Canon has been making cameras since the launch of the Kwanon in 1936. That first camera came equipped with a Nikon lens, but shortly thereafter, Canon introduced its own line of lenses. Canon lens quality has led many professional photographers to choose Canon cameras as their primary equipment. Canon's current generation of lenses offers a wide array of options to the photographer.
EF Lenses
The current generation of Canon lenses are the EF lenses, which stands for "electro-focus." These lenses were introduced in 1987 on Canon film lenses. EF lenses have a motor in the lens body to help assist with focusing. EF lenses are compatible with all of the current generation of Canon digital SLRs.
Controls
Most Canon lenses have similar controls. They have a focus ring, which lets the photographer focus the lens manually, as well as a switch that lets the photographer choose autofocus or manual focus for the focus mode. Image-stabilized lenses allow the photographer to turn the stabilizer on or off as well as select different modes of stabilization for different modes of photography, one for normal use and one for panning. Zoom lenses have a zoom ring, which lets the photographer choose the zoom range. The lenses also have a focus distance switch that lets the photographer limit the focal distance, which can help reduce autofocus time.
EF-S Lenses
Canon introduced its EF-S mount in 2003 for some of its digital-style SLRs. EF-S lenses work on only some Canon cameras. The S stands for "short-back focus" and means the rear part of the lens is closer to the sensor, useful for digital SLRs that have smaller sensors, such as the Rebel. Canon's higher-end, full-frame SLRs such as the 5D do not accept EF-S style lenses, as the mount is slightly different. EF-S lenses have a different color mount dot--a white dot, instead of the red dot found on the EF lenses.
L-Series
L-series lenses are Canon's professional series of lenses. L-series lenses are identified by a red stripe around the lens barrel at the end of the lens. They have low-dispersion glass and other technologies to help control chromatic aberration. The lenses focus very quickly and often feature high aperture settings, usually down to f2.8, so they work well in low light. Many of the L-series lenses are white instead of black; Canon says this helps reduce heat buildup when the lenses are used in bright sunlight. They also have a non-rotating front element, which helps with the use of certain filters, such as circular polarizers. L-series lenses are made only with an EF mount, not an EF-S mount.
Focal Lengths
Canon makes a wide variety of focal lengths, including wide-angle lenses, super telephoto lenses, prime lenses, fisheye lenses, and teleconverters, which can be used to increase the focal length of L-series lenses. Many Canon lenses also have an ultrasonic motor, which helps increase focusing speed.
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