Every first-time digital SLR buyer should spend some time determining which lens he/she needs as a walk-around, or all-purpose, lens. This is a situation that many new camera owners have agonized over.

There is a plethora of excellent lenses to choose from as your all-purpose lens. The problem is just that, the selection is mind boggling! Which one is right for you?

Making one general assumption, let's assume that you are looking for a zoom lens rather than a prime, or single focal length, lens. If this is you, I congratulate you for not being like many who just get the kit lens with their digital SLR camera. While choosing a kit lens may make sense to you now, you will likely not be happy with the lens down the road. The lens can come later, you think.

That is not my view. I personally feel that money spent on a kit lens, no matter how cheap it is, would be better spent as part payment for a better lens. Think about it, you are going to upgrade pretty quickly, right? So why not do a little more research up front and get a better lens right out of the starting gate?

There are several things to consider about the lens you are planning to buy.

Start with focal length. Numbers are important, but the exact number is not life-threatening. A zoom lens with the shortest focal length of 17-28mm and a long focal length of 55-75mm will give you a nice variety to work with. So, for instance, a lens with 24-70 will give you tons of flexibility. Some people like more zoom, so they opt for a longer lens such as 105mm. This is fine, too, just certify that the other factors below are in the equation.

What about "super-zoom" lenses? It's true that there are now some lenses in the 18-250mm range that are getting a lot of attention. Canon, Sigma, and Tamron are now in this market. They have gotten good reviews, but just keep in mind that the image quality will not be as good as those lenses with less zoom capability.

The next factor to consider is aperture. An aperture of f/2.8 is a beautiful thing. In fact, it is the aperture that will give you the most flexibility and usually the best quality. Lenses with a variable aperture such as f/3.5-5.6 will be less expensive, but they will not give you the same performance in all situations, especially when lighting is a challenge.

The last thing to consider when buying your first lens is price. While price may be a huge concern, it really needs to come after the other two factors mentioned. If you can't afford the best, it is much better to wait until the funds are available, rather than to get a cheap lens. I know this from personal experience. If good image quality is something you take seriously, you will not be satisfied with a poorly constructed lens. Using an inferior lens leads to frustration and disappointment.

Now, you can save money by using Canon EOS lenses from third party manufacturers. Some Tamron and Sigma lenses are top-notch and less costly than a Canon lens that is identical in capabilities.

A word of warning. Camera forums can be very informative, and they are full of well-meaning photographers, but they can also be very confusing. This is because the folks in those forums are very passionate about their opinions. They can mislead you by bashing certain cameras and products. This does not always happen, but it happens often enough to make your research quite complicated if you are basing it on those forum posts.

User opinions on the Canon USE camera manufacturer site are much more helpful. Then there are other sites that will guide you as well. These are FredMiranda.com and online stores like Amazon.