Digital Camera Lens Reviews
Any seasoned photographer will tell you to choose a quality camera lens. Start your research with our digital camera lens reviews today.
2005 Buyer's Guide: At The Camera Counter A digital camera buyer's checklist  After nearly seven years as an editor here at PCPhoto, I recently purchased my first digital camera. I've been shooting with digital cameras all along, but since there's a constant flow of the latest and greatest equipment through our offices, I never felt compelled to commit myself to a purchase. Content with just borrowing a camera for a time, I was reluctant to buy because I assumed that something better would always be on the horizon. |
Short Report: Sigma Zoom Combo Two low-priced lenses from Sigma are ideal for photographers on a budget  If you're looking for a low-priced, compact set of lenses that offer a great range for small-format digital SLRs, check out Sigma's new pair, the 18-50mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 DC and the 55-200mm ƒ/4-5.6 DC. These are ideal all-around focal lengths offering wide-angle and moderate telephoto ranges. Designed specifically for digital cameras (indicated by the DC), this combo typically offers an equivalent focal length range of 27-300mm on a small-format digital SLR for a 35mm camera. The image circle of these lenses won't cover a standard 35mm film frame. |
Lens Buying Guide Everything you need to know about focal lengths, maximum apertures, new technologies and more!  A trip to the camera store these days will show you an astonishingly vast array of lenses, from tiny zooms on compact digital cameras to big telephotos for digital SLRs. Many of these lenses are based on designs that were unheard of just a few years ago. They offer you new opportunities to expand your photographic capabilities-knowing what the lenses can do for you will help you make a better decision in your camera and lens purchasing, whether that means checking the zoom range of an advanced compact, buying a new lens for a digital SLR or comparing lens speed among any group of lenses. |
Short Report: Tokina AT-X 124 AF Pro DX A wide-angle zoom with a fixed aperture delivers quality  Tokina's first lens produced exclusively for digital SLRs, the AT-X 124 AF Pro DX is a 12-24mm lens that combines rugged construction, internal focusing and a constant fixed aperture for terrific performance. Designed for Nikon and Canon digital SLRs that are built around an APS-sized sensor, the lens features a focal length equivalent of 18-36mm (1.6x lens magnification). In addition to wide-angle coverage, the AT-X 124 AF Pro DX also features a constant ƒ/4 aperture throughout the zoom range. |
Short Report: Sigma APO Macro 150mm ƒ/2.8 This fast, telephoto macro lens offers a great deal of versatility for field shooting  I love being surprised by the world, and a macro lens is a great way to discover those surprises. A macro lens lets you isolate and focus in on the often amazing and unexpected details around us. I had the chance to work with Sigma's new 150mm ƒ/2.8 macro lens (officially, APO Macro 150mm ƒ/2.8 EX DG HSM), and this combination of focal length and wide aperture offered a wonderful experience in exploring the realm of the close-up. |
Short Report: Canon EF 24-105mm ƒ/4L IS USM The new L-Series zoom delivers under demanding lighting conditions  The appeal of the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is two-fold for me. The lens offers the zoom range that I frequently use for most of my photography. The equivalent of a 38-168mm lens on my Canon EOS 20D, it provides me with the flexibility to shoot virtually any subject, from portraits to street scenes. Additionally, its Image Stabilizer feature helps ensure that I get sharp results despite hands that aren't as steady as they used to be. |
Short Report: Tamron AF18-200mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 XR Di II Get true wide-to-tele performance with this extreme-range zoom designed for digital  Users of 35mm SLRs have long enjoyed extreme-range zoom lenses of 28-200mm and, more recently, 28-300mm. These lenses can be used on digital SLRs, too, but since most D-SLRs have image sensors that are considerably smaller than a full 35mm film frame, these zooms provide a much narrower field of view when used on D-SLRs- equivalent to 42-300mm and 42-450mm on a 35mm SLR. |
Wide-Angle Lenses For Digital Yes, you can do wide-angle photography with a D-SLR!  Wide-angle photography opens up vast new vistas to the photographer, but "going wide" presents a special challenge to the digital-SLR user. That's because the image sensors used in most D-SLRs are considerably smaller than a 35mm film frame and thus "see" a smaller portion of the image produced by any lens than that seen by a 35mm SLR. As a result, a given focal length produces a narrower angle of view when used on a D-SLR than when used on a 35mm camera. |
Buyer's Guide 2024: Lens Strategy How to select the right mix of lenses for your photography  To get the most out of your D-SLR system, you'll want to choose a variety of lenses that offer the focal lengths, speed and features that match well with your favorite subjects. The key to selecting the right lenses is in understanding their capabilities and limitations and the types of photography and situations to which each is best suited. |
