We may earn a commission when you purchase through affiliate links. Learn more.
We’ve mentioned the value of good lenses before in the photography course, but it merits repeating: good lenses are really important! Kit lenses often come bundled with many entry level DSLR and mirrorless cameras and are perfect for snapshots and casual shooting and it’s almost always cheaper to buy the camera and the kit lens as a bundle rather than buying them separately. For many people who purchased a camera to photograph their kids playing or to take some photos on a trip, a kit lens will often meet all of their needs.
An 18-55mm kit lens can be a great general purpose lens, but there’s a point in many photographer’s creative growth when they realize that their lens may be limiting what kind of photos they’re able to take. If you’ve purchased a camera that uses interchangeable lenses, you probably intend to eventually buy another lens.
To help with your search for the next lens, ask yourself what you photograph the most and what you really want to photograph more of. If you’ve found your kit lens to be limiting your creativity, is it because you’re not able to fill your frame with distant wildlife you see in the distance or is it because you’re not able to capture the vastness of a stunning landscape? Maybe you’ve found yourself trying to take close-up shots of flowers and insects, but your kit lens doesn’t allow you to get as close as you’d like to capture every drop of dew glistening on a beetle’s leg.
If you want to grow as a wildlife photographer or adventure sports photographer shooting athletes from a distance, you’ll want a longer lens (telephoto). If you want to explore your creativity as a landscape photographer, you’ll want a shorter lens (wide angle). If you want to photograph in low light conditions or if you want to capture images with a very shallow depth of field and nice bokeh, you’ll want a fast lens with a large maximum aperture.
Figuring out which lens is right for you is sort of like figuring out which car is right for you. A minivan, a sports car, and a compact car will all get you to the same place, but each has their own target market that they’re best suited for. A minivan is a great vehicle if you’ve got kids. A sports car is a great vehicle if you want more performance and comfort. A compact car is a great vehicle if you want to save money on gas and don’t need the wind in your hair or the ability to go from 0-60 in 3 seconds. Lenses are exactly the same — they’re each made to meet the needs of different photographers. Price alone shouldn’t be what determines your purchase and the most expensive lens may not be the best lens for you.
We’ve put together a series of guides to what we feel are the best affordable lenses to consider once you’ve outgrown your kit lens. We think these lenses provide the best bang for your buck and have organized them according to camera brand: