For first-time dSLR buyers, finding just the right lens can be a very confusing endeavor often made even more difficult by the plethora of offerings available at retailers. This is especially true of one chooses to buy online. Fortunately, Amazon has unveiled a new function designed to help people new to dSLR photography choose optics: Amazon's new Lens Finder tool.
So, how does it work?
The first step in the process: select your camera. Right now, the Lens Finder has cameras from Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, and Sony. Simply choose your make and its time for the next step: finding lenses.
Camera selected, you can then narrow down your lens choices by manufacturer and/or design. The selections for design include fisheye, macro, teleconverter, telephoto, tilt-shift, wide angle, and zoom. Note: some categories here overlap. Example: Canon's 18-200 IS will show up in both the 'telephoto' category as well as the 'zoom' one.
That done, one can now browse the result list, which is easier than simply browsing aimlessly under the broad category of SLR lenses. The only thing missing here: no function to sort lenses in any way, such as focal length, aperture, or even customer ratings. Oh, well, maybe Amazon will add that function at a future date.
Anyway, for beginners, the Lens Finder is a good way to help demystify (somewhat) the sometimes confusing world of photographic optics.
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