Just got my first DSLR! Now I need to understand lenses!!

number41

number41

number41

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15 Jul 2006
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587
Location
Southampton
Hi all!

After much consideration I opted for a the 350D with lens kit as my first DSLR. I'm confused with it already and havent even taken a photo yet! Reading the manual now...

Just wondering if someone could point me towards a good article describing what all this lens mm stuff means - like 18-55mm, etc! I have no idea where to start. Sticking with the stock lens for now to get used to using the camera before hopefully flogging it on ebay and getting a new lens when I can use the camera and actually know what to look for in one!

Cheers for any pointers :)
 
The numbers printed on the lens refer to the 35mm standard focal length i.e. the distance the lens covers.
  • A 18-55mm is considered a wide zoom lens
  • A 70-200mm is a mid range zoom
  • 300mm + is a telephoto lens
You also need to know that the 350D has a smaller sensor than 35mm cameras so you need to multiply the focal length (18-55 in your case) by 1.6x.


Read this for more info : http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html
 
Thanks for the linky. I'm looking at getting onto a photography course (maybe A-Level or GCSE after work for fun) so if anyone knows of a college that runs these in Southampton it'd be much appreciated.
 
number41 said:
Thanks for the linky. I'm looking at getting onto a photography course (maybe A-Level or GCSE after work for fun) so if anyone knows of a college that runs these in Southampton it'd be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Photography GCSE and AS level here. No idea if that is anywhere near you though.

Perhaps this will help. Or just google Southampton +photography +evening course. http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=southampton+%2Bphotography+%2Bgcse+OR+as+OR+a+level&btnG=Search&meta=
 
Have a play with kit lense i have found it a very compitent lense quite surprised by it in all honesty. my 350d is my 1st DSLR i have a few very good lense' from my old film SLR and im still playing with the kit lense a month on have took some lovely shots with it
 
I have 350d with kit lense too. It aint half bad! Find the focus too sensative for me, but apart from that it seems to be a very good all rounder :D

Gonna have to look for some new lenses soon as I may be going into a bit of stock photography and might need a good telephoto :D
 
What I'd recommend is play with the kit lense first, learn how it operates, using different aperture and shutter speeds, whilst researching different lenses for it.

My preference is for a short zoom lens (a 28-75mm f/2.8 Tamron), a mid-range zoom (70-200mm f/2.8 Sigma), plus a 1.4 teleconvertor for a bit of extra reach. I also have a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens (Canon do one as well, about £80 and worth every penny). I plan on buying a 10-20mm Sigma lense in the future, to cover the wider end of the spectrum....

Don't skimp on buying lenses. If you have to wait a bit and save up, do it. It's worrth it in the long run. You can then upgrade your body, and keep your favourite lenses on the go.
 
i dont really have any decent sites for picking up the basics but i have this site:

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

Has reviews for pretty much every canon lens available, and it should help when you eventually start looking for more lenses. Dont be tempted to buy them too soon though. As others have already said, stick to this kit lens for a while.
 
Good lens advice

I found this site to be very helpful and has a helpful poll for people like yourself before buying an expensive lens:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=33

For the record I am a year down the line and have the following:

Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime for portraits etc - just replaced with a Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM
Tamron SP AF 17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical (IF) for wide angle
Sigma AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro as a zoom

Good compromise between cost and quality I would say.
 
Thanks for the replies all. Will be staying with the stock lens for a while yet! Still havent got a clue about most of the settings on the camera yet. Stock lens photos are SO much better than my old compact digital so I'm pleased with it so far!

Two lenses I'd like are a good macro one for plants, insects, etc and a zoom lens for wildlife photography. The stock one only has a small zoom, but the macro seems do-able on it so just looking for the long range zoom at the moment really :)
 
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