If you’re shopping for a new DSLR lens, you’ve come to the right place! At Camera Labs we provide in-depth reviews but understand you’re busy people who sometimes just want recommendations of the most outstanding products.

So here we cut to the chase and list the lenses which have most impressed us in our tests - obviously each is designed for a specific body mounting, but we still wanted to highlight the models which performed particularly well. We’ve fully tested each one and there’s links to our reviews for more details – and to see an actual demonstration of their highlights, be sure to check out our video tours.

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If you can't decide what kind of lens is best for you and want to know more about focal length and aperture, then check out our Lens Buyers Guide.

The Nikkor DX 18-200mm is one of the most popular lenses available for Nikon DSLRs. It offers a very flexible 11.1x optical range, equivalent to 27-300mm, and covering you for almost all eventualities, whether it’s a wide angle or a decent close-up. This level of convenience can’t be underestimated as it means you’ll rarely miss a shot due to changing lenses, while also almost eliminating the chance of dust entering the body. Nikkor’s Vibration Reduction also greatly reduces camera shake and the SWM focusing is fast and quiet. It’s arguably the ultimate general-purpose lens for a Nikon DSLR and that’s why it’s often hard to find in stock.

Pros: Flexible 11.1x range, effective stabilisation, SWM focusing
Cons: Non-stabilised rivals cheaper, some ‘creep’ when pointed up or down
Overall: Arguably the best general-purpose lens for Nikon DSLRs

The Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens delivers ultra wide angle coverage to EF-S compatible bodies like the EOS 400D / XTi and EOS 30D. Mounted on one of these bodies it offers an equivalent range of 16-35mm, covering all the popular wide angle focal lengths and allowing you to squeeze in bigger landscapes, buildings or group shots when you can’t step back any further. It’s also very well corrected, performing better in many respects than the EF 17-40mm lens does on a full-frame body. The USM focusing motor is also fast and quiet. It’s one of the most exciting and flexible lenses you can buy for a Canon EF-S body.

Pros: Extreme coverage, low distortion, fast and quiet focusing
Cons: No lens hood supplied, build quality not up to ‘L’ standards
Overall: A fun and surprisingly flexible choice for Canon EF-S bodies

The Olympus Zuiko Digital 7-14mm lens is designed for Four Thirds DSLRs like the Olympus E-410 and E-510, where it delivers an ultra-wide coverage equivalent to 14-28mm; indeed it’s the world’s widest zoom lens for digital SLRs. The Zuiko Digital 7-14mm is not just about wide coverage though, it’s also very well-corrected, delivering unusually sharp results across the frame without the usual distortion or light fall-off problems facing most ultra-wide angle lenses. It sure ain’t cheap, but it’s arguably the best wide angle zoom around. If you’re really into wide angle, it’s worth buying a Four Thirds body just to use this lens.

Pros: World’s widest digital zoom, great quality
Cons: Pricier than almost any other ultra wide-zoom
Overall: If you can afford it, it’s arguably the ultimate ultra-wide