Camera lenses

A lens is chosen first for the mount on your camera, then for your subjects: wide-angle for landscapes and interiors, a medium focal length for portraits, telephoto for wildlife and sport. A wide aperture helps in low light and blurs the background. Stabilisation and weight matter in the field. A very long zoom range often costs sharpness, and filters must match the lens diameter.

Rated on these criteria

Maximum aperture
Minimum focusing distance
Number of diaphragm blades
Price observed on the market

The buying guide

Choose by use

The right product depends on the situation. Each page below takes the category’s criteria and changes their weight for one specific need.

Lens for concert and stage photography Indoors or at a festival, light is scarce and shooting stays at a distance: here is how to choose without paying for close focusing you will not use. Read Lens for flower and insect photography For tiny subjects, focusing distance makes the shot, well before aperture or background blur matter as much as in general use. Read First lens to start learning photography To learn settings without a big budget, price comes before advanced features that only matter once practice is well established. Read

What we rate in this category

Every product in the category is rated from 0 to 100 on these criteria : the same for all of them, whichever merchant sells it.

Read the full method

Maximum aperture: Measures the widest opening the lens allows: the larger it is, the longer the bar, and the better the lens performs in low light or for background blur.
Minimum focusing distance: Measures the shortest distance at which the lens stays sharp: the shorter it is, the longer the bar, and the easier it is to shoot close up.
Number of diaphragm blades: Measures the number of blades forming the aperture: the higher it is, the longer the bar, and the rounder and more natural the background blur looks.
Price observed on the market: Places this lens’s price against the other compared models: the better the deal, the longer the bar.

Price brackets by tier

Orders of magnitude, not displayed prices: a price only appears on Kalyneo once it has been collected from a merchant, with its collection date.

Under €150

A simple prime or a basic plastic zoom, fine to start out but with a modest aperture and little resistance to knocks.

€150 to €500

Brighter optics or versatile zooms with stabilisation, well suited to travel and occasional portrait work.

Over €500

Weather sealed builds, a wide constant aperture and sharper results, at the cost of extra weight and bulk.

The buying guide for this category Buying guide: how to choose a camera lens A lens is chosen first on its brightness, its ability to focus up close, and the quality of its background blur. These three measured criteria explain most of the score differences before price even comes into play. Read the guide

No model compared here on this market

Kalyneo only shows a price once it has been collected automatically from the merchant, with its collection date. The rating criteria for this category, the price brackets by tier and the buying guide are above.

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