what do i have to look for if i want to have good lenses in a slr camera?,?

Question

ie when i go to the shop what should and what should i not buy if i want to have good lenses?
how can i distinguish the good from the bad ones?

Answer 1

You pay for:
* the quality of the optics, including coatings
* low light sensitivity
* image stabilization
* auto-focus speed
* build quality
As a rough guideline:
Any zoom lens under $200 is a budget model. Don't expect too much from any of the above categories.
$200 to $450 should get you a lens that's fine for most uses.
$450 to $900 should have some serious features that you can justify paying extra for.
+$900 is pretty much professional lens territory.

Answer 2

It does depend on what level of good you are talking about. There are the professional level lenses that start at around $2000, and they are all going to have many of the premium features that you might be looking for. But if you are not rich like me and you must stick to lenses that cost under a grand, you have to stick to good brands. Buying the lens branded for your camera is usually going to be a good bet, but you pay more for that lens with the brand name. The two best non branded lenes would be Tamaron and Sigma, they generally have good quality. Another brand, Tokina, is just hit or miss, and more so miss, so I would stay away. If you are looking into brands such as Promaster or Quantaray sold at many camera stores at much less expensive prices, you could end up with a decent lens. They do not actually make lenses, they buy lenses from other companies and slap their name on it. I have a Promaster 28-300mm lens that is actually a Tamaron lens, but I got it much cheaper. You can hold the lenses side by side and they are a match. But you need to know where the lens actually came from, because Promaster also buys from those not so good companies as well. Ask a salesmen which company actually made the lens, they will often tell you the truth, if they know what they are talking about, because it will generally make people feel a lot more confident if they know Tamron or Sigma made the lens.
When you get into lens specifics, you should look for the features you would need. If you shoot in low lighting or fast action, you should look for a lens with a wide aperature, preferably a 2.8. If you use a lot of telephoto, get a lens with an image stabilizer. If you take lots of close ups, say flowers or small objects, be sure to check the minimum focusing distance. Know what you want when you go looking for a lens, ask lots and lots of questions, go to a reputable camera dealer (not Best Buy or anything like that), don't buy that day, and research your choice before youactually shell out the cash for it. It always looks enticing when it's sitting on the shelf in the store, but it may not be right for you once you get it home.

Answer 3

I'd advise checking for reviews of the lenses you're considering. These days, lower apertures aren't as important as they once were, since Digital cameras can adjust the ISO with very little noise. Things like VR (vibration reduction) and macro focusing ranges may factor into your decision.

Kenrockwell.com has a pretty extensive set of reviews for Nikon users: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm

In a nutshell, stick with the brand-name lenses. If you've got a Nikon or Canon, don't go sticking a cheap Tokina or Soligor lens on that expensive camera. Both of those manufacturers have excellent optics. There's a reason that new Canon zoom costs $500 and the Tokina with the same basic specs is 1/3 of the price.

Some of the newer plastic zooms have excellent image quality, they just aren't as durable as professional lenses and so wear out more quickly- but that's still sticking with the brand-name lenses.

Tamron is the only "off-brand" that I've personally had good experience with (and they aren't really an off-brand, since they often manufacture lenses which are sold under other names- but Tamron doesn't make cameras), and there are always good/bad lenses from every company. Always look for reviews.

Answer 4

You do not have to worry about this. All the top marques have excellent lenses and to start going into the techie stuff is a waste of time. Do you want to know how an engine is made before you buy a car?
If I had the choice I would go for Canon, and Nikon,
If you want top notch superb quality go for LEICA but it will cost you several sets of arms and legs!
If you are a beginning in Photography its not the equipment (ALTHOUGH IT DOES HELP) its the photographer that matters. The photographer takes the picture not the camera. some of the best pictures ever taken were were achieved with very modest equipment......always remember that!

Answer 5

You have to determine that the elements are ground glass which are coated and not cheap plastics and which have a mount that is compatible with your camera. I would rec commend a Vivitar series-1 70-210 zoom which has superior optics as you first lens. You have to be careful and purchase one of the first three series manufactured, these are the ones with the best optics. This is determined by the serial number and by entering viviter series-1 into your search engine and you will the info. you need. They are no longer manufactured so you would have to purchase a good used one on ebay or you might find a good used one at your local camera shop.

Answer 6

ALWAYS buy the brand name lens. Never use the kit lens that can come bundled with your SLR. Your first lens should be a zoom lens with a a good range so as to be useful in a wide variety of situations.

For example, if you have a Canon digital SLR camera, buy it as the body only and get this lens:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=149&modelid=7443

The EF in the name means that it works with the cameras autofocus. 28 to 200mm is a nice, versatile range of focal lengths. It's complicated, but the range of f numbers means you can use a reasonable range of aperature settings with this lens, good for most standard types of photography. And USM means that this lens has image stabilization (Canon implements image stabilization in its lenses as opposed to the camera).

Overall, a good walking around lens.

Answer 7

It depends on what you are using the lens for. I research on http://www.photographyreview.com they have reviews from others which are heplful on your search for best use vs. cost.