Hey, As above, I've had my 550D for a couple of months now, and I love it Thinking of getting a 2nd lens over the summer (currently just have the 18-55mm kit lens), can probably afford £400. What would people recommend? I'd either be looking for a telephoto or macro. In the end I'd like options for both, incase I change my mind closer to the time, but I thought I might aswell start looking now Or ofcourse I could sell my current setup and get a better body if people think that would be a better investment What would people suggest? Thanks
What do you most like taking pictures of? Do you often find your self at either end of your kit lens thinking "I could do with more"? I got my 35mm in Jan and love it and I'm now starting to think tele or ultra wide. I like to get out and try to do landscapes and the ultra-wide would be brilliant for that. But I've also found my self taking pics of mountain biking which could do with a faster tele. Haven't tried macro yet but i'm trying to stick to lusting over one or two lenses at a time...
I'd suggest getting a very fast prime - i cant recommend the 50mm f/1.8 enough, but you could also go for a 35mm (effectively a 50mm on an APS-C sensor) too, or even step up to the F/1.4 50mm if you wanted something more premium. The extra aperture size allows you to get some lovely depth of field effects, which i think go a long way to making images look more professional or intimate. I'm in a similar position though, i want a new lens, and the only two things really missing from my bag are a telephoto or a wide angle. I've resolved to get a wide angle zoom, on the rationale that it allows me to do something different - show things from new perspectives or with cool distortion effects. I didn't feel the telephoto would really allow me to do all that much more than i currently do - yes it'd have more pulling power, but I've rarely found myself shooting anything so far away that cropping in didn't work just fine. Also, I like shooting handheld, as the whole setting up of a tripod just seems a little anoraky to me. This sits kind of at odds with a telephoto, as you'll get a lot of shake at the high end of the zoom if shooting handheld. Apologies if this reads a little like me just talking at you, but maybe some of the thought processes I've been through are the same as the ones you're going through at the moment.
I'm going for a 35mm macro for my Sony as it will double up as a very capable portrait type lens. Really though it depends on what sort of photography you enjoy. I wasted loads of money buying lens and bits of kit that I haven't used.
I think I'm certainly leaning more towards a macro lens than a telephoto at the moment. As Paulo said, some (if not all, I don't know) can also act as a decent portrait style lens. Material, the nifty fifty was on my to get list right from the off, kinda forgotten about it since I've been looking at getting something 'nice' Might be tempted to pick that up aswell as whichever macro lens (most likely) I end up going for.
I would lean towards one of these they have been highly rated and won numerous awards. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-18-270mm-3-5-6-3-Aspheric-Digital/dp/B001FB6PJS Then when you can save a bit more get a 50mm 1.8 with a couple of extension tube to effectively turn it in to a macro lens
Some Suggestions, but I'd be looking at ditching the kit lens for something faster to start with, then getting something specialised when you have a real need. (Manufacturers can be switched out, I just know Sigma.) : Sigma 18-50 f2.8 DC EX Macro Not a true macro lens, more close focussing, but f2.8 through the zoom range. Just having one attached to your camera will make ladies want to do things, to your trousers, maybe. Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM OS Constant f2.8, optical stabilisation, see above, only more ladies. You may wish to convert the seams of your trousers to Velcro. 50mm f1.4 Prime With this you will be able to portrait the **** out of portraits. As mentioned above, extension tubes or a reversing ring and you'll have a capable macro lens. Throw in a flash and hot shoe cable and you'll be taking pictures of.. small.. bug.. ladies! It's the end of the week. I need sleep.
Worth a quick mention, remember you camera has a 1.6x crop factor. This basically means what size lens you buy isn't actually the focal length you'd be using. The 50mm would actually be 80mm. This does mean you need to take a step or 2 further back then you would with it mounted on say a full frame camera.
technically the focal length of the lens doesn't change, what you are changing is the field of view. 50mm is THE standard, at 50mm, you can just walk around with the camera on one of your eye and still see perfectly fine with the other. although 35mm on a APS-c is equivalent to 50mm in field of view, what you are actually seeing is a zoomed out image. putting the camera to your eye at 35mm will make you feel dizzy. so what you are saying is right in the sense that 50mm is equivalent to 85mm, but not right because it is strictly only field of view. every other lens properties stay the same. fast prime is the way forward for Canon, get the dead cheap 50mm f1.8
Personally I'd hardly use a prime lens. Macro a bit more so but (to me) they seem fairly "specialised" lenses and not something you'd stick on your camera and use it to death. (That's not to say you shouldn't get one, it just wouldn't be _my_ choice initially anyway). As you've noted though, some macro's will work ok as a portrait lens (and visa versa as Silver mentioned with some extra kit). I've quite enjoyed using a 60mm EFS F2.8 macro for both close up and some portrait type shots. (It's EFS mount so will only work on crop cameras afaik). It's an ok lens for portraits (bit long maybe) and produces some pretty nice macro shots too and should sit within your budget. It doesn't often find its way onto the camera though However personally the way I'd go is as Silver suggested. Upgrading the kit lens - the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 is an _excellent_ upgrade and relatively inexpensive, especially if you avoid the VC version which supposedly isn't quite as good as the non-VC version. If you can stretch your budget (or get a good deal) I'm quite enjoying the range available on the 24-105L F4 at the moment (works pretty well on a crop, I never tend to shoot that wide so it works well for me). You can get the tamron (new) from Amazon for under 300 quid - leaves you some extra drinking money or would allow you to get the 50mm 1.8 or maybe put some cash towards a telephoto or something. You could probably pick up a cheap tele for ~100 or so, just to give you some experience and idea on which lens/length you use the most to help further buying decisions.....?
If you like taking portraits or like shallow depth of field, don't hesitate and get the Canon 50mm F1.4 .. if you are tight on budget then find one used (I'd recommend this tbh) or get the much cheaper 50mm F1.8. You'll love it. For a affordable telezoom in your budget, I would strongly suggest a Canon 70-200 F4 L or Sigme 70-200 F2.8 , depending on what you are planning to do with it. Get it used.
I have one of these for my d600, it's a no brainer really. I was given one at christmas, I'm always going back to it, plus the wide aperture is whats needed for those lovely portrait shots. If your not sure about a macro lense why not try a macro filter. They're not that expensive and it's a cheap way of getting into macro photography. Then if you want to buy a macro lens later on you can do. They just screw on to the end of your current lens. Another lens you may want to consider is a superzoom lens. These are great if you want an all in one lense when you out and about or want to travel light. There is a trade off with this type of lens as it covers a wide focal range. An example might be sharpness at the higher end of the focal range. Each lens tends to have a short fall and it tends to come down to what you can live with. A popular choice is the Tamaron 18 - 270mm or Sigma 18 - 250mm. They tend to be around the £300 - £400 mark. Here's a review of the Tamaron http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/716-tamron182703563pzd
