Choosing Your First Camera Lens: Buying Guide for Beginners

In any kind of photography, using the right camera lens — which is the most important part of the camera—is crucial for achieving the perfect shot. And maximizing the use of your camera’s interchangeable lenses can turn your photographs from amateurish to professional. So choose your lens wisely.

With the many options out there, we know how overwhelming it is to find the right lens for you. Here’s a quick camera lens guide for choosing the right first lens to buy.

How to choose the right camera lens?

No single lens works for everyone, as each photographer has his own unique needs. What works for one may not work for another. So know your photography requirements first before you look for a lens. To narrow down your choices, consider these five factors when exploring different types of lenses:

1. Focal Length

A focal length is the distance (in millimeters) from the center of the lens to the sensor when the subject is in focus. The lower the number, the wider the shot. The higher the number, the longer the zoom.

If you want to fit more into your frame, you might want to look into wide-angle focal lengths: 14mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm.

On the other hand, if you want to get as close as possible to your subject, go for a telephoto lens with focal lengths that usually range from 50mm to 100mm. Just make sure that you get one with an f2.8 aperture so that adequate light can still pass through.

In most cases, selecting the right focal length relates to what sort of subject matter you’re interested in photographing. Different applications benefit from different lenses. Landscape photography leans toward wider angle lenses with 14mm to 35mm focal lengths. Architecture photography also works better with wide-angle lenses.

If you’re interested in portrait photography, the best lenses are between 45mm and 85mm. At these focal lengths, the proportions of the face and body are true to life and flattering.

In most cases, wildlife and nature photography requires long focal lengths in the 300mm to 600mm range. With those focal lengths, you can get nice, tight shots of birds and wildlife without scaring your subjects away.

2. Aperture

An aperture is the measure of how much light can enter your camera. It’s represented by the letter f and corresponding numbers, collectively known as an f-stop. A small aperture number like f1.2 means its opening is wider, which allows more light to come into the lens, making it great for shooting in low light.

Professional photographers usually purchase wide-maximum-aperture camera lenses with f/1.4, f/1.8, or f/2 apertures. With these wide apertures, you can shoot in any environment regardless of available light. That’s why these are among the best lenses on the market.

One caveat is that the wider your lens’s maximum aperture, the more expensive your lens will be. Most beginner photographers can get away with f/4, or f/5.6 lenses.

These models aren’t quite as fast as more expensive lenses and you can’t achieve the same shallow depth of field with them. But they are much more affordable and are useful for learning photography. For that reason, an f/4 or f/5.6 is often the best first lens to buy.

3. Prime lens vs. zoom lens

Get a prime lens if you want to incorporate more brightness into your shots and be able to tweak and correct shooting errors easily. But if getting as close as possible to the subject is your main priority, then you should get a zoom lens. Enter, the prime vs zoom lens debate.

If you’re hoping to purchase a single lens that can accommodate many different types of photographic subjects, then a zoom lens is probably the best choice for you. You can shoot landscapes and architecture with the zoom lens’s wider focal lengths, shoot portraits with the mid-range focal lengths, and shoot wildlife photography with the longest focal lengths.

If your goal is general-purpose shooting, a zoom lens is the best lens for photography.

Before investing in a zoom lens, note that zoom lenses tend to have narrower maximum aperture the more you zoom in. At the shortest focal lengths, you’ll be able to shoot with a much wider aperture than at the longest focal lengths.

Some photographers prefer to use different lenses for each focal length, so they rely on prime lenses over zoom lenses. This prime vs. zoom camera lens guide can help explain the most important lens buying considerations:

Prime lens and zoom lens comparison:

Prime and zoom lenses are further classified into different lens types, each serving a specific purpose.

Types of prime lens:

Types of zoom lens:

There’s also the macro lens that can either be a prime lens or a zoom lens. Not to be mistaken for the telephoto lens, the macro lens allows taking photos of minute objects and creatures like insects and food, making them appear bigger than they actually are.

4. Compatibility with your camera’s sensor

In digital cameras, the sensor is the part that records the image when you press on the shutter, as opposed to the film in analog cameras. Sensors in most DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras are bigger than sensors in point-and-shoot cameras, so resulting images are clearer and more realistic.

There are two types of sensors available: the CCD (Charged-Couple Device) and the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The latter is larger than the former and can capture more light, which allows it to produce higher-quality images than the CCD. But this difference in size can also affect the structure and overall function of your camera, so make sure the lens you’ll get is compatible with your camera’s specs and body.

DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras are available in two formats: crop sensor and full frame. When you use a full-frame camera, the focal length listed on your lens functions normally and will be accurate in the photographs you take. However, crop-sensor DSLR cameras have a magnification factor between 1.5x and 1.6x depending on the brand you use. Crop sensor mirrorless cameras, also called micro four thirds cameras can have a multiplication factor of up to 2x.

So, if you use a 100mm focal length lens on a full-frame camera, your images will truly reflect 100mm. If you use a 100mm focal length on a Canon crop-sensor camera, your lens functions more like a 160mm focal length lens.

Most crop-sensor camera lenses only work with crop-sensor cameras, so before you purchase different lenses for your DSLR or mirrorless camera, make sure they are compatible with your camera body.

5. Price

As with everything, you have to consider how much you’re willing to pay for a lens. This will narrow your choices down to certain brands and models.

Many photographers feel that they need to invest in name-brand lenses to use with their name-brand cameras. If you’re looking for a way to save some money, you can investigate third-party lenses. Brands like Rokinon, Sigma, and Tamron produce similar lenses to brands like Nikon, Sony, and Canon at a reduced price.

Some brands may also have multiple versions of lenses available at various price points. If you’re hoping to save some money, you can buy a lens without lens functions like image stabilization or auto-focus motors. Manual lenses take more practice to use, but are often much less expensive.

Ultimately, different types of lenses will have very different price points, so be sure to explore all of the other factors listed above when deciding on a lens.

What type of camera lens to use?

It depends on your needs. Keep in mind that lenses control the outcome of your photos, so think of the type of photos you’d like to shoot. For example, if you want to take portraits, invest in a prime lens. If you’re more into landscape photography, then a wide-angle lens is your best bet.

Best lenses for each photography type or specialization:

What camera lens should a beginner buy?

Photographers have varying opinions on which photo lens is the best for which situation, but it all boils down to personal preference. The best way to go about finding the right lens for you is to try them out for yourself. See which works best for your needs and the mood or effect that you’re trying to achieve in your photos. Finding the right digital photography gear is really a series of trial and error. May this quick guide serve as a good starting point in your hunt for the perfect lens.