The ads started showing up on FaceBook all the time. They talk about wonderful lenses that will turn your smart phone into a camera that is better than a DSLR costing thousands of dollars. They brag about German engineering, a NASA optical formula, or the testing that proves their lenses are better than expensive lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, or Canon. The names of the companies change on a regular basis, but the scam is the same. Sad to say, a lot of people actually fall for this nonsense.
Category Archives: Lenses
How to Choose the Best iPhone Lenses
Choosing an Inexpensive Canon DSLR and Lenses for Video and Still Work
Do you want to buy a Canon DSLR and/or lenses on a budget? Is video quality important to you? This article is for you.
Get a Quality DSLR and Two Lenses for Less than $400
Yes, you can get a quality, name brand DLSR with two lenses for under $400. I checked out this special this morning (November 18, 2019) at Canon USA.
Buy What You Can Afford!

The first rule when choosing camera gear is to buy what you can afford. It is hard to enjoy taking pictures if you are worried about how to pay for the camera you are holding. So buy what you can afford now, and upgrade later. And the second rule? We will get to that later.
Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More
Welcome to my online buying guide for photographers. With over 75 articles it is one of the most comprehensive buyer’s guides on the web.
I get lots of photo questions, and many of them begin with “What is the best . . . .” They usually come from photographers or someone who is shopping for a photographer.
My “best of the best” series recommends the best photo gear, accessories, software, books, DVDs, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. Thanks to the information in these articles I get emails from photographers thanking me for saving them time, frustration, and a lot of money.
This article is published annually in November with regular updates. Most recent update: February 10, 2021.
Another Chinese Lens Rip-Off

We have been down this road before. The last time around, people paid from $60 to $200 for a cheap Chinese lens they could have bought for $12. The lens was touted as a German product and the ads used fake quotes from a fake German engineer. They created fake test results and used fake testimonials. They grabbed professionally created photographs taken with professionally photo equipment and passed them off as iPhone photos created with the fake German lens.
A DSLR Camera and Two Lenses for $288

Yes, you can get a basic Canon camera kit for $288. You get a Canon T6 DLSR body and two lenses: 18-55mm and 75-300mm. And you get the same one year warranty as if you bought the items brand new. The same camera with only one lens (18-55mm) sells new today for $399 at Amazon.
Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More
Welcome to my online buying guide for photographers. With over 70 articles it is one of the most comprehensive buyer’s guides on the web.
I get lots of photo questions, and many of them begin with “What is the best . . . .” They usually come from photographers or someone who is shopping for a photographer.
My “best of the best” series recommends the best photo gear, accessories, software, books, DVDs, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. Thanks to the information in these articles I get emails from photographers thanking me for saving them time, frustration, and a lot of money.
This article is published annually in November with regular updates. Most recent update: December 14, 2019.
Buy What You Can Afford!

The first rule when choosing camera gear is to buy what you can afford. It is hard to enjoy taking pictures if you are worried about how to pay for the camera you are holding. So buy what you can afford now, and upgrade later. And the second rule? We will get to that later.
The Best Closeup Photography Equipment
There are several ways to do closeup photography. Closeup filters, extension tubes, and macro lenses are the most commonly used options. The best gear for you depends on your preferences, how you want to work, the subjects you are after, how much stuff you want to carry, and how much you want to spend. I cover your best options.
Get Sharper Images By Using The Best Lens Calibration Tools
A lot of photographers have discovered their almost sharp lens was actually a very sharp lens once they tweaked the micro-adjustment settings. You will get sharper images if you adjust the settings for your specific camera and lens combinations. You do this using the micro-adjustment settings in the camera menu along with a lens calibration tool which you can buy or make yourself.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off Series – Overpriced, Low Quality Camera Phone Lenses
The ads started showing up on FaceBook all the time. They talk about wonderful lenses that will turn your smart phone into a camera that is better than a DSLR costing thousands of dollars. They brag about German engineering, a NASA optical formula, or the testing that proves their lenses are better than expensive lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, or Canon. The names of the companies change on a regular basis, but the scam is the same. Sad to say, a lot of people actually fall for this nonsense.
How to Choose the Best iPhone Lenses
Get a Quality DSLR and Two Lenses for Less than $400
Yes, you can get a quality, name brand DLSR with two lenses for under $400. I found this special this morning (Nov. 8, 2019) at Canon USA.
Choosing an Inexpensive Canon DSLR and Lenses for Video and Still Work
Do you want to buy a Canon DSLR and/or lenses on a budget? This article is for you.
Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More
Welcome to my online buying guide for photographers. With over 70 articles it is one of the most comprehensive buyer’s guides on the web.
I get lots of photo questions, and many of them begin with “What is the best . . . .” They usually come from photographers or someone who is shopping for a photographer.
My “best of the best” series recommends the best photo gear, accessories, software, books, DVDs, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. Thanks to the information in these articles I get emails from photographers thanking me for saving them time, frustration, and a lot of money.
This article is published annually in November with regular updates. Most recent update: May 8, 2020.
New Canon Lenses Plus Camera Kit Offers for Content Creators

Adorama has announced special offers on new Canon lenses and camera gear. Links follow. If you are a content creator (or want to be), there are some special kits for you.
Chinese Lens Redux: One More Look at Overpriced, Lousy Quality Lenses
Don’t waste your money!
The short story: You can buy this same exact lens on Amazon for $10 – $15, or on eBay for $3 – $4. Don’t pay the $37.99 price in the ad. The lens quality is lousy. Lots of people have been ripped off by some of the companies selling these overpriced lenses.
The Best Closeup Photography Equipment
There are several ways to do closeup photography. Closeup filters, extension tubes, and macro lenses are the most commonly used options. The best gear for you depends on your preferences, how you want to work, the subjects you are after, how much stuff you want to carry, and how much you want to spend. I cover your best options.
Posted Nov. 19, 2017. Updated and re-posted November 15, 2018. Updated Nov. 11, 2019.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off Series – Overpriced Camera Phone Lenses
The ads show up on FaceBook all the time. They talk about wonderful lenses that will turn your smart phone into a camera that is better than a DSLR costing thousands of dollars. They brag about German engineering, a NASA optical formula, or the testing that proves their lenses are better than expensive lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, or Canon. The names of the companies change on a regular basis, but the scam is the same. Sad to say, a lot of people actually fall for this nonsense.
Posted Sep. 12, 2017. Updated and re-posted November 15, 2018. Updated November 12, 2023.
Get Sharper Images By Using The Best Lens Calibration Tools
A lot of photographers have discovered their almost sharp lens was actually a very sharp lens once they tweaked the micro-adjustment settings. You will get sharper images if you adjust the settings for your specific camera and lens combinations. You do this using the micro-adjustment settings in the camera menu along with a lens calibration tool which you can buy or make yourself.
How to Choose the Best iPhone Lenses
iPhone photography has become a huge thing. According to Flickr, their millions of users take more pictures with an iPhone (47%) than any other camera. A lot of iPhone photographers are looking for add on lenses for their phone, and that may include you. So which lenses are the best?
Posted September 19, 2017. Revised and re-posted November 14, 2018.
Choosing an Inexpensive Canon DSLR and Lenses
Do you want to buy a Canon DSLR and/or lenses on a budget? This article is for you.
Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More
Welcome to my online buying guide for photographers. With over 70 articles it is one of the most comprehensive buying guides on the web.
I get lots of photo questions, and many of them begin with “What is the best . . . .” They usually come from photographers or someone who is shopping for a photographer.
My “best of the best” of articles recommends the best photo gear, accessories, software, books, DVDs, online photo labs, and a whole lot more.
This article is published annually in November with regular updates in November and December. Most recent update: December 30, 2018.
Get a Quality DSLR and Two Lenses for Less than $400
Yes, you can get a quality, name brand DLSR with two lenses for under $400.
Favorite Photo, September 15
I am afraid my favorite photo for September 15 is not very exciting, but the story is interesting. I was doing a series of articles about cheaply made, very poor quality Chinese smart phone lenses that were flooding into the United States and being sold for outrageous prices.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Three
This is pretty much the same kind of rip off I have written about before. Take a cheap smart phone lens that people can buy at Amazon for $16.99 or less, jack up the price to $56, make outrageous claims, and see how may people you can sucker into buying the item at the higher price. They even used the same “questionable” technologist who has multiple identities.
Posted Oct. 17, 2016. Revised and re-posted June 3, 2018.
On A Really Tight Budget? How About a DSLR and Two Lenses for $389.99?
It was early December when I received a Facebook message from a friend whose granddaughter in college wanted to take a digital photography class starting in January. My friend wanted to give her a camera and lens as a Christmas gift. His budget was around $400 and he had no idea what to get her. After pricing camera gear he was in sticker shock and asked for my advice. He found a point and shoot camera in his price range and wondered if that would work.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Twelve. Lens Comparison Test Three: “Shoot the Moon”
Almost every day I see ads for the same plastic, cheaply made Chinese lens, and the ad often uses the same faked photo of an impressive picture of the moon (see examples below). I decided to do a “shoot the moon” comparison test. As you will see in the results that follow, it is impossible for this Chinese lens to take the moon shot used in these ads.