If you’re getting into photography and looking for your first camera then you could be forgiven for thinking that your biggest expense will be the camera body. This is probably the case if you’re going to be buying a starter SLR, but if you’re going to be getting a more expensive camera with a separate lens then the lens will probably be the most expensive part of your purchase. This obviously depends on a number of different factors of course, including which lens and camera body you decide to buy, but it’s essential to keep this in mind.
I made the mistake when I bought my first camera of not really thinking about which type of camera lens I wanted and what type of photography I wanted to do. The camera body is important – it decides a number of things including which options are available to you – but the lens is the major factor when it comes to the quality of the picture and which type of photography you’re capable of performing to a high level. This is made more difficult by the fact that the camera lens is often very expensive, especially some of the larger or higher quality ones, so you’ll need a big budget. If you want a variety of lenses you’ll need an even bigger budget.