How to Find the Best Digital SLR Lens

If you think that finding a good SLR camera is tough, try to find the best digital SLR lens to go with it. If you felt there were plenty of cameras to choose from, the number of available lenses is going to be overwhelming. Digital SLR lenses come in all manner of shapes and sizes, and vary massively in price. Some are built for the demanding needs of professionals and others are just right for the everyday snapshot photographer.

Faced with all these alternatives, what's a newcomer to the world of SLR photography to do?

Just follow the 6 steps that I outline below and you'll find your way to the best digital SLR lens for your camera.

What Brand Is Your SLR?

Canon EF24-105 F4 L

Before you even get started down the road of selecting a lens, you have to know the brand of digital SLR camera that you're going to get.
Here's why: lenses are not interchangeable.
A lens designed for a Nikon camera is not going to work on your Canon camera - that's what all those Canon lenses are for.
The reason is that modern day lenses have an electronic connection with the digital SLR camera. This connection relays information from lens to camera so that you can change setting on the lens (like aperture) from the camera body itself.

Nikin DX AF-S 35mm F1.8

These connections are proprietary and vary between the camera makers.
The key to understanding which lens will work with your digital SLR can be summed up in two words: lens mount.

Tamron 18-270

The lens mount is the point of connection between a lens and your digital SLR. A Pentax lens mount is different from a Nikon lens mount which is different from a Sony lens mount.

Sigma 10-20mm

This is especially important if you eventually want a lens from a third party manufacturer (more about this later). The key thing to remember right now is that you can get the exact same lens made by a third party company like Sigma, but with different mounts (one for Nikon and one for Canon).

The 6 Steps

I use the 6 steps that I'm about to introduce you to every time I go out looking for a new lens.
Each step is designed to reduce the number of lenses you have to compare by half, which is why it's good to follow the steps in order.
By the time you get to the last step, you should only have to compare 2 or 3 lenses rather than 30.
So here we go - 6 steps to help you find the best digital SLR lens:

1. Determine the focal length you'll need
2. Decide if you want a prime or zoom lens
3. Select a maximum aperture
4. Choose between first or third party lenses
5. Evaluate any extra features
6. Read reviews and narrow your options

When You Wish Upon a Lens

Here's the easiest way to find the best digital SLR lens: write down your decisions as you go through each step of this digital SLR lens guide.
What you are creating is something I call a digital SLR lens wishlist.
A wishlist is really just several questions (one for each step) and the answers that you provide help to identify your ideal lens.