A SWISS Army Knife is a terrific tool that is useful for a lot of tasks, but don’t try to tile a kitchen with one. Some jobs require specialized tools. And so it is with camera lenses.

The lenses that come with most digital single-lens reflex cameras are competent at a variety of shots, but not outstanding at any one of them. If you want to take extraordinary portraits, close-ups, landscapes or you-name-it, a fast route to success is to buy a specialized lens.

Which lens to buy depends on what kind of shots you intend to take. Shorter lenses take in a wider panorama for things like interiors. Longer lenses bring distant objects closer for photographs, say, of wildlife.