Reading mode: Light Dark

Need advise on replacement Kit lens for Canon t3i

Go to last post
S

Stylite05

New member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I recently took a vacation trip and was disappointed with the quality of the photos using the standard Canon 18-55mm STM kit lens. There were two issues with the photos:

1. The pictures were not sharp even under good lighting.

The pictures of the beaches were nice, but I still don't see them as sharp as my other Canon lens (60 mm EF-S F2.8 Macro or Canon 10-18 mm F4.5-5.6). I think this is the best that a kit lens could offer and it is time for me to upgrade the lens.

2. The pictures taken at night indoor were dark.

AS expected with the kit lens, the pictures taken at night were dark. The portraits were decent with the flash, but the backgrounds were dark.

I have been reading for last few weeks to find an alternative lens but haven;t been able to come to a conclusion. I am looking an alternative lens to the standard kit lens which is very sharp for landscape photography and for night/indoor photography. I am okay for having couple of lens serving different purpose and my budget is around $1000. Any recommendations/reviews are greatly appreciated.
 
Night usually means a fast prime. Then the question is focal length: 24, 28, 30, 35, or 50mm.

Kelly Cook
 
Since you don't mention a need to go wider or longer, my first thought would be the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8. It's sharp and bright.

However, the way you describe your troubles suggest to me, that your problem may not be your lens, but a basic knowledge of how to to use your camera. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but that's the impression I get from your post.

Pictures taken with on-camera flash at night will be bright in the foreground and dark in the background with any lens. Look up the inverse square law. To find out what to do about it, read The Strobist's 101 and 102 on lighting.

If your pictures in general are too dark, find out how to set EC (Exposure Compensation).

Good luck.
 
Stylite05 said:
I recently took a vacation trip and was disappointed with the quality of the photos using the standard Canon 18-55mm STM kit lens. There were two issues with the photos:

1. The pictures were not sharp even under good lighting.

The pictures of the beaches were nice, but I still don't see them as sharp as my other Canon lens (60 mm EF-S F2.8 Macro or Canon 10-18 mm F4.5-5.6). I think this is the best that a kit lens could offer and it is time for me to upgrade the lens.

2. The pictures taken at night indoor were dark.

AS expected with the kit lens, the pictures taken at night were dark. The portraits were decent with the flash, but the backgrounds were dark.
Click to expand...
The pictures taken at night should be dark because there is not much light. You need a book to understand how to properly expose a photo. Do you understand why the flash pictures were with subjects bright and background dark?
Stylite05 said:
I have been reading for last few weeks to find an alternative lens but haven;t been able to come to a conclusion. I am looking an alternative lens to the standard kit lens which is very sharp for landscape photography and for night/indoor photography. I am okay for having couple of lens serving different purpose and my budget is around $1000. Any recommendations/reviews are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
After you get to grips with the exposure you may try to find a lens that helps you with the issue. Your lens may be not a perfect match for your body. Does your camera provides AF fine tuning?

A good lens would be Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS but you will get the same results if you don't take control of your camera and lens.
 
Stylite05 said:
I recently took a vacation trip and was disappointed with the quality of the photos using the standard Canon 18-55mm STM kit lens. There were two issues with the photos:

1. The pictures were not sharp even under good lighting.

The pictures of the beaches were nice, but I still don't see them as sharp as my other Canon lens (60 mm EF-S F2.8 Macro or Canon 10-18 mm F4.5-5.6). I think this is the best that a kit lens could offer and it is time for me to upgrade the lens.

2. The pictures taken at night indoor were dark.

AS expected with the kit lens, the pictures taken at night were dark. The portraits were decent with the flash, but the backgrounds were dark.

I have been reading for last few weeks to find an alternative lens but haven;t been able to come to a conclusion. I am looking an alternative lens to the standard kit lens which is very sharp for landscape photography and for night/indoor photography. I am okay for having couple of lens serving different purpose and my budget is around $1000. Any recommendations/reviews are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
post one of those unsharp photos (with EXIF data) photos taken at night tend to be darker because ......... it's dark at night!

the alternatives are more expensive - Canon 15-85, Canon 17-55 2.8, Sigma / Tamron 17-50 2.8, etc.
 
Stylite05 said:
1. The pictures were not sharp even under good lighting.

The pictures of the beaches were nice, but I still don't see them as sharp as my other Canon lens (60 mm EF-S F2.8 Macro or Canon 10-18 mm F4.5-5.6). I think this is the best that a kit lens could offer and it is time for me to upgrade the lens.
Click to expand...
Understood, but I'd like to see an example of this. I often see beginners who are prejudiced against a kit lens because of everything they've read online, that maybe they're checking those photos more scrupulously or they're deluding themselves. Or maybe you really did get a soft lens.
Stylite05 said:
2. The pictures taken at night indoor were dark.

AS expected with the kit lens, the pictures taken at night were dark. The portraits were decent with the flash, but the backgrounds were dark.
Click to expand...
That is not "as expected with the kit lens." That's as expected with the wrong choice of settings. You can get the desired brightness in all but very extreme cases. Maybe the aperture can't go as wide as you'd like, but that's not the only variable you can change.

Here, too, I'd love to see some examples. Either you're not taking full advantage of the shooting envelope you have, or you're at its limits. An example photo or two can clear this up.
Stylite05 said:
I have been reading for last few weeks to find an alternative lens but haven;t been able to come to a conclusion. I am looking an alternative lens to the standard kit lens which is very sharp for landscape photography and for night/indoor photography. I am okay for having couple of lens serving different purpose and my budget is around $1000. Any recommendations/reviews are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I'd know more when I see examples, but some general pointers:
  • Sigma has a zoom lens covering the 18-35mm focal length range with a maximum relative aperture of f/1.8.
  • There are several lenses covering a range from roughly 17mm or 18mm to 50mm or 55mm, with a maximum relative aperture of f/2.8. Some of those have image stabilization, such as the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 and Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8.
  • You can get a prime, or more than one, at any focal length you'd like. Then you could have a maximum relative aperture of f/2 or better at that focal length, depending on the lens.
  • Don't use reviews to learn about a lens's sharpness or other optical qualities. View sample images, or use scientific test results to form your own opinion, in comparison to what you find acceptable/good.
 
[No message]
 
You might ask Canon how much they ask for calibrating this lens. The lazy, expensive answer is the 17-55; since you already have an ultra wide zoom, I would get the 24mm 2.8 and 40mm 2.8.
 
Ido S said:
Stylite05 said:
1. The pictures were not sharp even under good lighting.

The pictures of the beaches were nice, but I still don't see them as sharp as my other Canon lens (60 mm EF-S F2.8 Macro or Canon 10-18 mm F4.5-5.6). I think this is the best that a kit lens could offer and it is time for me to upgrade the lens.
Click to expand...
Understood, but I'd like to see an example of this. I often see beginners who are prejudiced against a kit lens because of everything they've read online, that maybe they're checking those photos more scrupulously or they're deluding themselves. Or maybe you really did get a soft lens.
Ido Scharf said:
Ido Scharf said:
Here is a sample image taken on a slight cloudy day but i expect the images to be more sharp as there is enough light.

Loading…

www.dpreview.com

EXIF Data:
  • Camera : Canon Rebel T3i
  • F Stop: f/13
  • Exposure: 1/160 Sec
  • Exposure Bias: 0 Step
  • Focal Length: 20mm
  • Flash: No Flash
Click to expand...
2. The pictures taken at night indoor were dark.

AS expected with the kit lens, the pictures taken at night were dark. The portraits were decent with the flash, but the backgrounds were dark.
Click to expand...
That is not "as expected with the kit lens." That's as expected with the wrong choice of settings. You can get the desired brightness in all but very extreme cases. Maybe the aperture can't go as wide as you'd like, but that's not the only variable you can change.

Here, too, I'd love to see some examples. Either you're not taking full advantage of the shooting envelope you have, or you're at its limits. An example photo or two can clear this up.
Ido Scharf said:
Ido Scharf said:
I have been able to get better shots by moving a bit away from the subject and increasing the exposure time. I was able to expose the background better with this technique.
Click to expand...
I have been reading for last few weeks to find an alternative lens but haven;t been able to come to a conclusion. I am looking an alternative lens to the standard kit lens which is very sharp for landscape photography and for night/indoor photography. I am okay for having couple of lens serving different purpose and my budget is around $1000. Any recommendations/reviews are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I'd know more when I see examples, but some general pointers:
  • Sigma has a zoom lens covering the 18-35mm focal length range with a maximum relative aperture of f/1.8.
  • There are several lenses covering a range from roughly 17mm or 18mm to 50mm or 55mm, with a maximum relative aperture of f/2.8. Some of those have image stabilization, such as the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 and Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8.
  • You can get a prime, or more than one, at any focal length you'd like. Then you could have a maximum relative aperture of f/2 or better at that focal length, depending on the lens.
  • Don't use reviews to learn about a lens's sharpness or other optical qualities. View sample images, or use scientific test results to form your own opinion, in comparison to what you find acceptable/good.
Click to expand...
 
I reckon the answers were in yellowish color.

The photo you presented has to be that soft. You should read about diffraction. At f/13 your camera is quite diffraction limited. Use f/5.6 to f/8. f/11 or smaller is for emergency cases or macro.

Regarding black background with flash you have to understand that in flash photography there are two exposures:
  1. The exposure of the foreground that is done by the flash and ambient light. Flash may be much more powerful than the ambient light. ISO Speed, aperture, flash power and distance to the subject are the factors that influence it.
  2. The exposure of the background. Flash has no influence here so the only light is from the ambient light. ISO Speed, aperture and exposure time are the factors that influence it. If you properly expose the photo without flash then use the same settings (or one stop darker) to have a balanced photo. Take care if the color temperature of the ambient light is different than the one of flash (5400 K).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top