Much of the fun of SLR ownership comes from expanding your photographic arsenal. The camera itself is only the beginning of your journey: You'll be adding lenses, flash units, filters, camera bags, and other accessories for years to come. So that's what our new website SLRgear.com is all about: helping you select the best "gear" for your digital SLR.

The site contains three types of information - user reviews, professional reviews, and comparison shopping links.

We're proud to offer our own comprehensive laboratory tests and analysis, with results that we've made easier to digest with informative and interactive charts. These will help you clearly see the differences between different lenses, and better grasp the strengths and weaknesses of each. On the one hand, you'll be able to see why that f/2.8 zoom really is worth a thousand dollars. On the other hand, you'll be able to sniff out bargains in more reasonably-priced optics, and understand exactly where the "sweet spots" lie in each lens's various settings. Regardless of your budget, you'll be able to find the best match between the lenses and your needs, and make better choices than has ever been possible.

As revealing as they are, our own tests still tell only part of the story. Laboratory tests tell a lot about sharpness and distortion, but little or nothing about the "build quality" of a lens, how it feels on the camera, and how it does with real-life color and contrast levels. This is where the reader reviews come into play, and it's an aspect of SLRgear.com in which we invite you to participate. If you've shot with a lens, or used a particular accessory, and want to tell the world about it, take advantage of this opportunity to share your experience. If other photographers have helped you as you learned about this fantastic hobby, you can pass the favor along by sharing your own experience and knowledge about products you've used. Visit the forums and answer questions, pass along tips, and join the community of photographers we're creating.

As we launch SLRgear.com, we're focusing first on lenses, as that's where we feel we have the most value to offer with our unique approach to testing and visually illustrating performance. In the interest of getting the site up and running, we've restricted the initial lens listings to those from two major camera makers--Canon, Nikon, and Olympus--plus the "digital specific" or "reduced image circle" offerings from third-party lens makers Sigma and Tamron. Our next task will be to get all the specs and manufacturer data for the rest of the third-party lens models, as well as those from other makers such as Konica Minolta and Pentax into the site's database. After that, we'll add entries for other accessory products like tripods, flashes, and camera bags, as requested by readers. We'll also continue to add to the lens test results on a regular basis, governed somewhat by the demands of reviewing products here at the Imaging Resource. We hope to post new test results for at least a few lenses every month, regardless of how busy we are.

So - if you're an SLR camera owner, or you're considering taking the plunge, you owe it to yourself - check out SLRgear.com, have a look at our initial selection of lens reviews, and consider leaving your thoughts on the lenses for your fellow photographers! (Oh, and don't be shy about letting us know what you think of the site, and how we can improve it - you can do so in the forum).