A buyer's guide to DSLR lenses

The most exciting aspect of owning a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera is that you can experiment with various types of lenses, including wide angle and fish eye lenses, telephoto zooms for sport and wildlife photography, macro lenses for close-ups of flowers and insects, and a staggering range of standard zooms covering a substantial focal length. Here is a guide to the most widely available lenses for DSLR cameras.

Brand names

Canon and Nikon The two most prolific DSLR camera makers are Canon and Nikon. Both manufacturers make specialised lenses for their cameras. In other words, there are dedicated Canon and Nikon wide angle, macro, fish eye, telephoto and zoom lenses. However, while these are usually of optimum quality, they can be relatively expensive.
Other brands In order to offer an array of lenses that can fit onto Canon and Nikon cameras, but which are in many cases much less expensive, lens makers such as Tamron, Tokina and Sigma produce lenses that can replace Canon and Nikon equipment. There is much debate as to whether these lenses are of the same quality, but there are many professionals who swear by them, and it probably reflects personal taste.

Types of DSLR lenses

Wide angle lenses There are two types of wide angle lenses. The general one covers a range of about 10mm-22mm and is ideal for architectural photography, particularly close-ups of large buildings. The more specialised one is the fish eye lens, which is usually seen as a more creative and fun option.
Standard zoom lenses These are the most common lenses and are usually sold with the camera. They cover a range of about 20mm-100mm, and are ideal for most subjects such as portrait photography and everyday street or travel scenes. They are also usually the most inexpensive of the lens ranges.
Telephoto zooms For those who specialise in sport and wildlife photography, telephoto zoom lenses are essential. They allow the photographer to zoom in on his subject, even when he is far from the action. In addition, they make it easy to zone in on a specific subject if it needs to be isolated, such as decoration on a hat, for instance.
Macro lenses If you have ever seen those close-up photos of flies and other insects in which every detail on the creature's body is visible, such as the hairs or many colours of its eyes, then the chances are that it was the result of a macro lens. These specialist lenses are able to magnify the smallest subject and make it look much bigger than it actually is.