How do I pick a lens for my camera?

Question

I know nothing about cameras and just bought an SLR Canon Rebel Xti. I want a lens to take pics of small insects and another to take pics of the city skyline. How do I choose the right one? Should I get an IS lens?

Answer 1

You're gonna need two different lenses for the two very different jobs you describe.

To shoot small insects I would recommend the 100mm macro. It's a pretty good lens for its price.

For city skyline... do you buy your XTi with the kit lens? If so, just use that. For now the kit lens is good enough unless you want to go wider.

IS lens is good for tele lens or low light condition (or both for that matter) so if you can afford it, sure.

Answer 2

I will break from the pack!

First for small insects, you would typically need something called a macro lens. However, that's not your only option. Less expensive options include extension tubes which are essentially lens spacers with the net effect of increasing your existing lens' magnification OR a screw in close-up lens, which effectively acts like a magnifying glass on your camera.

Now when it comes to skylines, I'm not sure if you're asking for a wide angle lens to cover a wider area or if you're looking at a telephoto to take shots of a specific set of buildings from a long distance. If you get/need a telephoto lens, and you decide to get a close-up lens (like the one below), make sure that you get the right size filter threads on the close-up lens or you won't be able to fit it onto the telephoto for those macro shots.

Should you get an IS (image stabilization) lens? Well, that's up to you. But good technique and a good tripod will have a bigger impact. IS is good in low light when you don't have a way to stabilize your lens/camera combo easily or quickly.

How do you choose the right lens? Decide what it is you want to accomplish and how you're going to accomplish it. Then pick the lens that will do what you want. If you want wider angles, you need a wider angle lens. If you need telephoto..get a telephoto.

If you have specific lenses in mind, ask us again!

Answer 3

For extreme closeups like insects, you'll need what is refered to as a "macro" lens. A reasonable fixed focal length, say 85-100mm, should be fine, what you need to look at is the minimum focus distance as a comparison. For city skylines you're going to need a fairly wide angle, so a short focal length, or you'll have to get really really far away to capture the entire skyline. Around 35mm is a "normal" viewpoint for a digital (assuming a 1.5 multiplier for 35mm comparison), so anything with a smaller number focal length will give you a wider perspective. Something like an 18mm gives a decent perspective and should be pretty good.

Answer 4

Both fhotoace and dodol are right about needing two lenses - a true macro lens and any zoom you happen to have.

For city skylines at night you'll need a tripod, a mechanical cable release, and the ability to set your shutter speed manually. Perusing my trusty FotoSharp (fotosharp.com) "Day & Night Exposure Guide" I'll use Scene #14 - City Skyline In Distance.

ISO 100 f4 @ 8 seconds; f5.6 @ 15 seconds; f8 @ 30 seconds

ISO 200 f4 @ 4 seconds; f5.6 @ 8 seconds; f8 @ 15 seconds

Answer 5

It's not easy finding a lens for a SLR camera. Please check out http://pbase.com check out the lens on that site, they will give you sample photos for each lens. I would suggest a Canon 17-85 IS lens...!!

Answer 6

start reading
try cnet.com