Which Canon Lens? Selection Introduction

Pictures are extremely valuable to our society. And they are extremely important to you. Capturing great images is exciting and the results from those captures can last forever.

Your kids grow up fast. They will not likely be playing their sport at the same level for long. The look of family vacations is going to change. The time you spend together will also never be the same again. You will never be able to spend enough time with your kids. Ditto all of the above for the grandkids.

Quality photos of family life are invaluable. They will bring you joy the rest of your life. And photographing together as a family increases the bonding even more.

Capturing family is just the beginning of photo pursuits.

Time spent with friends is time well used and worth remembering. Trips are costly and require hard work – they deserve great quality photos for re-experiencing. Are you into wildlife and/or landscape photography? Are sports your thing?

Do you shoot professionally? The results you deliver from your profressional shoot reflect directly on you and will likely determine how much future work you will receive from that client and the 10 other potential clients he/she tells about your work.

One of the important first steps in getting great pictures is of course acquiring an awesome Canon DSLR camera. All of the current Canon DSLR cameras deliver amazing image quality – if they have the right lens mounted on them.

The light reaching the camera's sensor must pass through the lens first. Quite often, the lens will be the limiting factor in the image quality you achieve. Thus, it makes sense to invest in the best quality glass you can afford.

There are a huge number of Canon lenses available and a seemingly-infinite number of Canon lens combinations available. Determining which camera lens is right for you seems overwhelming.

Well, you can relax. You are certainly not the only one that is confused. And the good news is that, most likely, there is more than one Canon lens that can adequately accomplish your goals. I am going to make some recommendations for for you based on needs, subjects and budget.

Here are some questions to think about ...

• How much is the right lens worth to you?
• What is the value of the memories you are going to preserve?
• How much money are you going to make using the lens as a pro? Selling your images?
• What are you going to lose if your lens does not perform up to expectations?
• How much did you pay for that trip?
• How long do you expect the lens to last?
• How hard are you going to use the lens?
• What weather conditions do you plan to encounter when using the lens?
• Do you need a Zoom or Prime Lens?
• What focal length range do you need?
• What maximum aperture do you need to stop camera shake, freeze the action or blur the background?

The site's Canon Lens Recommendations page has suggestions for many specific use categories, but the General Purpose Lens Recommendations is a good starting point. Then read the reviews for the suggested lenses (and other similar lenses) to make your decision.