For the longest time, I resisted spending real money on a lens. Going with name-brand, high-dollar lenses was just paying for a name, I thought.

Then, though a combination of a sale that was too good to pass up, a couple of gigs that paid pretty well and some frustration at my the-current walking-around lens… I took the plunge on some Canon “L” glass. And I’m never going back.

There’s no long-winded analysis here, no wordy explanation of the pros and cons. If you’re a Canon shooter, just whip out your wallet and dive in. From build quality to image quality (I didn’t think there’d be a noticeable difference, but whoa), spend the money. You won’t regret it. I’ve since bought another one, and when we refresh our camera rigs later this year, all of the new bodies will come with “L” glass attached.

Dumping money into lenses isn’t like dumping money into camera bodies. The pace of improvements in camera bodies is pretty quick, but lenses lag behind. You may replace or upgrade a camera body every couple of years, but a quality lens will last you for substantially longer. I’ve known guys who had a couple of decades clocked in with some nice glass.

And yeah, they’re expensive compared to the alternatives. But they’re not that expensive. If you’re not averse to well-kept used lenses, check out KEH.com to save some money.