Ever wondered which lenses to get if you’ve just jumped into the Canon system? Today’s photography cheat sheet will give you an idea.
DSLR cameras are here to stay, and they still make great shooting companions for both beginners and pros. If you decided to start your photography journey with a Canon DSLR and you’re set on specializing in a specific genre, we found a handy lens guide you can use as a reference for today’s featured photography cheat sheet.
The Canon lens guide below was put together by Eric Von Lehmden of Canvas Prints to help those who are either just getting started with photography as a hobby or profession, or thinking about switching to the Canon system entirely. Admittedly, this list is a little outdated, coming from 2015. However, you can treat it as a recommendation of investment lenses instead: the ones you’ll most likely use for years and years. If you’re just starting out, you don’t need the latest, greatest, and priciest lenses right away anyway. But, these are already pro-level lenses from five years back, so even if they’re not the latest, you’re essentially still going to work with some of the best. Make what you will out of this list, do your research, and even look for secondhand ones so you can save as much as you can.
Lenses in different focal lengths are categorized into recommendations per genre or photography category, so you have more than one option when the shot calls for it. Some of the recommendations may overlap, making some of the lenses versatile options that can get you through many photography projects. This is part of what makes them investment lenses as well. The only category noticeably missing here is street photography, but you can also easily use the 24mm f2.8 for some wide street snaps, or the 50mm f1.4 for more intimate shots and street portraits.
All that said, some of you may find this to be only a partial list. If you don’t see your favorite or go-to lens per category mentioned, we’d love to know your recommendation/s!
Meanwhile, check out the rest of our photography cheat sheet collection as well for more useful tips and tricks for your next shoot!