Your lens is one of the most defining tools there is for crafting images. Both technically and aesthetically, your lens choice literally shapes the light and expresses itself in your final image. If you change your lens, you’ll change the way you create your image; you’ll also affect the style of the image itself.

The goal is always to make the best images possible with the gear you have. By understanding the strengths, weaknesses and “personality” of your lenses, you’ll be able use them to their full potential. There’s a saying that roughly goes “You can make the world’s best photo with the world’s worst lens—and the world’s worst photo with the best lens.” Remember that the images you make through the ...

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