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Choosing which lens to buy can be difficult, especially when you’re starting out in photography. However, any (or all) of these five essential camera lenses are a great addition to a photographer’s gear.
These five essential lenses are available in all brands, including third-party manufacturers, if you’re on a budget.
They also apply to the most common camera formats, from micro four-thirds to full-frame, whether they’re mirrorless or DSLR.
5 Essential Camera Lenses Every Photographer Should Own
Some photographic genres use special lenses, such as the tilt-shift lens for architecture photography or a super telephoto lens for bird photography.
However, some lenses are helpful regardless of your photography genre.
These are five essential lenses that can benefit all kinds of photographers.
1. The Nifty Fifty
Credit: Jonas Svidras
A “nifty fifty” is another name for a 50mm lens. Given that “nifty” means something is particularly good or effective, you can already guess as to why this is my first pick!
A 50mm focal length most resembles what we see with our naked eye. This applies to 135mm film cameras and full-frame digital cameras.
If you have a different format camera, you should find the equivalent focal length if you want to have a “normal” or “standard” lens. For example, the standard lens of an APS-C camera is 28mm or 30mm.
Shooting with a nifty fifty produces realistic, natural-looking photos. It’s also particularly versatile, allowing you to photograph portraits, landscapes, food, and any other subject with excellent results.
Most 50mm lenses have a very wide aperture, which makes them perfect for low-light situations and whenever you want a narrow depth of field.
Despite this characteristic, they remain pretty affordable.
2. Prime Wide-Angle Lens
Credit: Isabella Mendes
Having a prime wide-angle lens is always a great idea. A wide-angle lens has a shorter focal length than the standard or “normal” lens I mentioned before.
However, there are different types of wide-angle lenses. A fisheye lens is considered a fisheye lens when the focal length is very short – from 8 to about 12mm.
These lenses create significant distortion and aren’t so useful in general photography. On the other hand, lenses with a focal length between 24 and 35mm are ideal and can benefit all types of photographers.
If you enjoy portrait, still life, or food photography, I suggest getting a 35mm prime lens.
In portrait photography, a 35mm lens allows you to get close to the subject, so you can work indoors and create intimacy. Yet, it doesn’t distort the face.
A 35mm lens lets you work comfortably in tight spaces for still life, product, and food photography. This is often necessary if you’re working in your client’s restaurant or shop. It’s also ideal if you have a small studio space.
If you need to photograph interiors for real estate or you enjoy landscape photography, I recommend a shorter prime lens. A 16mm, 18mm, or 24mm will work better.
Keep in mind that the shorter it is, the less versatile it will be – e.g., a 24mm will have more applications and create fewer distortions than a 16mm.
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3. Prime Telephoto Lens
Credit: Jonathan Pagaoa
A telephoto lens is the opposite of a wide-angle lens. So, a telephoto is any lens with a focal length longer than the format’s standard lenses.
In the case of a 135mm film or a full-frame sensor, this means above 50mm.
Telephoto lenses can be short (70-135mm), medium (135-300mm), or super (300mm +).
A prime short telephoto lens is essential for any type of photographer because it’s more versatile than longer lenses, which have more specific applications.
If you’re a portrait photographer, an 85mm telephoto lens is the best choice because there are many great options with a wide aperture, which creates a beautifully blurred background.
The 85mm lens is also an excellent alternative for pet photography and other situations where isolating the subject is essential.
Alternatively, a 135mm telephoto is also a versatile lens that will create great portraits but also allows you to shoot wildlife, details from architecture or landscapes, etc.
4. Short Zoom Lens
Credit: Didsss
When you don’t want to carry multiple prime lenses or you don’t know which focal lenses you’ll need, a zoom lens is your best choice.
A short zoom lens is so versatile that it often comes as part of the kit when you buy entry to medium-level cameras. The most traditional range is 18-55mm.
However, if you need a short telephoto, you can easily find 35-70mm lenses, which are also quite affordable.
The biggest drawback of these types of lenses is their small apertures. Generally speaking, these lenses have the widest aperture of f/3.5 on the shorter side and f/5.6 on the longer side.
This makes them difficult to use in low-light situations and whenever you want a shallower depth of field. Some similar zoom ranges have an f/2.8 aperture, but the cost is much higher.
In any case, it’s an essential lens for any beginner photographer and can be very helpful if you want to travel with a single lens and shoot a variety of subjects.
5. Long Zoom Lens
Lucasbosch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
To complement your short zoom lens, you can get a telephoto zoom. These lenses start with a standard or short telephoto focal length and go up to a medium and even super telephoto.
The 70-200mm lens length is among the most common long-zoom lenses available. It’s often a secondary kit lens when you buy entry-level and medium-level cameras.
The 100-400mm is often used for tourism and travel. For example, it’s a very popular range to take on a photo safari.
If you want a more extended range from a wide-angle to telephoto, a common choice is to get the 24-70mm or 24-240mm if you need a longer focal length.
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