Equipment First dSLR - Canon EOS 400D the right choice? HELP!!

well what i would if you want try a prime out without breaking the bank look into the Canon 50mm F1.8 prime aka as "nifty fifty" while the build quality is not stellar it currently fgoes for around $100 new in Canada. Since it's aperture is 1.8 it's quite a fast lens for a hundred bucks, but it is a prime so no zoom and no IS. The sigma is nice, but it's lowest aperture is only 3.8 so not ideal for night time shooting. you would probably want somehting below 2.8 for night time shooting.

 

that's useful to know for night shooting. still, isn't 50mm quite "zoomed" already? as far as i understand, 28mm is wide angle, can i get similar shots with 50mm by just physically moving further away from the subject?

as for prices, i have 2 favs right now:

SIGMA 28MM/1.8 DG IF MACRO EX CANON which goes for 350$
SIGMA 30MM F1.4 EX DC CANON HSM for 530$

i'd go for the f1.4 30mm cos it's wide angle and super fast, even without IS, dunno if that would render the shake problem unimportant... what d'ya think?

 

well since it's a prime if your too close must move back some more. but yes if you want a more wide shot go with something like a 28 or 18mm. on my kit lense 18 is the widest it goes.

 

thanks for the info, it's being very informative. let's see if i got it right, since i cannot zoom or anything (which i wouldn't miss at all) with a 50mm i'd have to move back to take a certain shot, and with a 28mm prime, i'd have to move closer to get the same shot, am i right? also, does anybody know why the IQ in the prime lenses is better than zoom lenses?

 

in general, this is what i believe but it may not true as i am relatively new to slr's as well. But the image quality is better because the aperture is much wider in general. which in turn allows more light in. This is also referred sometimes as the speed of the glass. such as the 1.4 prime is a faster lense than the 1.8. And yes with a prime if you want to "Zoom" in or out you need to move as the lens cannot zoom.

 

i guess that's it, the more light that comes in, the faster the lens is, the less possibilities for shake to make the shot blurry. i still have lots of stuff to learn about dSLRs... then again, until my Xsi arrives at the end of the month i won't be able to begin experimenting!! thanks for the answers lcdguy!!

 

IQ in primes is no longer much better than IQ in zooms. Is there difference? Yes, but not much. In fact, most zooms today beat most primes of 10 years ago. These are tested by what's called an MTF rating (which is image sharpness), at least in part. There's also vignetting, Chromatic Abberations (CAs) and distortion.

What you DO get in primes that you cannot get in zooms is the wide aperture. It comes down to the way lenses are constructed, but a prime of any set focal length will always be able to be at a wider aperture than an equivalent zoom.

Hope this helps clear up any of the confusion

 

It does, thanks a lot. So I'm not that concerned about IQ then if they're pretty similar, but for a fast lens in night shots, I guess i should look for a prime lens instead of a zoom, so that the aperture is bigger, thus the lens faster.

 

Yes, though you will find that for the most part night shots simply take three things - a tripod, a longer shutter time, and LOTS of experimentation. Night photography is a bit of tricky business, and though wide aperture does definitely help you tighten either the ISO or the shutter speed, it's not the end-all, be-all. You may want to look at this guide for an idea of the basics.

I don't want it to seem like you're treading on impossible ground, far from...but PRACTICE is key with night stuff, and you can honestly do it with nearly any lens if you plan accordingly

 

Thanks!! The website you suggested is GREAT, coincidentally I was just reading another section of the same webpage about how to do HDR pictures!! As soon as I finish I'll start reading on the night shots!!

 

The reason everyone bangs on about the 50mm f/1.8 is the price. The optics are amazing for the money. It's razor sharp at about f/2.8 f/3.5

 

I'm sure it's an amazing lens, and I'd love to have it for night shots and to get extreme sharpness, but you have to admit that it's ultra expensive. It might be worth it, but not all of us can save money so easily to spend it in a lens. It took me a year to save $1000 so that I could buy the EOS 450D this month (which I think is totally worth it), so I'm not sure if such a super incredible lens is worth another year of savings. Show me pictures and prove me that it is indeed worth a year of savings!! If I had more money? Sure. With my current situation? Well, I also have to eat, so...

 

I've just had an opportunity to shoot some models yesterday... And my god is my Rebel Xti the best money I've ever spent.... It blows my mind every time I use it.

I really recommend it.

 

First off tyhe 50mm wht the 1.8 aperture is super cheap. here in canada it sells for $100 bucks canadian. Now once you go up it gets expensive fast. The 1.4 is around 400 and 1.2 is around 1200. but keep in mind the 1.2 has a freaking huge aperture and is an L series lens. If i have any cash left over from my take refund i am probably going to pick up the 1.8.

 

Oooooooh... damn it, I screwed up!! You are completely right my friend... I confused it with this Canon lens, which is the f/1.2 as you said... You can tell I'm still new to dSLRs, how did I not notice that!! My apologies.

OK, so now 2 new questions: Is the ef 50mm 1.8 worth it for night shots and sharpness? It only costs 86 bucks in amazon, so it's very easy to buy that... Can somebody tell me the difference between this lens and the 50mm f/1.4? Apart from the obvious aperture difference, that is. Is it worth it to pay nearly quadruple for the f/0.4 improvement?

Final question (sorry for the interrogatory), is this 50mm f/1.8 good for macros, like shooting flowers and stuff? I see in amazon that the closest is 18inches, so it's not too bad. I was going to buy a sigma 70-300mm f/4 but it doesn't seem to have as good quality as the canon 50mm f/1.4 plus it's way slower, so if you tell me that canon's lens is better for macros than sigma's, i'm totally buying it next month.

Can anybody comment on this? Thanks a lot in advance.

 

from what i have read on the 1.4. the other major difference is the build quality. I think.

 

Not to mention smoother bokeh, better IQ (color/contrast/sharpness), f/1.4>f/1.8, FTM, manageable focus ring.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.4-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Zabe, The Sigma 30 f/1.4 is a great lens on a crop body, as is a 50mm f/1.8 or 1.4. As for the 50 and macro, obviously its not the best choice but with added extension tubes it works quite well (although not true 1:1 macro). If you are looking for macro capability without tubes you can always look into the Canon 50cm f/2.5 macro (which is 1:2 but doubles as a very good standard 50mm). Primes are not only sharper (from center-edge) than most zooms but the overall IQ (color/contrast rendition) and lack of distortion beat out most as well,not to mention they are much faster (wider apertures).

Here is a recent shot with my 50 f/1.4 @ 1.4


Also, boo to the Sigma 70-300...its by no means a good lens.

Check out Abes of Maine, Beach Camera, BuyDig and search epinions for low priced gear...

-Matt

 

Thanks Matt. If the IQ in the f/1.4 is better than the 1.5 i'd rader go with that one and pay $324, although the f/1.8 sounds sweet for 86 dollars, but if it provides worse IQ and what's more, the build quality is that much worse, I'd rather spend more money on the f/1.4 so that it lasts years than have the f/1.8 broken in a year. Plus, the USM things is a nice touch, being able to change to manual focus directly without switches and stuff.

Since it's a faster lens I don't think I'll have problems for night shots. As for macros, my Xsi (coming in 2 weeks!! can't wait!!) is a 12mp exaggeration, so I guess I can always crop the image. And thanks for the comment on the sigma 70-300mm, I wasn't feeling so sure about that one, so I guess it's a no-no.

To end with... what's the difference between the EF and the EF-S systems for canon dSLRs? I know my Xsi will accept both, but I'm just curious...

ps: by the way, nice pic Matt.

 

If i was you i would wait, get your camera and start shooting see what you feel, you need. No point going and spending lots on money on lenses and find you dont really use them or you want a different length (though i would be suprised if you did not get a fair bit of use out of a 50mm ). If you have a local camera shop go down and ask if you can have a look at some of the lenses, try them out, get a feel for what your buying.

EF - Mounts fit on all canons bodys* croped and full frame, 350D, 400D, 450D, 40D, 5D 1D...
EF-S - Mounts only fit on crop bodys* 350D, 400D, 450D, 40D...

* I dont know about older models, not really relivant anyway.

 

I'll be buying the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 in the near future (3 to 4 months). I know I'll use it for night shots and for the amazing sharpness... and super blurry shallow dof (aka bokeh?) shots!! I hope I find some place here in Chicago where they let me try the lens...

Thanks to all once again!! 2 weeks more... I want that Xsi in my hands... now!!