Cammera lense advice please.

AMDPower

AMDPower

AMDPower

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Joined
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Hi

A Friend of mine is going on holiday to south Africa and has asked for some advice, unfortunately i don't know very much about camera equipment so though i would give here a shot.

want to get a Cannon 550D, with two lenses, one for everyday use and the other a good zoom lens for taking pictures of animals and landscapes. These are the lenses I was considering?

Day to day:

Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM

Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM

Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM (I’m tending to this)

Zoom lens:

Canon EF 70-200mm f4L IS USM

Canon EF 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

Or am I wasting money on these lenses and should get something cheaper?

Thanks a lot,

any help would be appreicated...:D

spelling mistake in thread tittle:o:o
 
For a 550D I'd go with:

Canon EF-S 10-22mm (For really wide angle shots)
Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L (For general shots)
Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L (Zoom lens)
Canon 2x Extender (Will make the 70-200 a 140-400 at f5.6, great for safari's and wildlife).

With these four items you've got the entire 10-400mm range covered (Except for 2mm between 22-24mm)

However, I think it's all a bit unnecessary. I'm getting the vibe that this is your first DSLR, so it could take a while for you to get to grips with things. That's an awful lot of money to spend when you're not sure what you're doing.
 
AMDPower said:
A Friend of mine is going on holiday to south Africa and has asked for some advice, unfortunately i don't know very much about camera equipment so though i would give here a shot.
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I'd go for the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM and the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. That's the perfect pairing for a safari holiday on a crop-sensor camera, in my humble opinion.

There is some mileage in taking the EF-S 10-22mm that Xenoxide's mentioned, but I wouldn't replace the 100-400mm with the 70-200mm and the Extender. You'll be forever faffing around with the Extender and the lens and eventually just give up and leave it on there all the time.

The added benefit of the 100-400mm is the superb handling. It really does help you to support the lens and make using it a whole lot easier than a conventional 'twist' zoom.

AMDPower said:
Or am I wasting money on these lenses and should get something cheaper?
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Don't waste your money (or is it your friend?) on buying the lenses. Hire them.
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Canon EF 70-200mm f4L IS USM

In my opinion.
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Too short and can't be used with a 2x Extender. Well, it can, but you know what I mean.

Most photographic safari tour companies will recommend lenses in the following order;

EF 500mm f/4 L IS
EF 400mm f/2.8 L IS + 1.4x Extender
EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS + 1.4x Extender / 2x Extender
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS + 1.4x Extender / 2x Extender

Although I appreciate that the OP hasn't specifically mentioned a safari...
 
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It all depends on budget, but having the 70-200 2.8 L IS and 2x extender myself, I'd personally steer clear of the combination if I were buying again. The lens is obviously fantastic, but you do see a noticeable drop in sharpness when using the 2x. Image quality isn't as good as the 100-400, which itself isn't anything to write home about in comparison to a prime.
 
I would avoid a a24-xx lens on a crop body. 24mm becomes nearly 40mm, which is consider a normal lens. Fine for portraiture but you will need a wider lens, a 10-22 is a fine accompaniment but the drawback is you will swap between the lenses every other shot. The 17-55 2.8 will serve as a better ever-day lens.
17-55 2.8 + 70-200 2.8 IS would be a perfect setup, but expensive. Adding a 10-22 would sweeten up landscape photography, a 300 f/4.0 IS for wildlife with 1.4tc.

As a beginner, a 70-300 IS is nothing to avoid IMO.
 
70-200 with 2X extender = :(

Not a great idea. 2X TC's only really mate well with sharp primes.200 2, 300 2.8, 400 2.8.

I would opt for one of the following (In order of my preference)
Sigma120-300mm f/2.8 +1.4x (Probably want to buy used!! and only 300 f/2.8 zoom I know of)
Tokina/Sigma 300mm f/2.8 +1.4/2x (600mm f5.6 :p, have to find these used for about £1000)
Sigma 100-300mm f/4 +1.4x (Bargain - £450-500 used!!)
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6

The 2.8's are expensive. About 900 for the primes to 1200 for the zoom, but you do have the 100-400 on your list which is around that figure. They are great quality. And the f/f2.8 will throw the background out of focus. The zoom isn't as good as the prime but it's much more convinient especially on a safari. The 100-300 is a baby 120-300 and weighs about half as much. The 100-400 is probably the least sharp lens on there (at comparable apertures), no where near as good IMO to the others just because it's slow and the others are still great at 420mm/600mm.

Walkaround/second lens
17-55mm is a good solid choice, as mentioned 24mm isn't very wide at all on a crop body. Or if you want to save some cash the Tamron 17-50mm. IIRC Martin uses (perhaps used :confused:) one. His shots are exceptional.


Okay perhaps these are excessive for a beginner, however if you have the cash to spend I suppose why not. :p

Personally I'd be happy with the 17-50mm lens and an extra £400 in my pocket. The choice between the longer lenses is more difficult. Personally I'd choose one of the third party lenses in this instance (not often I say that). If you want to save a bit of cash the Sigma 100-300mm is a great lens, f4 throughout the range. If you want to spend more just ask yourself prime/zoom? That solves the choice between the 120-300/300mm. I wouldn't buy the 100-400 just becuase IMO it's doesn't quite compare.
 
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17-55 IS and 70-200 IS would be a great combo.

I found 24mm too long on a crop sensor when on crop body like my old 500D after the 1.6x crop factor
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f4L IS USM

In my opinion.
Click to expand...

+1, unless 200mm is too short in which case perhaps the 100-400L.

But this all seems very expensive if it's a first DSLR purchase - may as well get the 500/550D body + Tamron 17-50 + a relatively inexpensive zoom such as a Canon 55-250 IS. This will be a fraction of the price, and whilst it won't be the same quality it will still perform to a very high standard even for someone with a few years experience with a DSLR.
 
As above, ScarySquirrels choices are great if you are out to splash the cash, while Namistai has it nailed for the budget concious choice.
Be forwarned though, the 17-55 IS USM is a large and heavy beast, it doesn't allow you to blend into the crowd and it can make the camera really front heavy, I've gotten used to it now though. ;)
It is also worth considering whether you'll be using the video element of the 550D, if so, then the IS will come in very handy indeed.
 
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guys

just wanted to say thank you all for taking the time to reply and all the advice, really appreciate it.

cheers:D
 
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