Camera Lens Picker

How To Pick A Camera Lens To Buy Or Rent

Start with the right body size.

For indoor photos, we recommend a full frame or at least an APS camera. The bigger sensor size will make the lower light naturally available indoors easier to work with. If you like to take photos outdoors, the smaller lenses for Micro 4/3rds will mean you are less encumbered on your trip.

Do you need to zoom in or out a lot?

Prime lenses (those with fixed focal lengths, e.g. 50mm as opposed to ranges, like 25-75mm) are generally the best value in terms of price to image quality. The negative is that if you need to zoom in or out, you will have to do that with your feet instead of your hands.

What will you be photographing?

Your subjects, and the style you want to achieve, generally determine what focal length you should focus on. Wide angle lenses are great for capturing room interiors or expansive landscapes. Midrange focal lengths are good for people, and telephotos are great for wild life.

Where should you buy camera lenses from?

If you're fine buying used, this site tells you what price the lens generally goes for when bought on eBay. If you click through and see higher prices, that just means you should wait for the right auction to come up.

You can also buy used on Amazon, but the prices are generally higher. I would like to disclose that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This happens when you click out to Amazon using our links.