Quote Originally Posted by Pokemon Trainer Sarah View Post
Ooh how exciting! Good luck!!! :D I just graduated from mine. You're in for a fun ride. XD



Dude. Why is that one so expensive? What does it do that's so special? xD *no idea*

Haha okay so there are 2 types of lenses. Prime and zoom lenses. Prime lenses are stuck at the one focal length and zoom lenses can change. That one is a zoom lens. However the thing that makes it expensive is the aperture. The f2.8.

Basically there is a hole in the lens that changes size and let's light in. The smaller that number, the wider the hole becomes therefore the more light it lets in (which means you can talk better photos). My current zoom lenses are a 18-55mm f3.5-5.5, and a 55-250mm f4-5.6. The fstop is a ratio, so f5.6 is half the size of f2.8 therefore let's in half as much light.

My current setup uses a lot of prime lenses because they're more affordable. A 40mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8. So they're great for low lights except I end up limited by the single focal length and having to waste time switching.

Long story short, it can both zoom in and out and perform well under low lights hence the high price tag.