BetterPhoto Q&A
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Lenses

The Quantaray 28-200mm is only 249? Any suggestions? Should I just do it?

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July 13, 2000

Just do it! :^)

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July 15, 2000

I have learned that one should buy the best lens that one can afford. Paying more for a lens than the camera itself is not unheard of. A 28-200 mm lens will give you a great range of versatility. With proper technique you will be able to hand-hold shoot through the entire range (although as you may know using a tripod is always a good idea.)

As with all things just make up your mind based on your needs and budget and do it.

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July 18, 2000

The 28-200 and 28-300 lenses are relatively light weight do-everything lenses and therefore make good travel lenses. However, there are compromises that are necessary when making a lens with such a wide zoom range. Optical quality suffers and they tend to exhibit distortion at either or both ends of the zoom. However, if you're only going to be making 4x6 prints and wish to travel light they're not bad choices.

I wouldn't worry about spending more on a lens than a camera body. In fact I would recommend it! Buy the best lens you can afford!

If I were buying a first lens for a Elan IIe I would buy either the Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM or the Canon 28-135 f/4.0-5.6 USM IS. My first choice would be the 28-135. The combination of the USM and IS is very attractive and the opt

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July 18, 2000

There's a reason the third-party lenses are cheaper. It's because they're generally made cheaply. You get what you pay for.

I'm pretty passionate about this because I've seen the difference. Canon offers several lenses
that go from 55-200 up to 100-300, ranging in price from $190 to $325 (mail order prices). Use Canon lenses with your Canon camera. You'll be glad you did.

Steve

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July 18, 2000

The camera body helps control exposure, aids in focusing the lens correctly, and holds the lens in the proper position with respect to the film. Everything else affecting the technical quality of the image hinges on the lens and its optics: abberation, distortion, flare control, contrast, resolution and "bokeh." (Bokeh is how things outside the depth of field in front and behind the focus distance, and therefore are out of focus, will appear in the image.)

Don't short-change yourself and the photographs you make with the lens. Buy the best possible lens(es) you can afford in both optical quality and durability. It is by far the *most* important part of a camera. Third party zoom lenses are generally less well made, have lower optical quality, and are not as durable. There are a *very* few exceptions among third party lenses, and they are *not* the inexpensive ones. I have seen the difference and "seen the light" (pun intended).
A zoom is also a compromise in one or more ways compared to comparable primes covered by the zoom's focal length range. Those compromises can include lens speed, contrast, and resolution. Zooms can be very useful and convenient, but remember that they are a compromise. Get a zoom now if it's what you think you need most. If you get very serious about fine photography, then plan on ultimately buying at least three primes: a medium wide angle, a standard, and a medium telephoto. They wouldn't necessarily replace the zoom, but would become your mainstays with usage of the zoom for when you need to change focal lengths rapidly in fast moving situations.

Among very serious amateurs and professionals, spending as much if not more on a lens (sometimes much more) than on a camera body is the norm, not the exception.

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July 18, 2000

Jay Wetherill in Florida

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July 19, 2000