a little lens advice

DiCe!

DiCe!

DiCe!

Soldato
Joined
1 Sep 2007
Posts
5,416
Firsty hello photo people!

Ive just got a second hand Canon 350D on the cheap from my boss and i know absolutely nothing about lenses, i have a bog standard that came with the camera and a sigma 75-300 that doesnt work with auto focus, apparently a well known problem with some of the older sigma lenses.
So im looking for a good/not massively prcied lens, so throw some ideas at me :)

Im also looking to get some experience (i know just go and shoot, will be thrown around a lot) but any specifics would be a great help.

Many thanks

D!/Alex
 
Lens wise that seems a good start anyway.

The best way to improve is as you said to take photos and experiment; what sort of things are you interested in? A good way to get a feel for your camera, settings and so on is to go out with 1 lens and take photos that fit a single theme, so for example animals using your 75-300, setting up the camera yourself (so aperture/shutter priority or manual) and keeping mental notes of what you're doing. You'll find that most will turn out really bad but as long as you identify why they don't look good you will remember to avoid doing that in the future. It takes time but like most things it's trial and error.
 
A good budget lens to replace the Sigma would be the Canon 55-250 IS which can be had for about £150. What kind of photography are you interested in - Landscapes / Portraits / Wildlife / Sports and what's your budget?
 
Budget is about £150 for a lens, so i will have a look at that one! may also try and get that one seen to at the local camera shop.

interested in cityscapes/sports mainly, also would like to try some nice pictures of my fish/tank.

I also have a Panasonic lumix dmc fz18 and i got some great photos of the supermoon with it (if i say so myself) and will post a few of those later :)
 
supermoon?

with my new DSLR
198303_10150112396168067_507988066_6763169_286161_n.jpg

and my favorite with my lumix
200640_10150112383383067_507988066_6762967_7224793_n.jpg
 
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Well within budget (I think I paid about £80 for mine) so you'd even be able to afford a filter to go with it. I absolutely love mine.

Downside is you might get hooked on the sharpness!
 
Its my birthday in a few months aswell, ill get one and put the other on the wish list ;)

Forgive me for the very newbie question i am about to ask.

"is it the lens that makes the photos look so sharp? or are they taken and touched up a bit?"

Im ok with photoshop brushing wise as i did a semester on it at uni, but have never played with the camera side of things, is it an essential?

Many thanks for the replies so far!
 
Both. Most images are sharpened in post processing (at least, most people I know sharpen them after the fact), however you'll also need a nice sharp lens to get that tack sharp look.

Also, a 50mm 1.8 is a great lens, I have one for my Nikon, it's my cheapest lens (cost £35) but is really sharp and fast with great bokeh, you'll find plenty of use for one ;)
 
I'd be inclined to say the 50mm personally, I love mine. I think moving from one kit lens to another kit(style) lens is a side step personally, others might disagree though. I'd say your money is better invested into a fast prime (35mm or 50mm 1.8), a wide angle, a zoom (70-300mm) and a macro, that way you'll have most bases covered.
 
50mm it is then! see if i can get the 70-300 repaired and if not ill get it replaced for the birthday :) sorted....now to shoot shoot shoooooot!
 
I got a Yongnuo flash thanks to the recommendations on here, excellent value (cost me less than £50) for the Nikon fit 467. The 468 is probably the best bet and works with Canon.

Don't forget to get some Eneloops too :)
 
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