Comparing zoom lens manufacturers can be time consuming!

Hopefully we can help by doing most of the donkey work for you whether you are comparing zoom lens makes, models, manufacturers, features or prices!

Why do I prefer a zoom lens as opposed to a "Prime" lens?

If it is a matter of quality, I prefer the fixed focal length lenses, but for the convenience and "less to carry", I would rather use quality zoom lenses.

Although the prime lens, if of a certain quality, will normally give superior shots, there is so much you can do with a zoom lens. For example, if you are tracking wildlife or sports subjects, it is incredibly handy to keep reframing as you are shooting. For this example I had to drag myself to the beach and wait for some birds to come along, so I hope you appreciate it. Click on the picture for a GIF animation.

Say you are photographing at a Grand Prix event (lucky you!), and the car is coming towards you. If you were simply using a fixed telephoto lens, it wouldn't be long before you were just photographing the bumper as the car got nearer.

The beauty of a zoom lens is that you have that flexibilty. The ever-so-slight loss in quality is more than made up for by its usefulness in my opinion!

Comparing zoom lens - Types

Ok, you want to buy a zoom lens. Just like any other aspect of photography, think about what you want it for. Don't just buy an expensive 16-35mm because your friends have one, it will be a costly "keep up with the Jones's".

Are you building a set of zoom lenses that will get you from say, 16mm to 200mm? that way, you will cover all angles at wedding or portrait photography. The lenses I would recommend would be maybe;

• 16-35mm (or 17-40mm), 24-70mm (or 28-135mm, 28-80mm) and a decent 70-200mm (or 80-200, 75-300).

  Maybe you want to cover 100-500mm for sports or nature/wildlife photography. Here you could look at;

• 70-200mm again, 100-400mm or the amazing Sigma 50-500mm.

  What ever you choose, I would say to try and stick with the same brand. It isn't that important, but you will become familiar with certain makes and that can help when switching from one to the other in a flash.

As I have said in other parts of this site, don't go for poor quality glass, you will regret it! If you can't afford new, buy second-hand, lenses are easy to check for damage or dust, just look through it, and check that all the moving parts still operate smoothly.

If the branded lenses such as Canon or Nikon are out of your budget, I will always recommend "Sigma" when comparing zoom lens manufactuers.

The quality of their products and the amount of research and development behind them, makes them a top competitor for the larger brands. Their lenses will fit most of the larger makes and models of SLR, digital or film.

Go to their website and have a browse, read forums and check the reviews from owners at Amazon.com.

Comparing zoom lens - Quality

This is important. Please check users reviews, forums or test them yourself before buying. Look for photographs taken by various lenses and listen to what more experienced photographers say. I say that because I have read a few reviews from beginners that absolutely slate the Canon EOS 20D. It is more often than not, that they have bought too big a camera for their experience, and haven't learnt how to use it properly yet.

As much as I love them, Canon released the 20D with the new EFS 18-55mm lens. Now, admittedly, for people on a tight budget, this lens will do until you can afford a better one, but if you were looking at buying this seperately, I wouldn't. Again, this is just my opinion.

The lens on the left is the Canon EF 50mm F1.4, on the right is the EFS 18-55mm.

The 50mm has a steel bayonet mount, whereas the EFS lens is plastic, which is also made in Taiwan as opposed to Japan.

The focussing ring on the new EFS is vitually non-existent and fiddly for manual focussing, and it feels light and "Cheap". I hate to say bad things about my beloved Canon, but try and buy the 20D "body only" if you are considering it.

I only say all this because if you are getting serious or want to earn a living from photography, if you buy cheap now, you will only replace it all later anyway. You are better off just getting one quality zoom lens (like the Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM), instead of 2 or 3 cheap lenses.

So, when comparing zoom lens quality, this advice also applies to Nikon, Olympus, Minolta or whatever make of camera you have. A quality lens will always feel heavier, more sturdy, will operate smoothly and have better quality glass. The lens and your own imagination are what make a good photograph, the camera make or type is not so important.

Comparing zoom lens - Features

When you are comparing zoom lens features, what are you looking for?

• Manual/Autofocus

Most modern lenses have autofocus and work in conjunction with your camera. However, it is sometimes nice or necessary, to switch to manual focus (e.g. for macro work). Make sure the lens has this.

• One touch or two touch zoom

There are 2 ways of altering the focal length when using a zoom lens, the more common is for the lens to have separate focussing and zooming rings. The other (such as on the Canon EF 100-400mm), is for the lens to incorporate the focussing and zoom functions on the same ring. This means you can focus and zoom at the same time as the zoom is on a push-pull basis, and for the focussing you twist the barrel. It is purely personal preference as to which you choose.

• Image Stabilisation

This is a nice feature to have, especially for the longer zoom lenses. These lenses have a motor inside which detects your movement (when the shutter is partly depressed) and counterbalances it, meaning you can hand-hold the camera for up to 2 extra stops before you need a tripod. Again, personal preference here, the feature can sometimes be a hindrance but is mostly of benefit.

• USM or HSM

Most of the larger manufacturers now put this into their better lenses. Ultrasonic or hypersonic movement means the lens has another motor which allows it to focus quickly and silently. If you are shooting weddings or anywhere quiet, this is an excellent feature (you just have to worry about the shutter noise ; )

• Speed

  Lastly, when comparing zoom lens features, check the speed or largest aperture of the lens. This should be F.4 or F.5.6, any larger such as F.8, and you will struggle to get a reasonable shutter speed. The highest quality lenses can keep F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range but, yes you guessed it, they cost a lot more. Most of the Canon "L" series lenses and Nikon VR series have this feature, and that is why they are so popular with press and sports photographers.

For comparing zoom lens photographs, I have posted a few examples of zoom wide angle lens images here, and telephoto zoom lens images a here.

• Does quality matter?
• What lenses do I need? - Wide Angle, Telephoto, Zoom - You are here, Standard, Prime
• "Walk around camera lenses"
• "How many" do I need?
• "How much" will they cost and where can I buy them?
• "Is it safe to buy online?"