Camera Lenses

0 CommentsWednesday • November 8, 2006 • by Cale

I’m an amateur photographer. I wasn’t much of a photographer until I had kids. It was my desire to perfectly capture the moment that pulled me into the hobby.

Currently, I’m shooting with a Canon EOS 300D – an older generation Digital Rebel. I’d like to upgrade the camera but I think I’ve decided to focus on the primary lens 1st – the camera is good enough for now.

For years I’ve been using the kit lens and an inexpensive telephoto lens from Tamron. I’m finally at the point where I want to upgrade my lens. A high quality lens can really make a difference in the quality of your photographs. Mind you, composition and mastery of the basics should come 1st, before you start spending thousands on equipment but you do reach a point eventually where you want/need better equipment to take you to the next level.

I’m looking for a good general use lens to replace the kit lens that came with my Rebel – an 18mm to 55mm Canon lens. The kit lens is a decent lens but it isn’t very fast and the optics are, well, entry level. It’s time to move up.

I’m writing this post to share a few favorite resources for reviewing the different lens available to amateur and professional photographers. The-Digital-Picture.com is fantastic if you’re into the Canon lens. They do cover a few of the 3rd party lens but they’re mostly focused on Canon equipment. Photo.net also features excellent lens and camera reviews. I recommend both of these resources for learning more about the equipment available to photographers these days. And, last but not least, there’s dpreview.com – the ultimate digital camera review site.

I’m not going to write a lot more about this but I will share with you the three lenses I’m considering at this point to replace the kit lens that came with my camera. If there’s a lens that isn’t on this list, that should be, drop me a comment.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens (optically excellent, EF-S mount only)
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens (optically excellent)
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II Lens (EF-S mount only)