The best lenses under $500 are probably the ones you already have. In fact, if you’ve used your camera for a while now, we’d be shocked if you didn’t pick these up. There are few things that make us happier than adding an affordable gem of a lens to your camera bag. And because we know that not everyone has over $1,000 to spare on their hobby or profession, we’re rounding up these little gems for you. Take a look, and dive in with us!
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Here are some tips on how to use this guide to the best lenses for under $500:
In our review, we state:
“The best thing about this lens has to be the color rendition. As always, Fujifilm’s color rendition is second to none in part because of the Fujifilm film profiles built into the camera. But then consider that this is a high quality lens and you’ve got a winning combination.”
In our review, we state:
“Photographers will be happy to know that the Canon 35mm f1.8 USM IS RF is very simple to use, and it’s also very digital in its design. When I say this, I mean that there is no focusing distance scale on the lens. As a result, I can’t really recommend it for street photography as that is an essential part of use. However, for anyone who wants to use it in full autofocus mode, go right ahead. Most of the time I used it as a fun lens on a camera I always wanted to have around me. The small size of the Canon 35mm f1.8 USM IS RF lends itself to this scenario very favorably. So if anything, most photographers will be happy to just use it as a macro to shoot random hangouts with friends while others will enjoy using it for more serious things.”
In our review, we state:
“The Nikon 40mm f2 z isn’t doing anything genuinely innovative per se. However, they’re offering the smallest autofocusing 40mm f2 lens on the market. They’ve added incredible weather sealing despite being slightly conservative with their own statements on this. Better yet, they’ve done this at a crazy low price point. 40mm lenses have finally seen a rise in popularity. But the Nikon 40mm f2 z is a study in how to do it right.”
In our review, we state:
“Shooting with the Tamron 35mm f2.8 Di III OSD is very straightforward. Mount it onto your Sony camera, turn your camera on, dial in your settings, and you’re off to the races. Thanks to the 7.4oz/210g weight, it won’t feel front-heavy when attached to Sony a7/a9 series camera. The only form of manual control the lens offers is the focusing ring. As mentioned earlier, the focusing ring could use more tension. It comes in handy when shooting long exposures and manually focusing to infinity or other distances. On the other hand, Team Autofocus will have nothing to worry about.”
In our review, we state:
“Of course, this is a nifty 50, so it’s easy to use. Put the Panasonic 50mm f1.8 S on any L-mount camera, and it should perform very well. There’s a focusing switch on one side. So, make sure you don’t accidentally hit this. But in all my time using the lens, that didn’t happen.”
In our review, we state:
“If you’re a fan of film, then realize this lens somehow or another renders images with less contrast and not as saturated as we’re used to seeing. If you’re a fan of Sigma lenses, consider this one to be the opposite of that. However, it works for the lens overall and Panasonic’s RAW files are versatile enough where this can be saved.”
Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He also likes pizza.