New lenses...what to do now??

SandyG

Hello Dgrin,

I've been MIA, busy taking my beiginning photography class and taking pics. I've also just purchased 3 lenses I need advice on.

1. Sigma 70-300
2. Quantaray 28-90mm
3. Sigma AF TELE 500 mm


I'd like to know when it's best to use the different types of lenses I've purchased. I have a few assignments left to turn in for school and would like to try these lenses out. Any advice for a begginer would help:thumb

Thanks in advance!

~ Sandy

ian408

MOved this over to cameras for some additional help.

Terrence

Well, you have a very wide range of focal lengths covered, so the choice is really yours. You can shoot landscapes, portraits, slow moving wildlife, architecture, just about anything. The question that pops into my head is, "What do you want to shoot?". It's your interest that drives the use and choice of lenses, not the other way around.

Give us some ideas of what interests you and we can give some advice on which lens might be the most appropriate choice for those interests.

ziggy53

Terrence wrote:

Well, you have a very wide range of focal lengths covered, so the choice is really yours. You can shoot landscapes, portraits, slow moving wildlife, architecture, just about anything. The question that pops into my head is, "What do you want to shoot?". It's your interest that drives the use and choice of lenses, not the other way around.

Give us some ideas of what interests you and we can give some advice on which lens might be the most appropriate choice for those interests.

Terrence,

Very sound advice.

Thanks,

SandyG

Lenses
Thanks Ziggy/Terrance,

I guess I should have included that information as well

Well my preference is shooting people, portraits, outside or inside with low light. I love close-ups. But...my class will require me to turn in a"action/sports" shot so I'll have to take some shots of that as well. I think this assignment is the one that has me worried the most.

Thanks much guys!:D

Terrence

Low light shooting with only ambient light will be a challenge with the lenses you have now. In general, you need faster lenses to do what you want. There are a lot of good choices, but it means you'll need to sell off some of what you have or buy more. Your need and desire is what will make that choice.

Sticking with what you have now, here are my thoughts.

The Quantaray 28-90 gives you a good range for people, portrait, street and walkaround shooting, but I think the optical quality of that lens will disappoint you. To be totally honest, I think you need to get rid of this lens and look at a similar zoom range in Sigma, Tamron, Canon or Nikon (not sure if you are shooting Canon or Nikon).

Based on what I've seen here from people shooters, the Sigma 70-300 might be OK for portraits and candids in the 70-90 range. I think it will be fine the sports shooting you need to do for class, but you may need to stick with outdoor sports given the slower aperture.

The Sigma 500 is most useful for wildlife shots: birds, small mammals, closeups on large mammals. For sports it is a good lens, but unless you are shooting a pro event on a big field or arena, I think it may be too much reach for high school size fields. I don't know sports shooting at all, so my advice here is pretty shaky.

SandyG

Thanks
Hi Terrance,

I'm actually shooting with a Canon EOS1, older camera that came with the lenses I mentioned. I'm only using this camera for my beginner photography class, then moving on to my Digital Rebel XT. Starting off slow Thanks for the advice and comments on the lenses and I'll post some pictures once I work on them We'll see what I come up with. I'm sure it will be fun

dogwood

SandyG wrote:

Well my preference is shooting people, portraits, outside or inside with low light. I love close-ups. But...my class will require me to turn in a"action/sports" shot so I'll have to take some shots of that as well. I think this assignment is the one that has me worried the most.

Forget the focal length-- what is the max aperture for these lenses? If you like shooting with low light, that will be among your most serious consideration in which lens to use.

Personally-- everything I currently use is an f2.8 or wider. Even then, shooting indoors often requires ISO 1600 and as slow a shutter speed as I can get away with.

fmkjr

Here is an idea

SandyG wrote:

Thanks Ziggy/Terrance,

I guess I should have included that information as well

Well my preference is shooting people, portraits, outside or inside with low light. I love close-ups. But...my class will require me to turn in a"action/sports" shot so I'll have to take some shots of that as well. I think this assignment is the one that has me worried the most.

Thanks much guys!:D

Depending on the speed of your lens... (I do not own the lens you mentioned.)

For sports:
You could catch some end of the season hockey games. I did a few over the past few weeks. There is a chance you can go to the rink and take the pictures. Some have pros with contracts and you might not be able to get close. However, I was able to set-up a ladder and take pictures near the glass out of the way... (One of the parents invited me and was able to get me "clearance".)

Depending on the weather conditions:
Softball/baseball practices are starting and they could give you some practice with sports photography.

You could contact a few local area groups for spring events and outings.

Also, depending where you live, there might be other spring activities taking place over the next few weekends. In my area there is a large Maple Fest this weekend which draws "plenty" of people, activities, etc. (I will be there as the event is very colorful.)

During Easter weekend, there are all types of events taking place. Contact local organizations for "clearance" and you might be able to shoot their event and submit to the local paper or keep for your portfolio.

I head up the photography team for our church. Every year we do a large Easter event. (Puppet shows, rides, etc.) Last year we had over 5000 in attendance (taking pix of kids running around is similar to "sports" ).

We anticipate up to 8000 this year. If you find a church in your area, it might be an idea to contact them now. All of our children workers go through background checks, etc. (It is for the protection of the kids.)

If you like low light situations; I suggest contacting local organizations. I would imagine plenty are in need of good photographers to shoot their events. (This past weekend our church had a princess ball and baby dedications... I was very busy taking pix all weekend.) Not all churches and organizations have a team of photographers to take pictures. I would think they would be willing to give you a chance. (I might be wrong.) I would imagine the work would be volunteer but it would give you plenty of practice.

(What I do for the church is volunteer work, but it is a great time and very exciting!)... It also gives you a great opportunity to improve your skills and practice. This past weekend alone between three events, I was able to take nearly 1000 pictures.

frank