Glossary

in an effort to help you understand all these terms – for more detailed explanation of what this all means see my All About the lenses – Acronyms post

ef-s(canon), DX(Sigma)

Built for crop sensor cameras, not useable on full frame cameras

ef

Suitable and useable on crop sensor and full frame cameras

IS, OS, VC

Image Stabilization(Canon), Optical Stabilization(Sigma), Vibration Compensation(Tamron) – All terms for a system built into the lens that removes camera shake and allows you to shoot at slightly slower shutter speeds.

USM(Canon), HSM(Sigma)

UltraSonic Motor – Means fast and quiet autofocus

Zooms

Super Budget Zoom Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Decent lens with solid reviews very hard to beat the price. If shopping around make sure you don’t purchase the non-APO version which is crummy. Price: $189.00

Budget Zoom – Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Very good lens with IS (image stabilization) which allows you to get sharper images with less light- nicely compliments the kit lens. Price: $210

Mid-Level Zoom Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras Some call this a hidden “L” lens. L lenses are Canon’s professional level lenses that offer superb optics at a serious price. The lens is very good and includes IS and USM (ultra sonic motor for focusing). Price: $540

High End Zoom Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras A beautiful “L” lens at an affordable price, probably one of the best values in Canon’s line. You don’t get IS but what you do get is a lens that is bright and sharp and offers f/4 across the zoom range. Price: $650

Serious Wildlife/Sports Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Getting 500mm of reach for ~$1000 is amazing, especially when it is at this quality level, downsides: big/heavy and you will need lots of light at the longer focal lengths. Price: $1000

Walk-around

This is a difficult category to recommend – Some lean toward having the convenience of large focal range (i.e. the 18-200ish lenses) some want fast and light and some want something in between. You really need to take a look at the type of shooting you do and decide which of the following lenses is the best fit for your needs.

Budget Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens Don’t be quick to replace this lens. The earlier kit lenses were crummy but the current IS version is quite capable and covers a useful range. Price: Free with your camera

More range constant f/2.8 Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon Digital SLR Cameras This Tamron lens is excellent – so sharp, beating Canon’s $1500 24-70 lens in some tests. Downside- not very wide start at 28mm and focus is not as snappy as I would like in lowerlight Price: $450

Pricey but excellent Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Fairly limited range but excellent quality and perfect for landscapes. Price: $760

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras IS, USM and a constant f/2.8 A very good lens but maybe not the best value Price: $1100

Ultra-Convenient! Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras One lens that covers a very large range (11x) You will be sacrificing quality and will experience distortion at the wide end. Price: $540

Wide-angles

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Solid lens, widest in its class at a decent price. Price: $499 or Tokina 11-16/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX Lens for Canon EOS Digital -ATX116PRODXC Less range but sharper and fast with a constant aperture of f/2.8 Price: $799

Primes

Everyone should own at least one prime – They offer very sharp glass and large apertures at good prices- the downside, you need to zoom with your feet. The cheapest of the primes is the 50 f/1.8- Using the large apertures of prime lenses like the 50mm helps understand the connection between Depth of Field and aperture.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens For just a shade over $100 you get a decently sharp prime lens. It is a little long on crop sensors so you may want to spring for the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Still a prime and not nearly as cheap as the 50mm but at 1.4 lets in almost twice as much light as f/1.8

Macro

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Excellent Macro lens. On a crop sensor the focal length can be a little long but this will let you get closer to skitish bugs and other small creatures. Price: $540 or Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR Cameras Very nice Macro and portraiture suitable lens. Price: $399