thanks..i already have 3 different tripod types and still want more..although many of these pictures were taken using starbucks cups....sticks laying around...or whatever i could find that wouldn't move. i become mcguyver sometimes out there....ill look more into the lense pricing situation before i make my decision...thanksNVP5White said:
Any photographers in here?
- Thread starter ChopstickHero
- Start date
zoomzoom02
Member
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- Protege ES
Thanks alot guys, I talked them into the Cannon SD800 IS. Thanks alot ChopstickHero and MP3Architect! I think they will really like it.
so im really leaning towards the xti body and gettin ganother lense after reading over and over how the lense really isn't that great that comes with the kit. can anyone reccomend a good lense to start out with? some people were recommending the 50mm f/1.8 MKII but i was reading some bad reviews of that lense on amazon. i dont really need much zoom if any since i really dont ever use zoom on my cameras anyways (just move closer!). i was also thinking of picking up a ef-s 60mm f2.8...any comments?
also wheres the best place to look at lenses? ive always been a fan of B&H but they dont have even a quarter of the canon lenses out there on thier site.
MP3Architect said:
Below is a link to the Canon SLR Lens section of DPReview.com. Search for a specific lens or type a applicable search string. You may have to register to search, but I recommend lurking around DPReview anyway, so do it.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1029
Generally, you will want a mid-range zoom that starts around 18mm and goes to 60-80mm. The key to understanding what your looking at is the crop factor...multiply the stated lens focal lenth by the crop factor to get the actual focal length. For the XT the crop factor is 1.6, I think. An 18mm, lens is really a 28mm lens on the XT.
MP3Architect said:
Well, for $80 the 50mm f/1.8 MKII is a fine lens. No it's not the best glass that Canon makes, but it's pretty clear. Since it's a fixed lens, there's very little chromatic abhoration that occurs - pretty clear throughout the frame. Bokah is decent, but not great. But remember, it's only $80 and it will get you out of a jam in many low light situations because it's an f/1.8. I personally think it's a great lens for the money. But again, remember the crop factor. That 50mm is actually an 80mm on the XT. So it won't work well as a wide (or even a normal) lens. It's a good portrait lens which is what I use it for.
I'm not sure that any of the other EF-S lenses are going to be that much better in terms of quality than the kit lens (zoom lenses anyway). If you want to see a real improvement in picture quality, you need to look at the L series lenses. Perhaps the 17-40 / 4.0L USM would work for you, but it's still $680 (one of the cheaper L lenses). 17mm (27mm on the XTi) would be plenty wide enough. 40mm (64mm XTi) is not much of a zoom though, however for roughly $290 you could get a 2.0 extender.
Another option would be the 28mm/1.8 USM EF lens. It's roughly $400, and would be about the right frame size (45mm on the XTi) for a one-size-fits-all walk around lens. I've not used this lens (or the fore mentioned 17-40 L) so I'm just throwing out ideas. However, I don't think I would limit myself to one lens (especially a fixed length).
I personally have the kit lens and the 50mm 1.8 MKII lens. They are OK to learn on, but after a while you want more. Hopefully I'll be picking up a bigger zoom lens soon (possibly the 70-200m 4.0L).
How much $$$ do you want to spend on the lens?
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
Yeah, that is usually the number one factor on deciding which lens you want to purchase. To help narrow your choices down, ask yourself what you like to take pictures of? animals? plants? moving objects? from close up, from a distance? in the day, in low light? group family shots? portraits? after deciding what you think you're going to use the lens for narrow down your choices from there.rjmhotrod said:
Primes are great, i have a EF 50mm f/1.4 (picked it up used in great shape, $250). GREAT in low light, no need for a flash. however, it's not wide at all and a group shot is almost impossible unless you have tons of space to stand back. That's why zooms are so popular, and they are getting better and better. MP3Arch: you said you don't use zooms much and just move closer. That's good, but you also have to think of what type of shots you want to achieve from using different focal lengths. sure a 50mm can take a picture of a car standing maybe 20ft back... but you can use a 18-55mm zoom lens at it's widest (18mm) and get a totally different look/angle for the shot. I find it super useful to have a zoom capable enough to get the wide shots i want. I use the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS ($1100 w/hood) and it is an amazing lens. definitely L UD glass inside with awesome image quality. i find i need little to no photoshop to adjust curves and levels because the contrast and color reproduction is that good. I'm getting into shooting more track events so i'm saving up for a telephoto lens, most likely 70-200 f/2.8L (IS version if i can manage it).
For daily everyday walkaround lens, the EF 24-105 f/4L is a great choice. pricey at $1000, but will give you very nice pictures. other alternatives are the EF 28-135mm IS or the EF-S 17-85mm IS. Remember, you get what you pay for. I find that the lower grade lenses need alot of sharpening, color correction and other photoshopping to get them to a level that i want. that's not fun when I have 300 pictures to go through and edit.
This site has helped me the most (in terms of learning and deciding on Canon lenses): http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Default.aspx
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rjmhotrod said:
First, watch out for the tele-converters. Many times you will not be able to utilize some or all of your cameras advanced features such as autofocus(!) and metering. Sometimes you'll default to spot metering only and just lose matrix metering, but still a big loss.
For lenses, based on what I found on B&H, I would recommend the EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM. Its fairly new, fairly fast, has the silent USM focusing motor, and is cheap at just $229. It gives you good range and okay low-light capability, although it probably drops to f/4.5 at about 50mm so its basically an f/4.5 lens except as 28mm.
EDIT: Or just listen to Chop's advice, he has experience with Canons and what he says makes sense to me. Plus, lenses last a LONG time. Generally, a good lens will last 2 or 3 or more camera bodies worth of use. A chepa lens with plastic all over (especially the mount) will deffinatly need replacing way before the mid range and L-series lenses.
As RJM asked, how much do you want to spend?
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I just went to B&H and on the top of the home-page they have a link to preview their new site. I am constantly using their site as a reference for lenses and other gear and the new site makes it a thousad times easier to find the info I'm looking for. Check it out...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/beta/controller/home?O=productlist.jsp&A=getpage&Q=RootPage.jsp
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/beta/controller/home?O=productlist.jsp&A=getpage&Q=RootPage.jsp
woodstockstr
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- 03 mazdaspeed protege
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IM DAMN GOOD! not i just wanted to post something
IM DAMN GOOD! not i just wanted to post something
man thats a lot of great information. i think i would just rather go with the kit lense for now until ive read enough and saved enough to really get what i need/want. i think the things i would most likely take pictures of are close up shots with low lighting...but also buildings as i am an architect major. cant really afford to spend $1000 right now on a lense (and i wouldn't want to spend that kinda money without REALLY knowing what i want first) so i guess i can just play around with the startup one for a while until i see what i need. thanks a lot guys. i never thought i would find such intelligent camera dudes on the mazda fourms. (first)rjmhotrod said:
MAZDASPEED MX5
Member
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- 2009 Mazda Mx5 Touring, Sport Suspension, Spoiler +mods
A Bee:
A Bird:
A Church:
A Miata:
A Lake:
A Bird:
A Church:
A Miata:
A Lake:
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
why does your car look so raked? Tein S-tech? looks kinda funny.woodstockstr said:\
IM DAMN GOOD! not i just wanted to post something
MP3Architect said:
I was working on a shoot last week in Ecuador that also had a still photographer. He was shooting with a Nikon D2x (I think). I noticed that he carried around three lenses that he changed when the situation dictated. One wide zoom (12-24mm), one long zoom (70-200mm maybe) and a fixed length (possibly a 60mm macro lens). Seems like a good setup to cover your bases pretty well. Seems odd that you would only have a fixed lens to cover the middle ground (between 24-70mm), so maybe he had another lens floating around somewhere.
You'll still be able to take good pictures with the kit lens of the Canon. But the more you use it, the more you'll realize it's shortcomings. And you'll get a good idea of what you really need (ie. focal length, aperature values, etc..). Plus for only $100 for the kit lens, you won't break the bank while you learn. That's one of the reasons why I like the 50mm f/1.8 - it covers you in low light situations for only $80. To me it's a no-brainer. But it does feel cheap (plastic) and is a bit slow on the focusing side (not awful or unusuable, but noticibly slower than L lenses).
Check out my pic in post #521 for a pic with the kit lens.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123627645&page=35
Here's one of my wife's half-sister taken with the 50mm f/1.8 MKII.
awesome water shot! i think i found my new favorite thread...i just need to sit down and read all this stuff..
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
this was with the kit lens and a bit of photoshop:
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
some more shots of my friend's WRX. canon ef 17-55mm lens .... only Photoshop work done was convert from RAW to jpg.
ChopstickHero said:
Did you use a boom arm for this one or where you in a chase vehicle?
Very nice pics. I'll be taking my first vehicle pics in a couple of weeks. The videographer that I work with is finally getting his satellite truck soon and he asked me to take some pics of it for the website. I guess I'll do some location scouting soon. I will have lighting (video, not photo) and a generator at my disposal for the shoot. I'm thinking about shooting at dusk or in the evening.
WORK wheels sexy!!! (first)ChopstickHero said:some more shots of my friend's WRX. canon ef 17-55mm lens .... only Photoshop work done was convert from RAW to jpg.
Tell your friend his WRX looks good. Nice pics too.
How fast were you shooting the rolling pic at? The wheels aren't frozen, so I am guessing not that fast...what did you use for stabilization?
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