Messages

1

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: May 19, 2012, 06:54:54 PM »

spend more on the lens than the camera and more on the training than the lens

First one is done now. I'm on with the training and I'm getting better each day.
My main focus at the moment is to learn how to use the autofocus and how to get it right each time.

I'm also starting to realize how this hobby is going to consume most (if not all) of my money over the next couple of years. There is still a lot of cool gear to get. 

The top of my wishinglist is a flash, a good tripod and a pol filter. And an ND filter.
I've never tried filters but it seems to me thay they can add an extra set of "features" to the camera. Exciting

2

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: May 19, 2012, 06:17:58 AM »

Hi again

I have now bought a camera and two lenses. I ended up buying a 60D (new) with an EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM (used). After two weeks I bought the 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM (new).

This is a gigantic step upwards from my 9G compact and I absolutely love it!
All the new controls, settings, the way to shoot and the viewfinder is all very different – but in a good way.
The most significant changes over the G9 are obviously speed and image quality.

I my opinion the 17-55 makes a good focal length for all-round group pictures and landscapes plus for indoor use. The 70-300L is absolutely useless for that. But for details, animals and far away objects it’s amazing! I can’t wait to get to Malaysia and shoot some wildlife. I this this is really where the 70-300L will shine

3

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:31:45 PM »

Wow, there is a lot of debate about primes vs. zooms 

It is not always about the distortion. It is actually about the "angle" (which I have tried argue below at Flickr, have a look if time permits)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7091640629/#


Precisely for finding the "angle" a zoom is better than prime. Cropping won't give us a different angle which we are talking about.

(Do not get me wrong; I am neither against prime nor overtly for zooms, I love both. And out my three lenses two are fast primes. Well relatively faster than the available zooms at least.)

Nice illustration and explanation. It got rid of some of my confusion

As for my needs I'm starting to get convinced to get the 70-200 zoom. But which model?
As I see it I have two options, as the 2.8 IS is too expensive:
- 70-200 f/2.8 L USM
- 70-200 f/4 L IS USM
These lenses are in the same price range and within my budget if I stretch it a little.

I have also read the posts in: Which 70-200? and What shutter speed is required to overcome the need for IS?

I'm thinking the f/4 IS version would fit me best as most of my shots will me handheld. And the weight is much lower.

A third possibility is the 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS USM, but at a higher cost... Does anyone know at which FL the min. aperture goes from 4 to 5.6 by the way? Is it at 200 mm?

Last question:
How often do you use the f/2.8 setting on your lenses? A lot of great pictures I've seen are taken at f/4 or higher.
So, do you use the f/2.8 as a mean to get shallow DOF and OOF or because you are shooting in low light and a higher ISO value is not an option (possible due to noise)?

4

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 16, 2012, 03:29:32 PM »

Since this is your first DLSR, you should also consider buying used equipment - you can buy a few lenses on eBay, and sell them for the same or even a little more than you paid in a year or so if they don't fit into your style. Buying used really lowers your financial risk... and as long as you're buying top-end gear, it's usually in good shape.

Your suggestion of a 70-200 f/4 IS and a 10-22 were my travel combo while I had a cropped body. I also had a 85mm 1.8 and a 24mm f/2 - and those four lenses went around the world with me.

The 70-200 f/4 IS is wonderful for jungle/wildlife shooting - especially on a cropped body like a 60D.
And the 10-22 is great for capturing the essence of an area... below are some examples of what you can do with these two lenses...

Good luck!

Those are some very nice photos. I still might get the 12-22 as my third lens, but I will start off with a standard zoom lens and a tele prime or zoom. I have looked a little into the used marked and it seems that the lenses keep their value quite nicely - often only 10-20 % below retail as far as I can see.

I've got a different opinion here because I've got the 100-300 non-L and my new 70-300L:

* Don't get a cheap tele zoom, just don't. If the iq @300mm from the cheap one looks worse than a crop from a quality lens @100mm, what's it good for? And even worse, on a cheaper zoom the af is less precise producing much more unfocussed shots.

* You might indeed think of not getting a zoom at all, but a prime. While the 70mm on my 70-300L is very convenient for a quick shot of the surrounding area, I find myself nearly constantly shooting @300mm and will now get a 1.4x tc. Basically, for my outdoor shots I could have gotten 300/4L instead, too. It's just that I might need the zoom for other occasions too in the future like events. I'd advise you to find out about your shooting habits by renting a tele zoom for some time.

I follow you on this one. I think I’ll be zooming in a lot if I get the tele zoom instead of a prime. However, the flexibility of a zoom is convenient.

I’m going to visit my local camera store and see if I can try out some of the zooms and primes to see what fits me best.

5

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 15, 2012, 07:57:20 AM »

Thank you for all the replies. It got me thinking quite a lot about which gear to get.

I will definitely go for a tele lens before I buy a wide angle.

The suggested Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 have been in my early considerations, but for some reason it got “replaced” by the Canon 15-85 f/3.5-4.5. I think I’ll end up with the Sigma, mainly because of the better aperture.

I like the idea of the fixed 200 f/2.8L and how it will make me walk around to get the better angle and perspective. I’m just a little concerned about the missing IS. How fast shutter speed is required to get rid of shaken images?

The 70-200 f/4L IS, the 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS or the 300 f/4L IS all have IS, but unfortunately at a much higher price than the 200 f/2.8L (non-IS). I was wandering if I should try to extend my budget to get one of these lenses or maybe just go with the cheap 18-55 f/4-5.6 IS lens.

As for a macro lens I hope my G9 will be sufficient until I can afford a real macro lens.

6

Lenses / First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 12, 2012, 04:35:39 PM »

Hi

I'm buying my first dSLR and I'm looking for some advice.

My current camera is the Canon Powershot G9. I have played with the different modes for e.g. aperture and shutter speed, and now I want more

I have looked around on the internet, reviews and forums and have reached the conclusion, that the 60D will do a nice upgrade from my current camera.

I like to photograph landscapes and animal as well as portraits.

As for lenses, I have read that the EF-S 15-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is a good choice for an all-round starting lens so I’ll buy that unless you convince me otherwise

Now, the thing is I’m going to Malaysia in six weeks where I among other places will be going to the rainforest and hopefully I’ll be able to 'shoot' some wildlife.

I was fist thinking of getting the ES-F 10-22 mm f/3.5-4.5 USM as my second lens for landscapes, but now I’m wondering if a tele lens might do me better as the difference between 10 and 15 mm isn’t that much.
How long focal length will I need for 'shooting' animals? My guess is that even the 15-85 mm will be too short even at the long end. So is this 200, 300, 400 mm?
I will be shooting handheld most of the time, so IS is almost a requirement.
I’d appreciate any suggestions for primes or zooms lenses. My budget for lenses is 1,500 € at the most.