What lens for Fashion/Astrophotography/Video?

[CryssieJade]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the realm of DSLR's (shot on a film SLR for many years, soon to progress to digital). In the next month or so, I will be buying a Canon 60D body, and a Nifty Fifty lens.

I will be getting into Fashion Photography as a career, and although my work is so far unpaid, I wish to buy another lens to suit the above gear. I want a lens that I can progress into when I upgrade the body (so preferably an EF lens).

I'll be using the lens for Runway, Studio, and Location shoots.

Now, here's the tricky part. As my work is unpaid, the lens budget would be about $600. As well as it being for Fashion, I would like it to be suitable for general photography also.

The trickier part still? Is there a such thing as a lens that is good for Fashion... AND Astrophotography? Astro is another passion, despite there being no money in it.

And then...would that one lens be good for Video?

For all I know, such a magic lens exists only in my mind - but any help is most welcome!

Thanks in advance

 

[epsiloneri]

The likely reason you haven't recieved any help so far is that your are asking a very difficult question, given your constraints (many specialised applications - limited budget). I would think the Tamron 17-50/2.8 (non-VC version for better optics, perhaps VC for video) would be good fit for your budget and camera. A bit noisy AF... but excellent image quality, way better than the kit lens. Then you need a decent flash... 430 ex II could do. Maybe a book on lighting techniques to go along with it

The Tamron is excellent for astrophotography, and so will your nifty fifty be. It depends a bit on what field of view you're aiming for - I'm assuming wide-field astrophotography (otherwise a dedicated telescope will be way more cost effective than a huge tele lens). What will really help your astrophotography is to have tracking to compensate for Earth's rotation in exposures longer than a few seconds. Luckily, this is pretty simple for wide fields, since the tracking does not need to be as accurate (consider e.g. a barn door tracker). Location is important, a dark sky makes a huge difference. You may consider a cheap off-brand remote release for a few $$.

 

[CryssieJade]

Hi Epsiloneri, thanks for your reply!
Yes, I was expecting that I was asking for the (near) impossible, so thank you very much for your advice. I might just stick to the nifty fifty for star trails, and then invest in a good telescope - since I was going to anyway - and shoot through the eyepiece for the rest. I've done that before with very good results, so I guess I'll just stick with it!

In that case, would you recommend any one specific lens for Fashion (runway, studio and location), and a general walk-about lens for other photography? Cheers )

 

[epsiloneri]

I don't do fashion photography myself (though I do astrophotography), but a fast normal zoom is a very good general purpose lens. The Tamron is as good value as it gets in this respect, and the f/2.8 will come in handy (as will the quality boost from the kit lens, if you have one). If you want shallower DoF you have your 50/1.8. For situations when f/2.8 is not enough light-gathering power and/or you need smaller aperture for deeper focus field, then a good flash comes to rescue. You can also use it for creative lighting with remote release (for a few $$; check out Syl Arena's popular book Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites). I don't think there are better options for your budget.