Digital SLR Cameras and Photography For Dummies, 5th Edition

Chapter 6

Mastering the Multi-Lens Reflex

In This Chapter

Deciding on add-on lenses

Choosing prime lenses or zooms

Understanding key lens concepts

Using wide angles and telephotos creatively

In one sense, the term single lens reflex is a misnomer. Even in these days of 18mm-to-300mm lenses that cover the range from wide-angle to medium telephoto (or 50mm–500mm superzooms that extend from short telephoto to really, really long telephoto), few dSLR owners try to operate with only a single lens. In fact, buying extra optics for one of these cameras is more than a reflex (pardon my pun) — it’s a passion! Additional lenses are probably the most popular accessory for digital SLRs. They’re the single component that can provide the biggest boost to your photographic repertoire.

Of course, you probably know that the term SLR actually refers to a camera design. An SLR camera uses the same lens to take the picture as it uses for reflex viewing (viewing by reflection, using mirrors or a prism), ...