A student of mine asked me for help in selecting a telephoto lens – what to look for and what to avoid. I put down a few ideas for him and thought that maybe you might also find this topic interesting.
Sooner or later we all buy a lens or two or five or six. I currently have four lenses in my camera bag – a wide angle zoom (17-40 mm, f/4), a mid range zoom (24-70 f/2.8), my workhorse lens (24-105 mm, f/4) and a telephoto zoom (70-200mm, f 2.8).
I have two ground rules for buying lenses that I have shared with many people.
1. There must be a demonstrated need. In other words, if you can’t realize your vision because you’re missing a particular lens then it’s time to consider adding one. Students, friends and colleagues ask me if I think they should buy a hot new lens. I always ask them, “What would this lens permit you to do that you can’t do with your current lenses?” Often, the answer is that it does nothing new for them, they just think it’s a cool lens.
2. Purchase the best glass you can afford. You will go through several camera bodies in your career but you’ll never outgrow a high quality lens.
So those are the ground rules but what else is there?
Continue reading “Twelve Tips for Buying Your Next Lens”
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