The Camera Lens Comparison Tool facilitates quick comparisons among camera lenses. Camera reviews are often too specific to be of real value to photographers who don’t need 200mm focal lengths or f/1.4 speed, and lens reviews rarely compare one lens with another. The Camera Lens Comparison Tool enables users to make side-by-side comparisons in real time. Check out our camera lens comparison filters and table below for a quick glance at which lens may best suit your photography needs.
How Does Our Camera Lenses Comparison Tool Work?
Our Camera Lens Comparison Tool uses a database of user reviews and manufacturer specs from around the web to calculate average scores for each camera lens. Camera lenses are then stitched together into interactive comparison filters that allow you to quickly identify how different lenses stack up against one another, and which is best for a particular set of needs.
How We Grade Our Camera Lens In Our Reviews
Camera lenses are judged based on a number of characteristics that tend to matter most to photographers. Camera lens reviews typically describe lenses in relation to competing products, and note the performance difference users might expect from upgrading their kit lens to an enthusiast-oriented model. Camera lenses are typically graded against other lenses within a camera system – Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 lenses are compared to other EF 28mm f/1.8 lenses, for example – so no effort is made to convert the scores to a common standard across camera systems.
Camera lens scoring is thus entirely subjective, and can vary widely depending on which lenses are chosen as direct comparisons. As such, there’s rarely any clear cut “best lens,” but rather a collection of lenses that are good for certain applications. Our Camera Lens Comparison Tool thus includes multiple lenses for each camera system, allowing users to pick the one that best suits their specific needs. Camera lens reviews typically grade lenses based on one or more characteristics:
Focal Length
Camera lens focal lengths correspond to the angle of view they provide. Camera lenses with shorter focal lengths provide a tighter angle of view, making them useful for landscape and architectural photography. Camera lenses with longer focal lengths are better suited to close-ups and portraits as they produce a narrower angle of view that isolates the subject from the background. Camera lens reviewers typically note which tasks each lens is well-suited for, resulting in recommendations like “best for landscapes” or “best for portraits.”
Aperture
Camera lenses with larger maximum apertures are typically prized by photographers because they can be used to achieve shallower depth of field. Camera lenses with large maximum aperture values let in more light than camera lenses with smaller maximum aperture values, allowing for faster shutter speeds in dim conditions. Camera lenses with larger maximum aperture values are typically larger and heavier, however, making them more challenging to carry around or use on smaller cameras. Camera lens reviewers typically note the difference users can expect in terms of image quality when shooting at large apertures.
Image Quality
Camera lenses are also judged based on the quality of images they are able to produce. Camera lenses are typically described as having good, acceptable, or poor image quality. Camera lenses with good image quality are typically well-suited for professional applications, whereas camera lenses with poor image quality may not be useable for certain types of photography. Camera lens reviewers tend to make these decisions based on in-depth lab testing, and provide supporting graphs and data in camera lens reviews.
Camera lenses with good image quality typically perform well in terms of sharpness, distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and other optical artifacts. Camera lenses with poor image quality sometimes show visible distortion around the edges of the frame or suffer from severe vignetting when shooting at larger apertures. Camera lenses with good image quality are typically very expensive, while camera lenses with poor image quality may sometimes be surprisingly inexpensive.
Camera lens reviewers tend to ignore factors like build quality and autofocus performance when assessing the final scores of a given camera lens, as they’re less important to photographers than image quality. Camera lens reviews that do mention build quality and autofocus performance typically note which camera lenses have a useful manual focus override feature, as well as how quickly they can acquire focus in different shooting environments.
Build Quality
Camera lenses with better build quality are typically made from higher-grade materials and offer smoother, more precise operation than camera lenses with poor build quality. Camera lenses with good build quality are typically more durable than camera lenses with poor build quality, making them suitable for use in harsh climates and by owners who don’t always treat their equipment well. Camera lens reviewers typically note whether or not camera lenses feature weather sealing, noting which camera lenses are able to operate at temperatures below freezing and which aren’t.
Camera lenses with good build quality typically feature robust metal mounts, focus rings, and zoom rings that remain firmly seated at all times. Camera lenses with poor build quality sometimes feature loosely-mounted front elements that can be knocked out of alignment during transport or use. Camera lens reviewers often note whether or not a given camera lens has an effective lens lock mechanism, as well as whether or not the camera lens is parfocal. Camera lenses with good build quality are typically more expensive than camera lenses with poor build quality. Camera lens reviewers tend to only talk about build quality when assessing still photography lenses, as video-specific camera lenses are rarely described using this term.
Autofocus Performance
Camera lenses that are able to quickly acquire focus in different shooting environments typically feature wider rubberized zoom rings that can be easily gripped, more highly-polished metal lens mounts, and tighter tolerances between individual parts. Camera lenses with slower autofocus performance sometimes have rougher rubberized zoom rings or looser tolerances between individual parts, making them slightly harder to operate.
Camera lenses that are able to quickly acquire focus in different shooting environments typically feature deeper lens hoods than camera lenses with slower autofocus performance, which sometimes have shallower lens hoods. Camera lenses with faster autofocus performance often lack manual focus override functionality. Camera lenses that are able to quickly acquire focus in different shooting environments typically show very little variation when acquiring focus at all focal lengths. Camera lenses with slower autofocus performance sometimes show greater variation when acquiring focus at all focal lengths.
Bokeh Quality
Camera lenses with better bokeh quality are typically designed to keep out of focus elements looking soft at all times, avoiding the unsightly “onion ring” bokeh artifacts that are sometimes visible in images shot with camera lenses featuring poor bokeh quality.
Camera lenses with good bokeh quality are also typically designed to achieve rounded out-of-focus highlights, keeping them looking circular even when the camera lens is stopped down to small apertures. Camera lenses with poorer bokeh quality are sometimes designed to achieve octagonal out-of-focus highlights instead of circular ones, making images shot with these camera lenses appear less natural. Camera lenses with good bokeh quality are typically more expensive than camera lenses with poorer bokeh quality.
Camera Features
Camera lenses featuring useful features such as optical stabilization, silent autofocus functionality, and weather sealing tend to be larger and heavier than camera lenses that lack these features. Camera lenses with useful features such as optical stabilization, silent autofocus functionality, and weather sealing tend to cost more than camera lenses that lack these features.