so, i tagged along with my dad to his work yesterday, and next door there is a massive electronics logistics company. well they were having a clearance on the canon products and i managed to finally pick up a canon eos 400d with the 18-50mm lens + a battery grip. well i reckon the lens on it is not very good, maybe the aperture and letting the light in. i am looking at getting some more lenses for the camera. could anybody lead me in the right direction?
It depends on your needs, really. Do you want a lens about the same focal length as the one you have now, or are you after something with better zoom? Primes will get you the best image quality and speed (Larger apertures) for your money, but isn't able to zoom. If you want to spend a lot of money there is always the L-series. 17-40 f/4L is supposed to be a good lens. It pretty expensive, though. And then there is the 24-70 f/2.8L and 24-105 f/4L. L-glass may be overkill, it all depends on what your standards are If you are a beginner I recommend that you wait a little while until you know what your needs are. You could easily spend a fortune of glass. Normally you'll want to weigh economy up against needs.
If you don't know why it isn't a good lens (not saying that's true btw), chances are the limiting factor is your skill and not the equipment. Very true, maybe use the kit lens for a couple of weeks/months until you know what you photograph most, then you'll be in a far better position to decide how to upgrade. Alternatively, 24-70L, 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 85mm f/1.2 is a good plan.
I have to agree with Nath, play around with the kit lens for a couple of months then you will have a much better idea of where to go next.
Oh, and a bit of a warning: If you first buy L-glass prepare to spend some money. It's hard to go to non-L glass afterwards. (Not saying that it's just the L series that are good, though. There are some pretty nice, cheaper lenses out there as well.)
If you're looking for a better lens than the kit with the same focal range definately take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Super super sharp lens for the price.
A good lens is the Canon 28-135 and takes clear pictures. Before upgrading to better equipment it is better to rent them first before committing to a large purchase. Make sure that the store your buying the equipment from has a decent return policy or else you might get a lemon lens and be unable exchange it for a full refund.
thanks for the replies guys. im not a total amateur for photography, but new to the slr side of things the L-glass stuff is a bit out of my price range (considering im only 15.) but nice to look at. the problem for me with the lens (ef-s 18-55) is the aperture at 55mm is like 5.6. because I usually use it at 50mm+ the depth of field isnt so good. (i take tons of portrait pictures, so the attention is of the subject?) I can get sigma lenses but im not too sure about tamron. im looking at purchasing the canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Is it any good? shadowed fury, does the 55-250 IS you are talking about happen to be this one? or should i be looking at a Canon EF 28-135mm
It is indeed that one, fairly new lense to the market too Newest verson of IS and its shockingly good.
I'm just thinking for a newcomer, it puts your range into a field that'll help you think what path you want to cover more.
If your take alot of portraits the 50mm mkII is a great deal as the quality of the lens is top notch but the build quality is a bit sub par but that is to expected by the price. I also have had great fun with a 28-145mm sigma i picked up off of ebay for around $150 canadian brand new. Also the kit lens isn't that bad. It's just not a great lens.
I can highly recommend both the Tamron 17-50/2.8 and the Sigma 17-70/2.8-4.5 as a kit replacement having owned the Sigma and owning the Tamron...both are excellent performers and definitely among the best you can buy for the money. The 28-135 and the 55-250 are good lenses, but they are pretty restricting aperture wise...even considering their range and the addition of IS--not to mention poor-eh build quality. I see you were looking into primes as well, in which case the nifty50/50/1.8 would be a cheap starter, BUT a Canon 85/1.8 paired up with a Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-70 would make for a pretty damn good starter kit. FWIW the 85/1.8 is one of the better head shot portraiture lenses on both crop and FF and is much sharper, built better and focuses faster than the 50/1.8--all at a cost of course. Best piece of advice I can give you is, if you care about your photography, to save and invest in decent equipment rather than spending every bit of what you have on crap--in the end you will accomplish better results and better resale value if you were to give it up.
I'm loving mine. Very sharp and versatile. Bought it per Vers recommedation and I haven't regretted it one bit.
i can (probably) get the sigma, and the 85mm i can get as well. yeah its not a bad lens, but the aperture at 55mm (i always use it at 50+) is 5.6! Sweet! I'll go to the camera store in the city, when i finish my exams (mid next week). so the sigma 17-70, and the canon should be what i'm looking at? + ill look for something around the 250mm range
Keep in mind, while the Sigma has an awesome focal range it still does have a variable aperture, so if a constant f/2.8 aperture is important to you the Tamron is the better choice--not to mention its sharper at all comparable FL's and there is less known instances of poor QC with Tamron as opposed to Sigma. If you can afford both the Tamron and the 85/1.8 you will be in great shape. Unless you need a tele right this minute, I can suggest saving up a bit and looking into the Canon 70-300IS or the 70-200L (of any flavor). Save and invest GL and happy shooting.