Looking for a new lens?

You fully assessed all the possible scenarios in use with your equipment, yet you find your gear still lacking in performance or not getting the job done. One particular situation that we all encounter involves purchasing new glass including which model, make, or type. Data sheets that tell lens specifications are not enough to justify a purchase; Instead, you have to see results created with those lenses. Seeing results is subjective depending on user but everyone has different tastes. A great place to find lenses that suit individual taste is pBase.

http://www.pbase.com/cameras

Pick a brand and find your lens/ or body. (P&S at top, DSLRs half way, lenses at bottom : all sorted by release date)

For example, you want a fast telephoto but you already determined that 2.8 is a must and it has to be a zoom:

Click Canon

Find 70-200mm 2.8 (on lower half of the page)

Browse through pictures taken by that lens.

At time of writing, there are 94,548 photos by 942 different users that have used the 70-200 2.8. So ultimately, you would have browsed though hundreds of images before deciding whether that lens suits your needs or not.

When you are looking at samples taken by a particular glass, look at the following:

Shooting data (EXIF)

Contrast

Vignette

Fringing on highlights

Corner to corner sharpness

Out of focus areas (bokeh)

pBase is not a good place to determine overall image sharpness because rarely do you find original image sizes. So pixel peepers will be disappointed. But for everything else, pBase will help you find lenses that meet your needs suit your tastes.

pBase holds record of ALL lenses and bodies ever created. So it’s also a good place to look up manual primes or favorite oldies. The top right of the page within each brand shows the hot list. The hot list shows which items are most viewed by the day. If it’s in the hot list, it’s certainly of interest among the public.

Remember to buy what you can afford now and get what accomplishes the job; stick with your purchase for as long as possible. Don’t find yourself in a position where you will have to upgrade in the near future. This creates a cycle that punches holes through your wallet.