A note on lenses…
Lenses come in all shapes, sizes, weights, prices, focal lengths, zoom ranges, lens speeds, and image quality.
In very general terms I will present the lens buying quandary as a three legged stool. The three legs are cost, performance and mass (size and weight). Its usually very difficult to satisfy all three at the same time. You have to give up one leg to satisfy the two others.
For example, if you want the very best image quality then the lens will most likely be heavier and expensive. If you want small and cheap then you have to sacrifice performance with regards to image quality.
Many new camera buyers will get the "kit lens" that comes with the camera. For many users this lens will do just fine. Some buyers will avoid the kit lens and buy specific lenses for their needs. Ever hear the advice about buying stereo equipment: "spend more on the speakers than on the amplifier/receiver". Its sort of the same when buying lenses. Buying good lenses is an investment. You might buy and sell (upgrade) the cameras constantly but the lenses you can use continuously. I am still using top quality Canon "L" lenses that I purchased in the mid 1990s before digital cameras were even invented.
Some users will buy affordable long range zoom lenses that "do everything." Indeed they can do a pretty good job. But these lenses will usually have a long focal length zoom range like 28-200mm. There are compromises when designing lenses with such a long focal length range. These lenses will have a "sliding aperture" range as well, like f/4.5 - f/8.0. This means the "lens speed" will get darker as you zoom to a longer focal length. Constant aperture lenses are usually faster and have better image quality. They are also much brighter to look through. An f/2.8 lens will look much brighter than a f/8 lens. The downside to these quality faster lenses is increased weight and cost. The pro level wonder Canon EF 70-200/2.8 "L" IS mkII lens is a heavy beast that costs something like $2400! But the performance is simply amazing.
Many users will naturally buy zoom lenses. They offer so much and the image quality of zooms now is way better than zoom lenses of yesteryear. But many experienced photographers will also use fixed focal length lenses. Fixed focal lengths means you don't have the ability to zoom to different focal lengths, you have to walk to get closer. But many of these lenses have faster apertures, reduced weight, reduced size, reduced costs, and better image quality than their zoom cousins. Some mid range fixed lenses like 50mm or 85mm can have very fast apertures like f/1.8, f/1.4 and even f/1.2. You will not find lens speeds like this in any zoom lens.
Using a quality fixed "portrait lens" like a 85mm f/1.8 is a great tool for shooting portraits of your Basenjis. These lenses are built well, can be found used, are very bright to focus with and deliver great results at around f/2.8. Using a shallow aperture will produce that nice soft out of focus background that makes eye contact pop out of the picture.
