SLR Camera Lenses...
SLR camera lenses are some of the best on the market, but getting the best lens for you can still be quite a mind boggling experience. It is important to understand how the different lenses work so that you can be sure you are making the best choice, or that if you decide to have more than one SRL camera lens you know which is the best one to use depending on what photograph you want to take.
As well as the basic decisions that you need to make about your SLR camera lenses such as whether you want a wide angled lens, a telephoto lens or just a normal lens, and then decided whether you want to have zoom functionality or whether you want a prime lens that doesn't zoom, you then need to think about some of the extras you can get with SLR camera lenses. It shouldn't surprise you to know that the range of extras will add to the price, but again depending on what kind of photography you are taking, some of these are investments well worth making.
For example, if one of your main reasons for getting a new SLR lens is to take lots of wildlife shots and you want to be able to get up close to various birds and animals, then getting a lens that has silent auto focus could be seen as a must have. You don't want to line up the perfect shot then scare away the animal with the noise the lens makes as it focuses - that would be very disappointing.
Again it is worth getting an element of image stabilisation if there are occasions when you can not viably mount the camera on a tripod, as this will compensate for any shake that occurs, and to be honest even the best photographer will get days where they cannot seem to keep the camera perfectly still. Image stabilisation can be built into a camera, and if it is, this is sufficient and not something you need to worry about when selecting the SLR lens. However, if it is not a feature that is built in to your camera then getting a SLR lens with built in image stabilisation is a great route to take. Again, although it adds to the cost of the lens the picture quality will be greatly improved, which justifies the added price.
Lastly, you need to consider how much you actually can afford to spend on your lens. Again, there are two choices here: a first party lens which is a SLR lens that is made by the same company that made your camera, and a third party lens that isn't but comes with various adapters so that they can be mounted on your camera. Third party lenses are again the cheaper option for getting a SLR camera lens and the variety on offer will be greater; however, some people feel that to achieve the best pictures they are happier sticking with first party lenses that match their camera.