image quality, but more importantly, they control the vision you put into your images. Depth of field, focal length, and perspective dramatically change your photos. Choosing the right lenses gives you the creative power of all these aspects. To quote LIFE photographer Joe McNally:
… the lens is incredibly important to what photographers do; defines what we see.
For this reason, it’s critical to spend enough to get lenses that follow your photography in terms of subject and style. At least one of the biggest advantages of DSLRs is that there are many lenses to choose from. Therefore, if you already have a DSLR camera, you should seriously consider purchasing a lens for your next photograph. If you don’t already have one, the best advice is to choose lenses first.
Choose not just your next target, but all those you would like to shoot with. Get started by buying one and get more as budget allows. Lens rental is also possible when you need something for a special occasion. The good thing about buying lenses is that they tend to last longer than cameras because the optical technology changes less. Most medium to high quality lenses also increase in value and usually end up making up the bulk of your photography investment, so choose wisely.
Just like buying a digital camera requires some research, so does choosing lenses. If you are confused by basic lens terminology such as focal length, aperture, filter thread, supersonic, etc., then you should start by reading a lens buying guide. By reading two pages there, you will get to know all the basics about camera lenses. If you already know what you are looking for in terms of focal length, aperture, and lens type, the Lens Finder can find and compare lenses that match your criteria.