The Best Lens for the Best Picture

When you are on the edge of a ravine, trying to take a picture of a bald eagle perched on top of a Douglas fir on the next hill over, a telephoto zoom lens is a great blessing.

When you are backed up against a wall, trying to recompose the picture to get a different look or a wider angle, a zoom wide angle lens is a great blessing.

If you have never used a zoom lens, just imagine being able to recompose a potential shot into a thousand different possible ideas without moving a foot! The only practical reason to not get a digital camera with a zoom lens might be cost. But any money saved in this area is relative... do you really save enough money, for example, to warrant having to trudge across that muddy construction site to get the photo of the house being built?

Macro Lenses and Modes

Another thing you may want to look for is macro / close-up capabilities. In the point-and-shoot range, this is usually determined by having a macro mode that allows you to bring the camera closer to your subject.

Without such a macro feature, you must usually stay about 1.5 to 2 feet (or more) from your subject. The ability of some cameras to get within one centimeter can make for some extremely fun imaging... you can make huge close up images of everything from postage stamps, beetles and other bugs, kitchen utensils, flowers (and weeds for that matter), coins, and much more.

The digital cameras with the best macro capabilites either feature a macro mode or the use of a separate macro lens (e.g. when using a digital SLR camera). Shy away from using close-up filters - they do not do as good of a job.

More On Lens Value

Purchasing a digital SLR (dSLR) digital camera package with a kit lens? Reconsider; perhaps you should purchase just the body only and add a separate lens to your order. While some 'kit' lenses that come with dSLR packages may perform adequately for limited uses, my guess is that you will want to either zoom-in closer to your subjects or have the ability to shoot wider-angle pictures.

Most kit lenses have a limited zoom range such as 18-55mm which won't allow you to get close to your subject. For just a few hundred bucks more you can purchase a zoom lens that telephotos to 200mm or even more! If you're not always able to get close to your subject, these lenses can provide you with digital photo opportunities you wouldn't have if you only purchased the standard kit lens.

Much of the quality of the photo will rely upon the lens you are using. Even if using a medium-quality camera, a higher quality lens will make a world of difference - even more than if you were fitting a medium-quality lens to a high-quality camera.