Canon® EOS 50D Digital Field Guide

Chapter 8. Lenses and Accessories

In This Chapter

Evaluating lens choices for the 50D

Types of lenses

Working with different types of lenses

Calibrating and fine-tuning lenses

Doing more with lens accessories

Learning lens lingo and technology

The old axiom "the camera is as good as the lens" certainly holds true for the EOS 50D. With the 50's high resolution, small pixel size, and the small APS-C-size sensor, the camera demands a lot from lenses. While 50D images are excellent with all of the Canon lenses, it delivers the best images with high-quality lenses. With this in mind, the decisions that you make on adding lenses to your gear bag are some of the most important decisions you'll make. And, as most photographers know, over time, the investment in lenses over time far exceeds the investment in the camera body.

This chapter explores the world of Canon lenses, and it details the 50D's new lens calibration and peripheral illumination correction features. In addition, this chapter examines lens accessories that can extend your photographic system, and introduces key lens terms and technologies so that you'll know what to look for as you add lenses to your system.

Evaluating Lens Choices for the 50D

The EOS 50D is compatible with more than 50 Canon EF and EF-S lenses and accessories. That's a wide range of lenses, and your options are even more extensive when you factor in compatible lens from third-party companies. This section gives you a solid grounding in lens types and characteristics ...