A good camera lens has a major impact on the quality of your photos. It gives even the most basic cameras the ability of producing great images. There are several important components to consider when shopping for a lens, including zoom capability, aperture size, focal length, quality of the glass, and more. If you’re still exclusively using the lens that came with your camera and want to improve your photography, it may be time to find out what other lenses can do for you.

Which lens is right for me?

It depends on what you’re shooting. Some common types of photography include panoramas, skyscapes, interiors, landscapes, candid family shots, portraits, sports and action, wildlife, and the night sky. Different subjects require different lenses. One important aspect to consider is focal length, which is the path the light travels on the way to your camera’s sensor. Generally speaking, big, wide scenes require lenses with shorter focal lengths, while more distant subjects require longer focal lengths. A zoom lens will allow you to use a single lens at a variety of focal lengths.

Here are various applications, and the lenses most ideally suited for them. Note that these examples use the focal length marked on the lens itself, or 35mm-equivalent. For some cameras – such as APS-C or m4/3 – you may need to apply a crop factor (see this Explora article for more information):

For ultra-wide scenes, waterscapes, and skyscapes—a fisheye or ultra-wide angle lens with a focal length range between 8mm – 24mm
For interiors, architecture, and general landscapes—a standard wide angle lens with a focal length range between 24mm – 35mm
For environmental or full-length portraits, street photography, and travel—a standard lens with a focal length range between 35mm – 85mm (50mm is the most common)
For portraits and candid shooting—a short telephoto lens with a focal length range between 85mm – 135mm
For close sports and action—a medium telephoto lens with a focal length range between 135mm – 300mm
For wildlife and more distant sports—a super telephoto lens with a focal length above 300mm

It’s not uncommon for versatile photographers to own multiple lenses. Check out Explora’s Purchasing Your Next Lens article for more information.

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Lens Mount Each camera body has a unique mounting interface for attaching lenses. This is called the Lens Mount. Lens mounts tell you which lenses are compatible with which cameras. For example, Canon EF-M lenses are only compatible with cameras that use the Canon EF-M lens mount.

Lens Format Coverage Every camera lens produces an image circle, and the size of this circle is called coverage. The coverage of an image circle must be large enough to cover the sensor or film being used. Lens Format Coverage indicates which type of sensor or film a particular lens can cover.

Zooms/Primes Lenses can be classified as either Zoom or Prime. Zoom lenses have a variable focal length (and thus field of view) that can be adjusted by the user. Prime lenses have a single (fixed) focal length that cannot be adjusted.

Lens Types for Full Frame Cameras Lens Type for Full Frame Cameras indicates whether a lens is zoom or prime (fixed), its format coverage, and its field of view.

Lens Types for APS-C Cameras Lens Type for APS-C Cameras indicates whether a lens is zoom or prime (fixed), its format coverage, and its field of view.

Fixed Focal Lengths The Fixed Focal Length of a prime lens indicates its field of view. Lower focal lengths deliver a wider field of view, while higher focal lengths indicate a narrower (telephoto) field of view.

Zoom Focal Lengths Zoom lenses provide a range of adjustable Focal Lengths within a single lens. Adjusting the focal length changes the field of view, with lower focal lengths producing a wider field of view, and higher focal lengths producing a narrower (telephoto) field of view.

Special Designs Certain lenses are designed for specialized shooting applications, such as Macro lenses for close-up shooting, Tilt-Shift/PC lenses for architecture and interiors, and so on.

Focus Type The Focus Type of a lens is its method of focus. Manual Focus: The user adjusts the focus of the lens. Autofocus: The camera automatically adjusts the focus of the lens. Built-In Autofocus: The autofocus motor is built into the camera lens.

Features

Lens Series Lens Series are brand-name groups of lenses with unique sets of designs, features, or capabilities

Maximum Aperture Maximum Aperture indicates the widest opening a lens is capable of and thus how bright or fast it is. Measured in f/stops, the size of the aperture represents how much light is passed through the lens and onto the sensor or film. The lower the f/stop, the wider the aperture.

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The Importance of a Good Camera Lens

Lens Mount

Each camera body has a unique mounting interface for attaching lenses. This is called the Lens Mount. Lens mounts tell you which lenses are compatible with which cameras. For example, Canon EF-M lenses are only compatible with cameras that use the Canon EF-M lens mount.

Lens Format Coverage

Every camera lens produces an image circle, and the size of this circle is called coverage. The coverage of an image circle must be large enough to cover the sensor or film being used. Lens Format Coverage indicates which type of sensor or film a particular lens can cover.

Zooms/Primes

Lenses can be classified as either Zoom or Prime. Zoom lenses have a variable focal length (and thus field of view) that can be adjusted by the user. Prime lenses have a single (fixed) focal length that cannot be adjusted.

Lens Types for Full Frame Cameras

Lens Type for Full Frame Cameras indicates whether a lens is zoom or prime (fixed), its format coverage, and its field of view.

Lens Types for APS-C Cameras

Lens Type for APS-C Cameras indicates whether a lens is zoom or prime (fixed), its format coverage, and its field of view.

Fixed Focal Lengths

The Fixed Focal Length of a prime lens indicates its field of view. Lower focal lengths deliver a wider field of view, while higher focal lengths indicate a narrower (telephoto) field of view.

Zoom Focal Lengths

Zoom lenses provide a range of adjustable Focal Lengths within a single lens. Adjusting the focal length changes the field of view, with lower focal lengths producing a wider field of view, and higher focal lengths producing a narrower (telephoto) field of view.

Special Designs

Certain lenses are designed for specialized shooting applications, such as Macro lenses for close-up shooting, Tilt-Shift/PC lenses for architecture and interiors, and so on.

Focus Type

The Focus Type of a lens is its method of focus. Manual Focus: The user adjusts the focus of the lens. Autofocus: The camera automatically adjusts the focus of the lens. Built-In Autofocus: The autofocus motor is built into the camera lens.

Lens Series

Lens Series are brand-name groups of lenses with unique sets of designs, features, or capabilities

Maximum Aperture

Maximum Aperture indicates the widest opening a lens is capable of and thus how bright or fast it is. Measured in f/stops, the size of the aperture represents how much light is passed through the lens and onto the sensor or film. The lower the f/stop, the wider the aperture.