heh heh... true to a point but theres a reason expensive lenses are expensive! They give results in conditions no cheap lens can!!
Congrats on your purchase! Now get out and shoot! :D:D:D
Thanks a lot! I mean to do a ton of shooting as soon as it arrives! On the whole lens thing, while I realize that the better glass does produce better results, my philosophy right now is that buying the camera now and having 8 or 10 months to learn is better. And since purchasing better glass would require pushing it off that long, I decided I would rather go ahead with the purchase. That is just me though, I would not fault anyone for choosing the other route.
Its not the end of the world.... in fact you'll probably lean quicker with a harder to use lens. Having a lens that is forgiving lends itself to point and shoot type photography.
Its not the end of the world.... in fact you'll probably lean quicker with a harder to use lens. Having a lens that is forgiving lends itself to point and shoot type photography.
Never even thought of it that way, kind of forcing yourself to have good photography habits right off the bat, that way once I do get a few high quality lenses my pictures will be all the better for it! :ivar
Never even thought of it that way, kind of forcing yourself to have good photography habits right off the bat, that way once I do get a few high quality lenses my pictures will be all the better for it! :ivar
The "kit" lens, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, is not a horrible lens, just not the best. It tends to be sharper at the wide end, which is where I would prefer, and at f5.6 and 18mm it's not too bad at all. The longer end, 50-55mm, really needs f8, so "bokeh" is not something you normally associate with this lens. It's also a little less contrasty than I prefer, but that's fairly easy to accomodate in software.
Outdoor light is a fairly good application for the lens, where the "harder" nature of the light offset the softness at larger apertures. The lens could really use a lens hood, but none comes with it. You can purchase a Canon hood (Canon EW-60C) or use a "flag" which is just a device to shade the lens from glare. You can even make a hood:
Close focus is also pretty good with this lens, down to around 1 ft.
I do agree that build quality is sad, so don't bang the lens around or it will remind you with failure.
As soon as you can, purchase a decent flash for indoor work. Learn how to bounce off ceiling and walls and how to use a fill card. Until then, compensate with the best lighting you can afford, even shop halogens work fairly well.
The "kit" lens, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, is not a horrible lens, just not the best. It tends to be sharper at the wide end, which is where I would prefer, and at f5.6 and 18mm it's not too bad at all. The longer end, 50-55mm, really needs f8, so "bokeh" is not something you normally associate with this lens. It's also a little less contrasty than I prefer, but that's fairly easy to accomodate in software.
Outdoor light is a fairly good application for the lens, where the "harder" nature of the light offset the softness at larger apertures. The lens could really use a lens hood, but none comes with it. You can purchase a Canon hood (Canon EW-60C) or use a "flag" which is just a device to shade the lens from glare. You can even make a hood:
Close focus is also pretty good with this lens, down to around 1 ft.
I do agree that build quality is sad, so don't bang the lens around or it will remind you with failure.
As soon as you can, purchase a decent flash for indoor work. Learn how to bounce off ceiling and walls and how to use a fill card. Until then, compensate with the best lighting you can afford, even shop halogens work fairly well.
Have some fun, and shoot like crazy,
ziggy53
Thanks for all the tips ziggy, I'll defenitley keep that stuff in mind. I'm going to try printout the lens hood, then use contact paper to make it a little more durable. I could even have it print the same color as Canon L glass, and I'd have part of my lens show up as fancy white, even if it is the wrong part! As far as flashes go, The 3 flashes that I'm finding when I look are the 580EX for $353, the 430EX for $230, or the 220EX for $120. I'm still a little confused as to what all the differences between these are. It looks like the 220 doesn't have a tilting head, while the 430 and 580 do. I would think that would be imprtant for bounce flash. Any help on choosing one of these?
THe other thing I'l be purchasing in the next year will be a decent inside lens for family funtions. Basically I want something that has a fairly wide angle so I can capture lots of the action going on in a regular sized living room, and is pretty fast so I don't have to use tons of flash. Would something like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM work for this? And is it ok to go with the Sigma lenses, or shoudl I stick to only Canon equipment.
Lol, sorry to be asking so many questions, but I have a lot to learn, and I figure I should go ahead and start now!!
Thanks for all the tips ziggy, I'll defenitley keep that stuff in mind. I'm going to try printout the lens hood, then use contact paper to make it a little more durable. I could even have it print the same color as Canon L glass, and I'd have part of my lens show up as fancy white, even if it is the wrong part! As far as flashes go, The 3 flashes that I'm finding when I look are the 580EX for $353, the 430EX for $230, or the 220EX for $120. I'm still a little confused as to what all the differences between these are. It looks like the 220 doesn't have a tilting head, while the 430 and 580 do. I would think that would be imprtant for bounce flash. Any help on choosing one of these?
THe other thing I'l be purchasing in the next year will be a decent inside lens for family funtions. Basically I want something that has a fairly wide angle so I can capture lots of the action going on in a regular sized living room, and is pretty fast so I don't have to use tons of flash. Would something like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM work for this? And is it ok to go with the Sigma lenses, or shoudl I stick to only Canon equipment.
Lol, sorry to be asking so many questions, but I have a lot to learn, and I figure I should go ahead and start now!!
For the paper lens hood, it's best to have something black on the side facing the lens. The very best material to use is called a "Foamies" sheet, and I find them in my local W*Mart in the sewing and crafts department for 33 cents a sheet and they are available in a matte black.
I'm a bit of a Maverick here in that I don't have any particular affiliations or loyalties when it comes to photographic equipment. I buy whatever suits my particular needs, and if it doesn't meet my needs, it goes back. Like this thread for instance:
I wound up getting the Canon 70-200mm, f2.8L (non-IS) after testing two Sigma similar versions. At wide-open apertures, there was no comparison, the Canon was that much better.
I also have a Sigma 18-50mm, f2.8 EX that is a splendid lens, and I have no reason to wish to replace it, it works that well. I tend to compose and crop in-camera, so I prefer zooms to primes. You will hear the phrase, "zoom with your feet" spoken by prime-lens aficionados, but in event photography zooming is much faster, so I get more shots that I feel I would miss using primes.
Likewise, I have a Sigma 500 Super flash that works extremely well. It has a feature set similar to the Canon 580EX, but with power similar to the Canon 430EX and priced like the 430EX as well. It is not as well made as the Canons, the menu is not as easy to use as the Canons and the focus assist light is not as well placed as the Canons. Still, I would rather have 2 of the Sigmas for a little more than one 580EX.
Comments
Congrats on your purchase! Now get out and shoot!
Thanks a lot! I mean to do a ton of shooting as soon as it arrives! On the whole lens thing, while I realize that the better glass does produce better results, my philosophy right now is that buying the camera now and having 8 or 10 months to learn is better. And since purchasing better glass would require pushing it off that long, I decided I would rather go ahead with the purchase. That is just me though, I would not fault anyone for choosing the other route.
Never even thought of it that way, kind of forcing yourself to have good photography habits right off the bat, that way once I do get a few high quality lenses my pictures will be all the better for it! :ivar
The "kit" lens, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, is not a horrible lens, just not the best. It tends to be sharper at the wide end, which is where I would prefer, and at f5.6 and 18mm it's not too bad at all. The longer end, 50-55mm, really needs f8, so "bokeh" is not something you normally associate with this lens. It's also a little less contrasty than I prefer, but that's fairly easy to accomodate in software.
Outdoor light is a fairly good application for the lens, where the "harder" nature of the light offset the softness at larger apertures. The lens could really use a lens hood, but none comes with it. You can purchase a Canon hood (Canon EW-60C) or use a "flag" which is just a device to shade the lens from glare. You can even make a hood:
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=35098
Close focus is also pretty good with this lens, down to around 1 ft.
I do agree that build quality is sad, so don't bang the lens around or it will remind you with failure.
As soon as you can, purchase a decent flash for indoor work. Learn how to bounce off ceiling and walls and how to use a fill card. Until then, compensate with the best lighting you can afford, even shop halogens work fairly well.
Have some fun, and shoot like crazy,
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Thanks for all the tips ziggy, I'll defenitley keep that stuff in mind. I'm going to try printout the lens hood, then use contact paper to make it a little more durable. I could even have it print the same color as Canon L glass, and I'd have part of my lens show up as fancy white, even if it is the wrong part! As far as flashes go, The 3 flashes that I'm finding when I look are the 580EX for $353, the 430EX for $230, or the 220EX for $120. I'm still a little confused as to what all the differences between these are. It looks like the 220 doesn't have a tilting head, while the 430 and 580 do. I would think that would be imprtant for bounce flash. Any help on choosing one of these?
THe other thing I'l be purchasing in the next year will be a decent inside lens for family funtions. Basically I want something that has a fairly wide angle so I can capture lots of the action going on in a regular sized living room, and is pretty fast so I don't have to use tons of flash. Would something like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM work for this? And is it ok to go with the Sigma lenses, or shoudl I stick to only Canon equipment.
Lol, sorry to be asking so many questions, but I have a lot to learn, and I figure I should go ahead and start now!!
I'm a bit of a Maverick here in that I don't have any particular affiliations or loyalties when it comes to photographic equipment. I buy whatever suits my particular needs, and if it doesn't meet my needs, it goes back. Like this thread for instance:
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=24116&page=6
I wound up getting the Canon 70-200mm, f2.8L (non-IS) after testing two Sigma similar versions. At wide-open apertures, there was no comparison, the Canon was that much better.
I also have a Sigma 18-50mm, f2.8 EX that is a splendid lens, and I have no reason to wish to replace it, it works that well. I tend to compose and crop in-camera, so I prefer zooms to primes. You will hear the phrase, "zoom with your feet" spoken by prime-lens aficionados, but in event photography zooming is much faster, so I get more shots that I feel I would miss using primes.
Likewise, I have a Sigma 500 Super flash that works extremely well. It has a feature set similar to the Canon 580EX, but with power similar to the Canon 430EX and priced like the 430EX as well. It is not as well made as the Canons, the menu is not as easy to use as the Canons and the focus assist light is not as well placed as the Canons. Still, I would rather have 2 of the Sigmas for a little more than one 580EX.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums