There are really only two types of cameras you need to be familiar with: point & shoot and SLR. With point & shoot, the lens you get with the camera is the only one you’ll use—though not always the only one you’ll want. With a SLR camera, you can exchange your lens depending on your goal. The wide diversity of lenses includes:
- Macro—great for small objects such as flowers and bugs.
- Telephoto—you can shoot from a distance and the object looks as if you could almost touch it. Perfect if you want to take a photo of a grizzly bear, but would prefer not to be mauled in the process.
- Wide angle—ideal for mountain ranges, lakes, meadows.
Many point & shoot cameras enable you to do some of these things, but they are more limited in scope. Also, add a filter (to be discussed later) to the SLR lens and your pictures will move to a whole new level of creativity. Most of these effects can be done on the computer…but not always. If you become addicted to photography—and believe me, it’s addictive—you might want to invest in a SLR camera that offers a wide selection of lens (e.g. Canon and Nikon), depending on your goals and interests.