350D and temples - Need a lens

Exentia · 6 Feb 2008 at 10:51

Hi All,

I have finally bitten the bullet and got myself a 350D with lens kit as ive stalked this forum for a while now and thought it time I take this up, as I enjoy all the pictures on here you guys are capable of with SLR.

My question is I take a lot of holidays to places like egypt and usually end up checking out a butt load of temples/tombs and whatnot, now which lens would be the most versatile for this type of shooting?

SDK^ · 6 Feb 2008 at 10:59

Something like a Tamron 17-50 F2.8

Wide, cheap and fast

Exentia · 6 Feb 2008 at 11:20

Now im still learning here but what differences will I see bar the obvious between the above lens and 18-55mm ive got with the camera?

SDK^ · 6 Feb 2008 at 12:35

Exentia said:
Now im still learning here but what differences will I see bar the obvious between the above lens and 18-55mm ive got with the camera?

Compared to the kit lens; the Tamron has a much faster aperture (F2.8 vs F5.6) so will give a more useable shutter speed in dark conditions. It'll also have better image quality; sharpness and contrast.

When I go travelling I only use wide angle so from my point of view spending money on a longer focal length is a waste.

Go for quality over quantity

Exentia · 6 Feb 2008 at 12:57

Cool thanks for the help, picking the camera up in 3 hours!!! now to find some ducks!

A.N.Other · 6 Feb 2008 at 13:05

Exentia said:
Cool thanks for the help, picking the camera up in 3 hours!!! now to find some ducks!

Look forward to them!

markt63 · 7 Feb 2008 at 12:01

SDK^ said:
Compared to the kit lens; the Tamron has a much faster aperture (F2.8 vs F5.6) so will give a more useable shutter speed in dark conditions. It'll also have better image quality; sharpness and contrast.

When I go travelling I only use wide angle so from my point of view spending money on a longer focal length is a waste.

Go for quality over quantity

please forgive my ignorance i have the same camera and its my first dslr and i am amazed with its performance outstanding would be a understatement . now in respect of the lens i have a similar question as the previous post , i need a lens for taking photos of fast moving subjects at distance , aircraft on take off at waddington air show , and also my first visit to the british f1 gp . i have the same standard lens that came with the camera but are wondering wether to buy a Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 .

Also you stated the lower figure in the aperture meaning the lens was faster , i thought it meant the actual size of the optic at the end so a bigger opening for lower light , sorry i am such a noob all advice taken with thanks

cheers and why did i never bite the bullet earlier with my eos 350d

markt63 · 7 Feb 2008 at 12:03

A.N.Other said:
Look forward to them!

just checked out your site very impressive shots what camera are they taken with

cheers

SDK^ · 7 Feb 2008 at 12:21

markt63 said:
Also you stated the lower figure in the aperture meaning the lens was faster , i thought it meant the actual size of the optic at the end so a bigger opening for lower light , sorry i am such a noob all advice taken with thanks

You are correct - a wider aperture does allow more light; ultimately that allows a faster shutter speed.

The term 'faster lens' comes from the fact that wide apertures allow a faster shutter speed.
At F5.6 the shutter speed might be 1/250, using the same settings but changing the aperture to F2.8 the shutter speed will be 1/1000.

robertgilbert86 · 7 Feb 2008 at 12:41

Another vote for the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Awesome all-rounder.
The only other one I'd recommend is the Sigma 10-20 because it's fantastic for fitting everything in.

markt63 · 7 Feb 2008 at 13:11

robertgilbert86 said:
Another vote for the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Awesome all-rounder.
The only other one I'd recommend is the Sigma 10-20 because it's fantastic for fitting everything in.

in terms of a lens for shooting aircraft and f1 cars what do you recommend zoom lens ect , and can anyone tell me what ef , af ect ect mean and the difference between telephoto and zoom , i understand macro but not these and in regards to faster shutter speeds will this be automatic when the lens is fitted or do i need to alter the settings in any way

sorry for all the questions but i am very keen to learn i bought a photograpy mag with a free dvd of tips , but knowing these basics would help , i will save my posts on photoshop for another thread just getting the picture is my first step

robertgilbert86 · 7 Feb 2008 at 13:13

Wiki aperture, ISO, shutter, zoom lens, telephoto lens, macro lens.

A.N.Other · 7 Feb 2008 at 14:16

markt63 said:
just checked out your site very impressive shots what camera are they taken with

Cheers. Most are with the 350D w. Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro, kit lens and 50mm f/1.8. More recently, some are with the 70-200 L IS f/2.8 w. 2x extender and some of the seals were with the 40D.

markt63 said:
sorry for all the questions but i am very keen to learn i bought a photograpy mag with a free dvd of tips , but knowing these basics would help , i will save my posts on photoshop for another thread just getting the picture is my first step

Only people who think they know more than they do don't ask questions.

People generally use telephoto just to mean long, although it's technically a bit more complex than that - wiki has a good explanation. A telephoto may be a prime (non-zoom) or zoom.
AF means autofocus, as opposed to MF - manual focus.
EF is the Canon mounting system - the bayonet style fixing ring on the lens and the camera. Canon also have EF-S, which are on lenses specifically designed for crop sensor digital cameras.
Research the interaction between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Generally, you set ISO yourself when shooting and you can choose to shoot in AP or Av - aperture priority (where you set the aperture and ISO and the shutter speed the camera handles, as a factor of these two things), TP or Tv - shutter priority (where you set the shutter speed and ISO and the camera handles the aperture) or M - manual (where you control all three). Some cameras also have the ability for you to set aperture and shutter speed and the ISO will be controlled by the camera.