Cannon SLR advice (thanks)

[Cabbit]

Hey all im about to buy my first camera, well my second my first was a very very old slr i bought at a car boot sale when i was 8 and loved taking pictures with it.

My main focus is people, often portraits or for catalogues and i also do wild life photography, buildings and nature shots for fun.

The cameras i have been eying up are the Cannon D40 and 450D body's and that will depend mostly on the weight of the body and the quality of the image from your recommendations.

My main concern is which lens to get as i know little about these, so i would like a suggestion of a good lens under £300 that would be a good all rounder for my use.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Hey all im about to buy my first camera, well my second my first was a very very old slr i bought at a car boot sale when i was 8 and loved taking pictures with it.

My main focus is people, often portraits or for catalogues and i also do wild life photography, buildings and nature shots for fun.

The cameras i have been eying up are the Cannon D40 and 450D body's and that will depend mostly on the weight of the body and the quality of the image from your recommendations.

My main concern is which lens to get as i know little about these, so i would like a suggestion of a good lens under £300 that would be a good all rounder for my use.

That's a difficult decision considering your budget, specially for the lens, although the Canon kit lens with IS is not too expensive, but you will be limited to a sort of an all around lens (indoors, outdoors, but not good to reach small wildlife).

I have a 40D and it's an outstanding camera for what I do, which includes landscapes, wildlife and such, and I purchased it (body only) from B&H under the $200.00 Canon instant rebate, and paid $939.00 plus shipping. I use the following lenses, plus some adapters:

1. Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0 for landscapes (around $450.00). Used a Rebel XT (350D):

2. Tamron 17-50mm (approximately the same $ as the Tokina) for all around use. Used a Rebel XT:

3. Canon EF-200mm f/2.8L USM (under $700.00) for wildlife. Used my 40D:

4. Sigma 70-300mm 4-5.6 APO DG with macro (around $400.00) for macro photography and such. Used my 40D:

In addition to these lenses, I have:
-Hoya CPL (around $170.00)
-Kenko tubes for macro photography $170.00 (or so)
-Kengo DG Pro 1.4x teleconverter, for wildlife with the EF-200mm $190.00

 

[AlaskaMoose]

The 40D is just a step closer to Canon's professional cameras. One can consider it the top entry-level Canon camera, but it's also used by professional photographers as a backup camera. The body is large and heavy compared to the XT-series (350D, 450D, etc.), and the shooter can adjust any of the camera's presets and modes, and then save these. When compared to Nikon's D300 and D80, the Canon 40D should fall somewhere between the two, but be aware that "brand loyalty" causes a lot of arguments in this forum. I upgraded bodies from the 350D to the 40D, and am very pleased with the change.

I forgot to mention that Canon's EF-50mm f/1.8 is an excellent portrait lens. It's called the "nifty fifty" for good reasons, and costs around $90.00. In f/1.4 it costs $300.00, and in f/1.2 it costs nearly four times as much.

 

[apearlman]

Hard to do all with one lens.

If you want one lens as an "all-rounder," it won't really excel at everything you want to do.

Portraiture is usually done with normal to tele lenses in the 50-100mm range, but you want to have wide apertures to blur backgrounds while keeping your subject in focus. Fixed focal length lenses fit this best: Canon 50mm, 85mm, 100mm. For full-body portraits, you might want something wider like a 35, depending on your distance from the subject. The 50mm is far cheaper than the others.

Wildlife is usually shot with long lenses, 200mm or greater. Some wildlife is very hard to get close to, so you'll need as much focal length as possible. Canon, Sigma and Tamron all have decent quality 70-300mm zooms for not much money. Anything longer is much more expensive.

The kit lens (18-55mm) is a nice light walkaround/starter lens that doesn't cost much and can get you lots of everyday shots, including decent landscapes. For "buildings and nature shots" this lens would probably be fine.

My suggestion: you should get all the lenses I did! I'm also on a tight budget, and I started with the kit lens (18-55mm) for my walkaround. Once I discovered its limitations, I got an inexpensive Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 for animals and sports, and I bought a 50mm for portraits. The total of all these cost me less than USD$300. (Later I replaced the kit lens with something a bit sharper, but it's perfectly good to start out.)

One lens will have a hard time doing everything you describe.

 

[Cabbit]

thanks for the help guys i think i will use the kit lens that comes with the 40D from my local store for £760 and also comes with a carry bag to store it all. I plan on getting a Apple cinema display 30inch and a macbook pro at the same time or a 23 inch cinema display and just keep my macbook. How does the macbook handle aperture with raw images?.

 

[Mousse]

My main concern is which lens to get as i know little about these, so i would like a suggestion of a good lens under £300 that would be a good all rounder for my use.

My advice is give up on the idea an all rounder lens and build a collection of quality lenses. I'd suggest starting out with a 50mm and building from there. If you get low quality lenses now, you'll just have to replace them later when your skill out grows what the lenses can deliver.

 

[apearlman]

Wonderful dog shot!

2. Tamron 17-50mm (approximately the same $ as the Tokina) for all around use. Used a Rebel XT:

Rayfromalaska, I love the dog photo. (And I'm not a dog person.) All the shots you posted are very good, but that one really rocks.

Andrew

 

[apearlman]

Go ahead and buy cheap lenses.

If you get low quality lenses now, you'll just have to replace them later when your skill out grows what the lenses can deliver.

"Quality lenses" is good advice for some people, but if you're on a tight budget (like me) then I disagree. Lenses can be sold, and they don't lose value quickly. For example, I bought a used Sigma 70-300 two years ago for $140. (New would be $190). Suppose I use it for another year, and then upgrade. What could it sell for? $100? Less? Worst case, suppose half: $70. So the lens winds up costing $70 for 3 years of use? Seems like a good deal to me. (And incidentally, the Sigma is a great lens for the money.)

Maybe my shots aren't as crisp or contrasty as they'd be with better glass, but they are FAR better than not having those shots at all.

Of course, budgeting and spending are personal decisions, so everyone has his/her own approach.

Andrew

 

[Full of Win]

thanks for the help guys i think i will use the kit lens that comes with the 40D from my local store for £760 and also comes with a carry bag to store it all. I plan on getting a Apple cinema display 30inch and a macbook pro at the same time or a 23 inch cinema display and just keep my macbook. How does the macbook handle aperture with raw images?.

Don't know the cost in neck of the woods, but I'd go with a Dell 30 inch (3007 or 3008). First, it uses an S-IPS screen from LG Philips like the 30 inch ACD, but the gamut on the Dell is broader - 117% of NTSC for the Dell 3008 vs. 72% of NTSC for the Apple. Second, the warranty tends to be better. Can't comment on cost, but in the US, the Dell is cheaper.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Rayfromalaska, I love the dog photo. (And I'm not a dog person.) All the shots you posted are very good, but that one really rocks.

Andrew

Thanks.

I decided to post the photos so the person asking the questions about lenses could get an idea of how the photos taken with such lenses look like. For example, the Tokina is good for wide landscapes, the Canon is good for large wildlife such as moose, and the Tamron is good for general use (much like Canon's 18-55mm kit lens).

That's my wife's dog. Her name is "Abbie" and she does anything for a snack, such as sitting down for me to take a photo of her. She was looking at a small snack I had in my hand by the camera lens

"Quality lenses" is good advice for some people, but if you're on a tight budget (like me) then I disagree. Lenses can be sold, and they don't lose value quickly. For example, I bought a used Sigma 70-300 two years ago for $140. (New would be $190). Suppose I use it for another year, and then upgrade. What could it sell for? $100? Less? Worst case, suppose half: $70. So the lens winds up costing $70 for 3 years of use? Seems like a good deal to me. (And incidentally, the Sigma is a great lens for the money.)

Maybe my shots aren't as crisp or contrasty as they'd be with better glass, but they are FAR better than not having those shots at all.

Of course, budgeting and spending are personal decisions, so everyone has his/her own approach.

Andrew

The Dell may have certain features that are better than the Mac screen, but let me tell you...them Apple screens are bright and provide a real nice view. The warranty is not a big deal, at least not to me, since Apple screens are very reliable. I am still using a first generation iMac G5, and haven't had a single problem with it.

 

[Cabbit]

The Dell may have certain features that are better than the Mac screen, but let me tell you...them Apple screens are bright and provide a real nice view. The warranty is not a big deal, at least not to me, since Apple screens are very reliable. I am still using a first generation iMac G5, and haven't had a single problem with it.

The bottom line is the dell screen is out of the question, this screen needs to not only preform but match a future mac pro in aesthetics and will be used in my office that im going to be renting out were i will have clients and there is nothing more stunning to show of a poster or website i have designed for a client that a 30 inch apple cinema display.
Its like a picture frame, cheep ones do the job but hand crafted frames can make an picture jump out at you.

 

[Full of Win]

The bottom line is the dell screen is out of the question, this screen needs to not only preform but match a future mac pro in aesthetics and will be used in my office that im going to be renting out were i will have clients and there is nothing more stunning to show of a poster or website i have designed for a client that a 30 inch apple cinema display.
Its like a picture frame, cheep ones do the job but hand crafted frames can make an picture jump out at you.

If you have your heart set on the 30 inch Apple, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm typing this in a 23 inch ACD and periodically stoke its curvy bottom. However, the Dell 3008 had a new look - where it has a silver metal case, not the plastic fantastic case that was used with the earlier 30 inch models.

http://gizmodo.com/340200/dell-3008wfp+hc-30-inches-of-widescreen-swank

 

[Cabbit]

If you have your heart set on the 30 inch Apple, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm typing this in a 23 inch ACD and periodically stoke its curvy bottom. However, the Dell 3008 had a new look - where it has a silver metal case, not the plastic fantastic case that was used with the earlier 30 inch models.

http://gizmodo.com/340200/dell-3008wfp+hc-30-inches-of-widescreen-swank

Still looks ugly and cheep. Apple displays have the performance and looks to match there price i really wish more manufactures would make high quality looking parts i dont see why every computer should look like a hunk of plastic. I would love to be able to buy a TV with an aluminum frame i think aluminum looks a lot classier than plastic and gives the perception of something that is going to last. Remember how ones parents always said they don't make them like they used to, well its true they don't they mass produce cheep crap and don't produce alternatives for people that want things that look and feel nice.

 

[CrackedButter]

Still looks ugly and cheep. Apple displays have the performance and looks to match there price i really wish more manufactures would make high quality looking parts i dont see why every computer should look like a hunk of plastic. I would love to be able to buy a TV with an aluminum frame i think aluminum looks a lot classier than plastic and gives the perception of something that is going to last. Remember how ones parents always said they don't make them like they used to, well its true they don't they mass produce cheep crap and don't produce alternatives for people that want things that look and feel nice.

Two things.

Apple displays are old and outdated compared to other manufacturers, you're getting ripped off. A lot of people buy Dell monitors with good reasons. Style/design can only take a price so far.

Second, get the 50mm prime (f1.4 version if you can), you can do so much with it and is the best starter lens anyone could have.

 

[Cabbit]

any brand or links on that 50mm lens.

Note: And please no one continue to recommend dell nonsense the decision has already been made on the 30 inch Apple as i see the most value for money in that product, i get a big student discount and a huge discount on the warranty to sweeten the deal with my only hold out being lack of display port or hdmi so i can use HDCP protected content on it in the future, not a killer but i can wait a year if need be for it.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

any brand or links on that 50mm lens.

Cheap, cheap.........

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Pro...es/Fixed_Focal_Length/EF_50mm_f18II/index.asp

Middle of the road cost, and I agree on getting this one if you can...............

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Pro.../Fixed_Focal_Length/EF_50mm_f14_USM/index.asp

Need to win the lottery..............

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Pro...Fixed_Focal_Length/EF_50mm_f12L_USM/index.asp

 

[CrackedButter]

Note: And please no one continue to recommend dell nonsense the decision has already been made on the 30 inch Apple as i see the most value for money in that product, i get a big student discount and a huge discount on the warranty to sweeten the deal with my only hold out being lack of display port or hdmi so i can use HDCP protected content on it in the future, not a killer but i can wait a year if need be for it.

What the hell are you blabbering about with 'student discount' and 'HDCP protected content'. You're a student and you need 'HDCP', I highly doubt that, do you even know what its for?

Also I wasn't recommending a Dell, I was simply pointing out that there are better monitors than Apple's, its only a suggestion and if you want to waste a perfectly good student discount on a monitor setup that hasn't been updated in years that's up to you but its only a courtesy that we provide to fellow mac users by letting them know of the other options out there.

So waste your money on looks and skimp on performance. I don't think anybody will really care whether you have an Apple display or not, what is more important is your work and you should focus on that. Have you noticed the irony of skimping on a decent lens but wanting to show off any images taken with such a lens on a powerful monitor?

 

[Cabbit]

What the hell are you blabbering about with 'student discount' and 'HDCP protected content'. You're a student and you need 'HDCP', I highly doubt that, do you even know what its for?

Also I wasn't recommending a Dell, I was simply pointing out that there are better monitors than Apple's, its only a suggestion and if you want to waste a perfectly good student discount on a monitor setup that hasn't been updated in years that's up to you but its only a courtesy that we provide to fellow mac users by letting them know of the other options out there.

So waste your money on looks and skimp on performance. I don't think anybody will really care whether you have an Apple display or not, what is more important is your work and you should focus on that. Have you noticed the irony of skimping on a decent lens but wanting to show off any images taken with such a lens on a powerful monitor?

Well not that i see why your getting angry over someone else's choices. I am wondering what why a student does not need HDCP as you should know high bandwidth content protection is required for the playback for high definition content such as blu ray disk and therefor a screen with this ability ether over display port or HDMI will have a much longer life span for someone wanting to watch media content than one without HDCP.

I would not use the dell display i don't like the aesthetics nor feel of it, the closest i found to the Apple 30 inch was a samsung 30 inch that ran on display port unfortunately its due date of the 2nd quarter and i haven't seen it in the wild yet nor a GPU on the mac side to power it though i suspect it will be the same panel used in the apple refreshment. For me you can't get more "powerful" displays only ones your comfortable using.

When i was at the Apple store in Glasgow i had a good chance to use the Apple display and found the brightness and colour perfect for me and i didn't get a soar head, i done the same thing when buying my Macbook i had the sales rep bring out ones with the 2 different panels at the time and chose the one i was comfortable using.

And yes i understand showing of photos on a screen will not show them at there best and if i wanted to wow clients on a computer monitor the best bet would be to use a glossy display as that seems to wow the average person however for showing designs and websites pre proof print the Apple display will make the images look natural in most lighting conditions. The dell however would not ascetically match the Mac's especially the macbook pro or mac pro powering it and will not provide anything tangible over the Apple
over the Apple display at all and from most reviews both screens calibrated similar produce results with the Apple often coming on top, though i am not really wanting to get into an argument over a screen choice that i am sure you must know is a very personal thing, i am photo sensitive i really go out the way to find a screen to match me.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

any brand or links on that 50mm lens.

Note: And please no one continue to recommend dell nonsense the decision has already been made on the 30 inch Apple as i see the most value for money in that product, i get a big student discount and a huge discount on the warranty to sweeten the deal with my only hold out being lack of display port or hdmi so i can use HDCP protected content on it in the future, not a killer but i can wait a year if need be for it.

I for one would buy the Apple screen to a Dell any day. If you look at the repair rate and customer satisfaction of Apple screens, they are second to none. The clarity of an Apple cinema display is amazing, and like you said, it just looks good in any room.

 

[Cabbit]

i think i'll go for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM.
As my granny always said,

"were too poor to buy cheep, always buy the best you can afford and best value"

also

"Don't settle for the second choice, you will regret it later"

 

[taylorwilsdon]

i think i'll go for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM.
As my granny always said,

"were too poor to buy cheep, always buy the best you can afford and best value"

also

"Don't settle for the second choice, you will regret it later"

Not if you don't know what you're buying. The 50mm f/1.4 is a nice lens, but it only offers a half stop advantage over the f/1.8; its heavier and 3x more expensive. For some people looking for a small walkaround lens, the "nifty fifty" (1.8 aperture) is a better buy.

 

[cube]

There are screens which have no HDMI connector but do HDCP via DVI.

HDMI does not guarantee HDCP.

 

[Cabbit]

There are screens which have no HDMI connector but do HDCP via DVI.

HDMI does not guarantee HDCP.

Yes thats why i am making sure when i buy the Apple display it will be when it is updated with HDCP, i don't want to be a year down the line with a macbook pro with blu ray and not able to play them on the big screen because of lack of HDCP.

And to taylor what is this nifty fifty?

 

[taylorwilsdon]

Yes thats why i am making sure when i buy the Apple display it will be when it is updated with HDCP, i don't want to be a year down the line with a macbook pro with blu ray and not able to play them on the big screen because of lack of HDCP.

And to taylor what is this nifty fifty?

The nifty fifty is the $85 or so Canon 50mm f/1.8. Extremely well regarded for its image quality and widely reputed for its lousy build quality. It is almost entirely plastic so its very light and takes up no space in your bag.

 

[Cabbit]

The nifty fifty is the $85 or so Canon 50mm f/1.8. Extremely well regarded for its image quality and widely reputed for its lousy build quality. It is almost entirely plastic so its very light and takes up no space in your bag.

How does that compare to the kit lens "Link Here".