Zoom out lens (newbie question)

[hurfdurf]

I’m very new to photography, I’ve got a Canon DSLR 1200D, which I got because it’s got the phone app which means I can use it as a remote and viewer.

I’m mostly taking photos inside, in smaller rooms like hotel rooms and bed rooms (onlyfans content etc)

I was recommended the nifty 50 lens over the standard one that comes with it, and it does make much better quality photos, but you can’t zoom out enough. Is there a cheap lens that looks as good as it but allows me to be closer to a subjects whilst still getting them fully in frame from head to toe?

 

[hurfdurf]

Budget is only a couple of hundred. Thanks guys.

 

[hurfdurf]

I think 10-20 is much wider than the OP wants from his description. These are ultrawides really, great for capturing the entire room maybe rather than a subject in it, and it sounds to me like he's after a standard range lens but a bit wider than 50mm, as 50mm will feel quite 'zoomed in' on a crop frame camera. I also get the feeling the 'quality' he likes is due to the 1.8 aperture giving lots of light and shallow depth of field.

@hurfdurf did the camera come with an 18-55 lens? It may be useful to experiment with that, zooming in and out and see what focal length you're at when the framing is as you want it. That'll help to establish what you're really after.

I think you are right and that’s a good idea. I’ve used the 18-55 lens so far and the 50mm looks so much better, but it’s too zoomed in and the rooms too small to move back enough, so I end up using the 18-55, zooming out, then cropping the photo which means it zooms in digitally and I lose a lot of quality. (Sorry if I’m not using the right terms here)

When we’ve been able to use the 50mm the photos look way sharper and better, but that’s been rare. I’ll have a fiddle and see what mm I set the 18-55 one at ideally and report back. Thanks guys!

 

[hurfdurf]

Why are you zooming out then cropping in ?

Because the photos on a timer or remote shutter and the subjects are moving closer and further away from the camera. I’d rather have too much in the frame then have someone’s limb out of shot, particularly feet (feet being in frame are a big thing for some people)

 

[hurfdurf]

The only way to keep frame filling quality would be to have the camera tracking the movement & the lens zooming in/out to keep the subjects fully in shot.

I’m guessing that isn’t a cheap feature on a lens, ones that zooms in and out via remote or does it automatically like the auto focus, but auto zoom.

 

[hurfdurf]

Every time you crop in you're loosing pixels/quality, another (more expensive) lens won't really help.

Yea, I think I’ve got a long long way to go to learn all this. What I’ve been doing is leaving it as zoomed out as I think I’ll need then cropping in, I think next time I’ll leave it a bit more zoomed in because I’ve cropped way way too much. Ive been too cautious with the zoom out

 

[hurfdurf]

Thanks Donnie and everyone else, very good explanations on how to improve to a layman like myself!

 

[hurfdurf]

Ok, found out why I’m having problems and you guys were all spot on.

All the Boudoir photography guides say that the nifty fifty is great, etc etc. Watched one video where someone said try a 35mm prime lens for small small rooms, which when I put the zoom to 35mm on my lens it came with, was way too zoomed in.

Turns out Kinae was correct, I have a cropped frame camera and 50mm gets x 1.6 on it, meaning it’s more like an 80mm lens.

I’m going to go for the 24mm Canon lens and hope this is more suitable, second hand it’s £80 and they sell for this online if it turns out we look distorted because of the wide angle.

 

[hurfdurf]

A follow up, does the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 do everything the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 prime lens does as equally well, but also more?

(Other than be 3 x the price and heavier/bigger)

I’m a little bit concerned because there’s mention of faces being made to look warped at such a wide angle. But to change this I’d need to spend a fortune on a full frame camera.

 

[hurfdurf]

Thank you. I have ordered some very cheap LED lights with light boxes. The 17-55 2.8 lens arrived today, you weren’t wrong about the weight!

 

[hurfdurf]

Update on this. I’ve done 2 shoots with the added lights and the 17-55 2.8 lens.

What an improvement! I also got a cheap £50 flash that’s got TTL on it, and that worked amazingly when it was 3am, outside shooting into a hot tub, bounding the flash off the wall to the side in the pitch black with only the hot tub lights as the other light source (thank you YouTube for the explanation you don’t have to fire the flash forward)

I seem to now have all the gear and no idea, but if I stick it in auto mode, with the flash on ttl. Use 2 lights with soft boxes out of shot aimed in different directions, it all sort of just, works?

Shooting using the remote or timer is a big pain that I need more practice with.

Also I’ve learnt photo shoots are very much like a job. You can just be having fun, set a camera up, and expect to get good photos. You have to detract yourself from the fun whilst other people have it and catch it naturally, or have everyone act and pose rather than actually having fun.

I learnt this the hard way. One shoot with a young lady didn’t happen because by the time she was dressed up and good to go, we all went out to a club, had loads of fun, came back, everyone was too tired post fun, and then the next day too hungover.