Lenses by subject: portraits, landscape, wildlife, macro and more on APS-C

Lenses by subject

Choose what you photograph. Each page lists every lens that fits the job on each system, by a rule stated at the top.

Lenses for portraits

A lens that frames like 75 to 135 mm lets you fill the frame with a face from a comfortable distance, and a bright aperture blurs what is behind it.

Landscapes ask for a wide view, a lens that is sharp stopped down and a front thread for a polariser or ND filter.

Wildlife and field sports need reach: 400 mm equivalent and beyond.

Street photography rewards a small, quiet camera and a prime that frames like 28 to 50 mm.

A macro lens focuses close enough to fill the frame with something small.

An f/1.4 lens lets in about eight times the light of a kit zoom at f/4, so you can keep a faster shutter speed and a lower ISO indoors and at night.

One lens for a whole trip: a zoom from a wide view to a telephoto.

At arm's length a lens needs to frame like 24 mm or wider to show you and some of where you are.

A room is too small to step back in, so interiors need an ultra-wide view: 20 mm equivalent or wider.