If you are a part of any busy photography forum or community you will no doubt see plenty of questions related to Canon L series lenses.
Most of the questions tend to follow well worn paths – people want to know if L series lenses are worth the often hefty price tag and whether they are are as good as people say they are.
Of course, the answer from serious amateurs and seasonsed professionals alike is always a resounding yes, but photographers who are just starting to get really serious about their photography will want to know more pressing questions like why are they so good and when should I upgrade my kit lens?
First, the why.
While there has been numerous debate about what the “L” stands for over the years, it is pretty much accepted to stand for luxury as mentioned in one of Canons own Lens Work books.
Simply put, the lenses from this luxurious range offer greater mechanical and optical excellence than their non-L designated counterparts.
L series lenses also come with the following advantages:
- better dust and moisture sealing and better build quality to stand years of harsh use
- a fluorite element or low dispersion glass to produce outstanding image quality
- comparatively longer focal lengths combined with large apertures
- non-rotating front elements to allow the use of polarizing or UV filters for example
The good news is that you don’t have to understand all of the technical jargon associated with lens construction to be able to see images from your DSLR that have perfect color, contrast, sharpness and bokeh.
You will probably not even believe your eyes the first time, especially if you are upgrading from your trusty 18-55mm kit lens.
This leads me on to the second part of the article, and that is the when.
This is going to be different for everyone because we all have differing expectiations, experiences and perhaps most importantly of all differing budgets.
You see, L series range lenses are not cheap. Some of them are equal in value to a good second hand car and some of the super telephoto lenses would make a great deposit on a house.
However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most people reading this article would have a pretty serious interest in photography and would most likely want to shoot with L lenses at some stage in their lives.
If you want enjoy the best that Canon has to offer and you have no other pressing financial commitments then by all means go ahead and become a member of the club.
This seems like an obvious thing to say, but you will be surprised how many people will go ahead and buy something they either can’t afford, aren’t ready for or do it without telling the wife!
At the end of the day, only you as an individual knows how serious you are about your photography and whether you want to take it to the next level.
Just keep in mind that the acquisition of a new lens will require extra room and weight in your camera bag, or may even mean a new camera bag completely.
You also have to think about other accessories like lens hoods, pouches, filters and even tripod collars. You will also have to decide whether to get the IS (image stabilizer) or non-IS version of the lens because among other things this can make a big difference on the total cost of your lens.
What should you do if you can’t afford L lenses just yet?
My best advice would be to do what I did, and that was to save, save, save!
I used the 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lenses for a long time before I had enough money to upgrade them to the 17-40 and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS.
They weren’t the best lenses in the world – in fact the 55-200 was rubbish – but my love of photography kept me striving for the end goal.
While I was saving, I was also able to sharpen my photography skills. You know, things like composition and exposure and have the patience to be able to visit a single scene 20 times to get the perfect shot.
It is important to remember that no lens will be able to master those skills for you, no matter what the price tag or reputation. However, a good lens with decent image quality will definitely give you the motivation to get there.
If you aren’t in a position to save for whatever reason, then invest in a cheap prime lens such as the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens. This particular lens produces very good results at an extremely competitive price and will give you better results than most non-L series mid range zooms.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck in your photographic endeavors!
Questions or comments? Either leave them below or contact me here.
