What lenses do I need?
Discussion
So my new 300D should be waiting at DHL for me to pickup tonight, and i've been reading as much as possible so I'll know a little bit about it when i get it out the box.
The kit comes with a 18-55mm lense I think, which will get me going (equivalent to a 29-80mm due to the 1.6 focal multiplier?).
I'd like a telephoto lense as that's the sort of pictures i'd like to take, but I want to make sure I'm happy with the kit I buy and have enough to not feel like i'm missing something. With that in mind, I'm planning on picking up a secondhand one of each of these off ebay if possible.
75-300mm Sigma telephoto (or was it 90-300mm, can't quite remember). Would I bet better going for a Canon lense, or will the Sigma be good enough for my level?
a 50mm Canon prism lense, am I right in thinking that the picture quality is very good on one of these lenses, compared to running the kit lense at 50mm? Obviously I'll have to walk a bit more to get the picture
I'm also assuming that a secondhand lense isn't a problem.
Am I on the right track, basically...
The kit comes with a 18-55mm lense I think, which will get me going (equivalent to a 29-80mm due to the 1.6 focal multiplier?).
I'd like a telephoto lense as that's the sort of pictures i'd like to take, but I want to make sure I'm happy with the kit I buy and have enough to not feel like i'm missing something. With that in mind, I'm planning on picking up a secondhand one of each of these off ebay if possible.
75-300mm Sigma telephoto (or was it 90-300mm, can't quite remember). Would I bet better going for a Canon lense, or will the Sigma be good enough for my level?
a 50mm Canon prism lense, am I right in thinking that the picture quality is very good on one of these lenses, compared to running the kit lense at 50mm? Obviously I'll have to walk a bit more to get the picture
I'm also assuming that a secondhand lense isn't a problem.
Am I on the right track, basically...
Congrats on the new purchase!
There are a few general rules of thumb to bear in mind with lenses...
a) you generally get what you pay for. More expensive lenses tend to be faster (bigger aperture, so you can use in lower light levels), better built (= heavier), have better optics so images are sharper, and more consistent sharpness through the aperture range.
b) prime lenses generally give better quality images than zooms, but at the expense of convenience.
c) For "normal" priced lenses, Sigma and Tamron will give very similar quality to Canon/Nikon lenses, and are certainly good enough for general use. It's only really when you start going for the expensive pro level lenses that you will find the Canon lenses being better than the 3rd party supplied lenses. There are good and bad lenses in any line up though, so spend a bit of time reading the reviews and see what other people think of the particular lens that you are interested in.
If possible, try them out at your local camera store to see if you prefer the feel to any particular one - some Jessops branches sell used equipment too, so you may find a good deal without having to bid on ebay.
Oh, and always budget for a decent quality U/V filter to put on the end. It won't do anything for the photo, but protects the end of the lens and it's cheaper to replace a scratched/broken filter than the lens.
>> Edited by ehasler on Thursday 9th December 14:39
There are a few general rules of thumb to bear in mind with lenses...
a) you generally get what you pay for. More expensive lenses tend to be faster (bigger aperture, so you can use in lower light levels), better built (= heavier), have better optics so images are sharper, and more consistent sharpness through the aperture range.
b) prime lenses generally give better quality images than zooms, but at the expense of convenience.
c) For "normal" priced lenses, Sigma and Tamron will give very similar quality to Canon/Nikon lenses, and are certainly good enough for general use. It's only really when you start going for the expensive pro level lenses that you will find the Canon lenses being better than the 3rd party supplied lenses. There are good and bad lenses in any line up though, so spend a bit of time reading the reviews and see what other people think of the particular lens that you are interested in.
If possible, try them out at your local camera store to see if you prefer the feel to any particular one - some Jessops branches sell used equipment too, so you may find a good deal without having to bid on ebay.
Oh, and always budget for a decent quality U/V filter to put on the end. It won't do anything for the photo, but protects the end of the lens and it's cheaper to replace a scratched/broken filter than the lens.
>> Edited by ehasler on Thursday 9th December 14:39
If you are interested in getting the best results and improving your technique at the same time, then I would say that a 50mm prime is essential. If you go for an f/1.8 instead of a 1.4, then they are very reasonable money too. I got mine second hand on ebay for £60 including postage, and it is my favourite lens by a distance. One thing to be wary of is that older lenses (such as the one I bought) do not have any coatings, which means flare can be a real problem, and can give nasty ghosting and low contrast pics. Basically this means that you have to be creful taking photos ith bright light sources in them - candles, lightbubs etc...
Have fun with your new toy!
Have fun with your new toy!
I read this last night and it really makes sense ( as a new 300D owner myself.
www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/theartof.shtml
Go down to about focal lenghts and read the 3 small paragraphs. Nothing to do with quality or brand.
MAN SAYS
"Here's a trick that I learned a long while back but which I haven't seen mentioned in print in a long time. Space your focal lengths using F stop increments or multiples thereof. This gives a logarithmic spacing which works well. For example, in my Rollei medium format system I have 40 / 90 / 180 and 300mm lenses. This is close to a "2 stop" spacing between lenses. If they were exactly 2 stops apart the focal lengths would be 40mm (f/4), 80mm (f/8), 160mm (f/16) and 320mm (f/32), but manufacturers choose other focal lengths based on convention and other considerations. In any event, the spacing is close enough to ideal."
Another good piece of advice he gives is,get a good quality tripod!, Jessops are doing a deal at the mo on Manfrotto mini classic tripod and 141RC head together for about £125!!!!! Saving over £80 off normal price. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere i don't know but this baby is solid and tall enough and realy well built.
the above site also contains loads of amazing and easy to understand tutorials. Look under Tutorials, more.
can't wait to see some pictures! and don't dismay if they aren't as good as you expected. I am only just realizing that this may take me a while. Experience counts as much as imagination and talent imo.
Best
ian
www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/theartof.shtml
Go down to about focal lenghts and read the 3 small paragraphs. Nothing to do with quality or brand.
MAN SAYS
"Here's a trick that I learned a long while back but which I haven't seen mentioned in print in a long time. Space your focal lengths using F stop increments or multiples thereof. This gives a logarithmic spacing which works well. For example, in my Rollei medium format system I have 40 / 90 / 180 and 300mm lenses. This is close to a "2 stop" spacing between lenses. If they were exactly 2 stops apart the focal lengths would be 40mm (f/4), 80mm (f/8), 160mm (f/16) and 320mm (f/32), but manufacturers choose other focal lengths based on convention and other considerations. In any event, the spacing is close enough to ideal."
Another good piece of advice he gives is,get a good quality tripod!, Jessops are doing a deal at the mo on Manfrotto mini classic tripod and 141RC head together for about £125!!!!! Saving over £80 off normal price. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere i don't know but this baby is solid and tall enough and realy well built.
the above site also contains loads of amazing and easy to understand tutorials. Look under Tutorials, more.
can't wait to see some pictures! and don't dismay if they aren't as good as you expected. I am only just realizing that this may take me a while. Experience counts as much as imagination and talent imo.
Best
ian
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