Sanyo LNS T01 - telephoto lens - 253 mm F/2.0

Advantages: Good for shooting in low light, compact, discreet, low weight
Disadvantages: None really

...kit lenses are "slow" in terms of the light they transmit, typically f/3.5-f/5.6, meaning a slow shutter speed will be required to shoot in low light. This 35mm f/2 "prime" lens lets in a lot more light, about 4X as much in fact, so that you can use faster shutter speeds when shooting indoors without flash for example. Someone with the kit lens shooting indoors without flash might have to shoot at 1/15s wheras someone shooting with this prime lens could still shoot at 1/60s and avoid motion blur. This lens is very compact compared to a zoom lens so is more discreet, which would appeal to street photography enthusiasts. I use this lens with the HN-3 metal lens hood (about £15) which means I'm less likely to damage the glass at the front of the lens if the camera takes a knock, and the hood helps prevent flare from bright sunlight... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fast Focus, well built, reliable excellent performance all round
Disadvantages: Heavy, you will need a tripod

...As you may be gathering, I have been investing in camera stuff recently... This is the 2nd lens I bought for my camera which is excellent. It takes very good and sharp pictures all the way through and is not prone to glare, possibly due to the very large hood it comes with! The operation of the lens is very simple and fits on both the Sony a-mount as well as the Konica Minolta mount. Zooming is done through a large in the middle and if you are focusing manually it is through a front ring. Again there is no distance indicator for the focus ring but that is only useful for nerds as you will not be able to focus and measure distance at the same time unless you want to get a tape out to check! The longest zoom is at 300mm. Now bear in mind that digital SLR cameras have a "crop" factor in the majority of cases and the Sony a-100 has... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Aperture, lens quality
Disadvantages: None

...I love this lens, truly. It is one of the Olympus pro range which means that is is weather sealed and has a focus distance scale. It's a sturdy bit of kit that gives you a reassuring feel. I wouldn't want to drop it, but it feels like it will survive. Now I'm not a big macro person, so I can only say that it seems pretty good at the macro stuff. As you'd expect, there is a long focus travel between normal shooting ranges and macro, but the AF works fine, locking on swiftly and accurately. Where this lens comes into its own is for portraits. On 4/3 cameras this is the equivalent of a 100mm lens. Shooting wide open at f2, the quality of this lens is superlative. It's a bit of a claim, but I don't think it's bettered by any other lens. Bokeh are (is?) to die for, too. It is compact (as you would expect from an actual 50mm lens... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful