One of the great joys of owning a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) is its amazing optical flexibility. But how do you pick the right lenses from the hundreds that will fit your camera? By thinking about what kind of pictures you take and setting your priorities accordingly. This quick guide will help you do just that.
Most consumer DSLRs come with a short 18-55mm zoom lens. Its coverage is the digital equivalent to a 28-85mm lens on a 35mm film camera, and it's a good, compact, all-around lens that's also the least expensive.
For general use, you might also consider starting out with an 18-200mm long-range zoom (28-300mm equivalent) as your standard "universal" lens.
Upsides: Maximum framing flexibility; less lens changing (minimizing dust on the sensor).
Downsides: Higher cost; larger size; small maximum lens opening (aperture) at telephoto settings, meaning reduced brightness. Here are more suggestions tailored to different shooting styles.
Lenses for Portraits and People
Portrait shooters use wide-aperture lenses to make faces stand out from the background. These typically range from 17-55mm and 28-80mm. Some examples: Tamron's 28-75mm f/2.8 and Nikon's 28-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor.
If you shoot lots of portraits, you're better off spending a little more for an 18-70mm lens (28-105mm equivalent—105mm is the classic focal length for portraits). Fast, long teles are also great portrait lenses, like Canon's 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM or, at more moderate cost, Sigma's 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DG.
Lenses for Landscapes and Group Shots
Wide-angle zooms starting at 12mm are ideal for scenery because they let you capture the entire view, so you get that whole mountain ridge in your vacation shot.
Examples: 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Tamron and 12-24mm f/4 EX DG Sigma.
Long, wide-range zooms are also popular with landscape-shooting pros.
Examples: Nikon's 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 Nikkor and Canon's 24-105mm. More moderately priced 18-200 and 28-200mm lenses from Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron also do a good job at shooting large family portraits, so grandma is sure to be in the picture.
Lenses for Sports, Action, and Nature
The pros in the press box use expensive, long, fast (f/2.8) telephotos, but more affordable alternatives are long tele zooms like Tokina's 80-400mm AT-X and Tamron's 200-500mm f/5.6-6.3 Di LD. Don't forget tele extenders, small lenses that mount behind a lens and increase their reach. A 2x will double your magnification at very modest cost.
There's really no magical formula for selecting the right lenses for your DSLR, but if you let your shooting style be your guide, you won't go wrong. Choose your lenses wisely and you'll wind up with a personal lens outfit that will serve you happily for years to come!