New lens?
Soo... I'm pretty much a beginner and I've just bought a Canon EOS 450D which comes with a standard 18-55mm lens, but what lens would you suggest I buy next; that will be the most useful to me? I like taking documentary photographs, detailed and up-close...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by James Elliott on -
I'm not a Canon kinda person either but I do have some advice. The kit lens with my camera(d3000) is also a 18-55mm. I don't know how similar Nikkor lenses are to Canon but there can't be too big of a difference. So my advice is to not write-off your lens. It can churn out some really great images. All the pictures on my page were taken with my kit lens. You should have a look.
Hope I have helped.
Happy Shooting :)
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Permalink Reply by Sean on -
This is very true, I still have pieces in my portfolio that were shot with a kit lens.
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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on -
I just picked up a Rebel T2i and a Sigma 18 to 250. It is not as fast as the lens Sean purchased but it can be on the camera almost all the time so less dirt gets to the sensor. Usually I am not trying to get a very shallow depth of field. I have an older Sigma 18 to 200 which has served very well. The newer versions have a new ultrasonic focusing motor.
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Permalink Reply by frank wilson on -
I too am using the Canon 450D w/ the kit lens you mentioned. This lens is a decent lens and I still continue to use it regularly. With a young daughter with various school and indoor sports activities, I found myself needing a good portrait lens which can also help with some low light indoor shooting. I purchased the Canon 50mm 1.4 prime lens and was very happy that I did! The lens is a fast, low light lens which also helps where flash is not allowed (some museums,school theaters,and those instances when you are taking candids and don't want the distractions a flash can bring) For me, this lens fits perfectly. You mentioned close-ups and I'm afraid the 50mm will not help you there. But for detail and candid portraits,this lens is very good. Hope I helped a little. Good luck with your future investment!
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Permalink Reply by Katie Handley Potts on -
I have no frustrations with the standard lens.. but in time I want to build up a lens collection and was curious on people's thoughts on what were good lenses. Thanks for all your feedback and some useful information (:
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Permalink Reply by Gregory Allen Foreman on -
Keep the Kit and add a canon 55-250 is. I am very happy with mine. I think you would like the range that it would add and it is a pretty sharp lens.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Stone on -
Hi Katie,
I am sorry to disagree with everything that everyone one has advised you so far. As a beginner you are trying to run before you can walk by looking at the next lens that you want to buy. You have a perfectly good lens at this time which will produce good images from which you can learn & try a lot of different type of photography. As a beginner you should be getting to know your camera & reading up on & practising things like composition, exposure, light, etc.. Please believe me if you get this right then you will take some cracking photos with the lens that you currently have. You need to get to that stage of taking cracking images before you start to think about buying other lenses. Always remember that it is not the most expensive equipment that takes the best images (although the likes of Canon or Nikon will not agree with that as they just want you to buy more & more expensive lenses), it is the way in which you make use of your current equipment & the composition of your images that gives you good photos. Keep in mind that less in the frame is always best & use that less to fill your frame. Look at the Rule of Thirds.
Your number one priority at the beginning of your life in photography is to try every type of photography over a period of at least 6 months & decide what is your favourite type of photography. Having done all that then you can start looking at & asking questions about what lens to buy next. If you find that you like wild life photography the best then you would be wanting to buy a completely different lens to one that you would buy buy for portrait photography & again a completely different lens for landscape work. Before you buy also try the lens that you think you would like by hiring it first because believe me it is an expensive experience if you buy the incorrect lens & then leave it in your camera bag unused. ALWAYS remember buying the most expensive does not make a good photo - it is the way in which you take a photo. Some of the best landscape images that I have ever seen taken are by a lady in Sweden who does all her photography using the camera on her mobile phone.
I hope this helps you.
Regards
Paul
www.lovedeanphotography.com
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Permalink Reply by Katie Handley Potts on
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(: I agree with you on that one, aha. I'm quite an impatient person and just want to get in there and take some great photos. I'm not so much a beginner- I've done GCSE and Diploma Photography so I understand what you're saying about composition and rule of thirds. But now you've pointed it out I strongly agree with trying out every type before I specialise in one. Thank you for such a great response! Are you from the UK? If so, where can you hire lenses from?
Thanks again. Katie
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Permalink Reply by Paul McNulty on -
the nifty 50....50mm f/1.8.... is a good way for you to see what other lenses can do for you and they are as cheap as lenses come. Once you see the sharpness and background blur, you will be stunned!
A fairly common lens buying curve for canon users is to get a 50 first, then look at L series lenses in no particular order.. a 17-40 (or 16-35 mark11), 24-70 f/2.8 and a 70-200 variant. Be prepared to spend money, tho!
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Permalink Reply by Chris Bradshaw on -
Hey,
Im sorry I have to disagree with some of the comments raised here.... You shouldnt try everything over a period of 6 months... thats just pointless, You will photograph subjects that interest you and you will already have an understanding of what you want to shoot before you even pick up a camera, its impossible to be creative about a subject you dont have an initial interest in. Youve already said you like Macro and Documentary (You might need to be a little more specific than that however)
As a professional photographer of the past 10+ years now... I would always suggest you invest in Optics that cover what you need for your subject matter.
For example a lens is an investment it may serve you for 15+ years however a body is changing so much that in 6 months it will be out of date. For example buying a Zoom lens and zooming rather than moving yourself will change the image your capturing at every stage of the zoom capability of the lens. if for example your taking Portrait shots then its important you buy a Prime lens around 135mm.
Whilst the 18-55mm range kit Lens is a simple and basic lens it will serve a purpose and I do agree that before you buy a lens get used to the camera. that is important, however I will also say that once youve learnt the basics then the best lessons you can have are the ones where your using the camera!! not looking through a manual or a book....
Just enjoy learning it... dont let others hold back your imagination!!!
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Permalink Reply by Ed Harp on -
Katie, I bet you're confused now. I have just a few recommendations. Hope I don't confuse you further.
Your 18-55 is a pretty decent lens when compared to lenses I used when I was a beginner. I'd recommend that you use this lens so much that it just becomes second nature to you. Then after you have shot at least 10,000 images with it, then you might have refined a process to the point where you'd know what your next lens should be. This might take a year for you to learn, but that's the most important part of discovering what the next best lens might be.
There's almost no glass out there currently manufactured that produces unsharp images. Your 18-55 is in 35mm terms a 28-88mm zoom with Image Stabilization. The only draw back with your lens is that it is not HSM focusing. I would recommend that all your lenses here on out be Canon lenses with HSM for fast silent autofocusing. Here's where third party lenses just don't match up. My second recommendation in purchasing a lens would be a telephoto zoom with IS. I'd go with a Canon EF 70-300mm IS HSM lens. Lenses in this class resell well. I've owned this lens for a number of years and it is rigid and performs well. It does a decent job shooting closeups down to 1:4 magnification; that's 1/4 life size. Not bad. Also realize you can add a Canon 500D close up filter that will increase your magnification considerably.
IMHO there's no one prime lens that will suit you. That's something you can later add to your collection.
But first, shoot the blades off of your current lens and discover where the gaps are and then shop for what you need.
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