Photographic technology is evolving at an unbelievable speed, and it’s hard to resist the endless waves of new gadgets we’re subjected to each day. But when is really the right time to make that investment into better equipment?

Lens names are full of abbreviations, number ranges, and useless advertising. Take a look at which pieces of information are important for you and what it all means.

When you sit down with lenses that all offer the same focal length and aperture, you might think that they’ll all give almost the same outputs. But in reality their outputs vary in a variety of details. To see this difference “live,” check out our test of some Canon and Sigma lenses that—in theory—“meet” at the 35mm focal length.

There’s lots of tools out there for landscape photography, but not everyone wants to carry them all on a hike—or even buy them. If you’re not sure what equipment you’ll need for your nature photography, read on and learn what makes sense to take.

You’ve probably run into the title question in practice. The answer is: there’s not just one best length. Unlike in portrait photography, nearly every lens works for landscapes. It’s just that each one lets you present the landscape a bit differently. So let’s explore the differences among them via an example landscape.

The market today is flooded with ever-better zoom lenses built to cover practically every imaginable range. And yet there are still photographers who make do without any zoom at all. Is it really possible to stick to just one fixed lens and completely forget about all the other focal lengths?

There are so many lenses on the market. Endless, really. And yet none of them are perfect for every situation, every photographer. But no matter what lens you’re using, it’s the most important part of your camera, because it draws your photos.

When you’re getting started in photography, even camera settings can be a sack of troubles. Now add to this the fact that sometimes you pull out your camera or cell phone and quickly snap a picture without thinking. In portrait photography, this can spoil your picture—it can deform your subject’s face. So—how do portrait photos look when taken at different focal lengths? And what should you do to keep from ruining your portrait photos? Read on to find out!

Join me for a look at one of the most famous focal lengths in history. It’s the fixed-fifty lens. This is a lens of many faces. There are lots of different fixed fifties on the market, ranging from thrifty to luxury. But why are these lenses a perennial favorite, and why should they be in everyone’s bag?

They’re heavy and they have no zoom, but because of their image quality, some professionals use only these lenses. Why are ultra-fast lenses so highly valued?