Suggestion for lenses

Hey there

I just bought T2i with the stock lens. After using it for some time.. I realised that I need a couple of decent lens.. so I am here hoping to get some help from you guys. Here is my Criteria

• Want to buy 2 Lenses.. cost is not an issue
• I want the lenses to be focused on great result in following areas
• Nature Shot (Beach/Grass land etc)
• Human Close Up shot (parties/ weddings etc)

I was hoping if you can recommend 2 good lens who can do these.. i will owe you one

Regards

For human close-ups you're best off with a 50mm. There are two good/great ones, which are:

f/1.4 USM

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.4-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

f/1.2 USM L

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.2-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Both are great for indoor shots because they have large apertures, and thus let in a lot of light.

The "L" series, like the f/1.2 lens, are pretty much the best you can get from Canon but reach up to thousands of dollars/euros. Personally, I don't think it's worth the price, but then I own the f/1.8 version which is around $100. I work with a tight budget.

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-- James
'Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.'

I wonder how far your budget will stretch..

Ok here goes, for wildlife (if you you mean that by nature shots) pick any or all (consider a wemberly head for anything but the 400mm f/5.6L), expect stellar perforance at a cost and weight:
400mm f/5.6L
300mm f/2.8L + 1.4 TC
500mm f/4L
800mm f/5.6L

For close ups pick any or all, expect stellar performance:
35mm f/1.4L
85mm f/1.2L
135mm f/2L
24-70mm f/2.8L

Or more affordably and/or more versatile, expect good performance, medium weight:
100-400L for wildlife/nature

Portraits, expect good performance, light weight, though not comparable with the kitlens:
sigma 30mm f/1.4
85mm f/1.8

Or if you mean landscapes, good performance:
canon 10-22mm

Or if you mean an alround walk around:
canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Yep, you've guessed it, if you're not any more specific you'll get lots of answers

Frqn said:

Hey there

I just bought T2i with the stock lens. After using it for some time.. I realised that I need a couple of decent lens.. so I am here hoping to get some help from you guys. Here is my Criteria

• Want to buy 2 Lenses.. cost is not an issue
• I want the lenses to be focused on great result in following areas
• Nature Shot (Beach/Grass land etc)
• Human Close Up shot (parties/ weddings etc)

I was hoping if you can recommend 2 good lens who can do these.. i will owe you one

Regards

Click to expand...

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Kind regards
Imqqmi



http://www.pbase.com/imqqmi

The DSLR jargon cheatsheet:
http://www.jmbfoto.nl/dslrcheatsheet.pdf

imqqmi said:

800mm f/5.6L

Click to expand...

$10,800... for this one. I wonder how far that unlimited budget will stretch?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/542293-REG/Canon_2746B002AA_EF_800mm_f_5_6L_IS.html

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CityLights
http://www.pbase.com/citylights
.

Morning,

Thanks for the detailed answer and yes !! i have learnt my lesson .. will be more specific...

and by nature I meant Landscapes and not wildlife shots. So i am going with canon 10-22mm.

However, I do have a question, for city landscape, will the same lens work.. or there is another suggestion waiting for me.. and I can spend uptill 800 Dollars on the lens

I am also assuming that you are suggesting to stick with the kit lens for Portrait pictures.. What my intention here is to get a lens that I can use for photography in parties, People portrait and close ups.. Do you think that Kitlens will be able to do that with a good performance and quality - if not, i have a budget of couple thousand to blow on this

Hope this is specific enough... else.. i am more then happy to be schooled

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I wonder how far your budget will stretch..

Ok here goes, for wildlife (if you you mean that by nature shots) pick any or all (consider a wemberly head for anything but the 400mm f/5.6L), expect stellar perforance at a cost and weight:
400mm f/5.6L
300mm f/2.8L + 1.4 TC
500mm f/4L
800mm f/5.6L
For close ups pick any or all, expect stellar performance:
35mm f/1.4L
85mm f/1.2L
135mm f/2L
24-70mm f/2.8L

Or more affordably and/or more versatile, expect good performance, medium weight:
100-400L for wildlife/nature

Portraits, expect good performance, light weight, though not comparable with the kitlens:
sigma 30mm f/1.4
85mm f/1.8
Or if you mean landscapes, good performance:
canon 10-22mm
Or if you mean an alround walk around:
canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Yep, you've guessed it, if you're not any more specific you'll get lots of answer

I used my Tamron 18-270mm VC for photography in the city and has been happy with it. The nice thing about this lens was you can shoot wide angle shots and zoom to small fragments of the building decor all without changing lenses. That was an important factor because I spent 4 hours walking in the big city taking pictures of buildings and skylines in the freezing temperature.

Here is my lens complement for my 450D, it covers pretty much anything I want to shoot as a hobbyist/enthusiast (travel, landscapes, people, indoor etc):

• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM (wide-angle) - it's great, I love it. If you have the money, consider the Canon 10-22.

• Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM (normal/walk-around). I replaced the 18-55 kit lens with this. It's fantastic. The extra light it lets in is useful for this range. Better quality, sharpness, contrast, colour too.

• Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS USM (telephoto zoom, replaces range covered by my 18-200 super-zoom). I only just got this recently so I can't offer my personal experience, but it is widely regarded as one of Canon's finest telephoto zooms.

• Canon 50mm f/1.8 II. Great for indoor low-light portraiture. I've had this since I bought the camera. Many of my favourite shots are taken with this lens. It's great for exploring creative possibilities. Possibly the best £80 I have ever spent on photographic equipment.

Stuff I'd like to add in the future: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 prime, Canon 85mm prime.

My advice:

If you are content with your current focal range and just really want to improve the picture quality, then (technique improvement aside), get the 17-55, or maybe even a prime lens or two.

Otherwise, I'd build up my focal range either side of what you already have. The kit lens is actually rather good and you will probably gain more in terms of exploring new subjects/techniques etc by adding either a prime, UWA or telephoto, or any combination thereof. I eventually went for the 17-55 because I already had other focal ranges covered and I wanted that jump in quality and the extra light-gathering capability.

Going back and reading your requirements I'd boil that down to the following to expand your landscape and portrait capabilities:

• An UWA zoom: Sigma do three now (10-20 f/4-5.6, 10-20 f/3.5, 8-16). Canon's 10-22 is highly regarded. Tokina do an 11-16 f/2.8 that is worth a look.

• A prime or two: Canon 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 or f/1.2 or Sigma 50mm f/1.4. Perhaps a Canon 85mm.

Read some reviews. Here, photozone.de, The-digital-picture.com.

+1 on the convenience factor of the super-zoom. I was just thinking about it when reviewing my last post. While my Canon 18-200 may come in for some criticism over its optical compromises I have to admit that it has served me well. I have a lot of really nice photos from that lens. It was very convenient whilst travelling.

Yes, I get better ultimate quality from the 17-55, and I expect I will from the 70-200 too.

However, I'm going to hang on to my 18-200 for now just in case there are times when I just want convenience and some nice photos.

Frqn said:

and by nature I meant Landscapes and not wildlife shots. So i am going with canon 10-22mm.

Click to expand...

10-22 is fantastic for landscapes. I have and love that lens. My website is full of examples from the 10-22.

Frqn said:

However, I do have a question, for city landscape, will the same lens work.. or there is another suggestion waiting for me.. and I can spend uptill 800 Dollars on the lens

Click to expand...

The 10-22 works well for cityscapes too. One negetive of any ultra wide is the ultra wide distortions. Straight lines look slightly curved. If you learn a few techniques to help, like holding the camera staright and level, you can minimize the effect. Of course you can use the same effect creatively. Here's a couple of examples of cityscapes with the 10-22.

http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/78666783
http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/64954770

These are intentionally distorted with the 10-22, by not holding it level

http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/64797717
http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/64737963

A few more people pictures, just to show that it can. But be careful, those distortions can make people go bad in a big way, keep them to the center of the frame.

http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/77135869
http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/64807588
http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/77477513
http://www.pbase.com/citylights/image/103523039

Kit lens will work good in party situations with an external flash like the canon 430, or 580 flash. The kit will be challenged without flash. Also, you will get "everything in focus" pictures rather than true portraits with subject in focus and background out of focus.

Commonly recommended for natural light portraits with subject sharp, background OOF, is lenses at widest aperture f/2.8 or faster. Canon 28mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.2, or canon 85mm f/1.8. The 50 and 85 are good for head and shoulder shots in a party. The 28 will also do small group shots.

If you must have a zoom, then you compromise the aperture widest at f/2.8 and go with a canon 17-55 f/2.8 EFS IS. Or there are many lenses like the kit that could do it with flash.

Good luck!

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CityLights
http://www.pbase.com/citylights
.

Thankyou very much for your detailed response. I think i know what i should get

God Bless you.. very informative and precise information