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Fixed focal length vs. zoom lens?
- Thread starter kelio13
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$122 @ us1photo (a reliable site)
http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5521
How much are you getting the XTi body for? Depending on the price, I'd add $130 to that price and compare it to the $700 the XSi costs WITH that same lens.
Personally, I don't think there's enough of a reason to jump up to the XSi, especially for your first camera. It's not going to make a noticable difference in image quality. I suggest starting out with the XTi, and when it dies eventually or you grow out of it (in a few years), upgrade to the 50d (or it's replacement). Save the extra money towards a telephoto lens or another nice lens. Just remember, your lenses last a lot longer than your camera, and it's the lens that makes the image quality -- not the camera.
http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5521
How much are you getting the XTi body for? Depending on the price, I'd add $130 to that price and compare it to the $700 the XSi costs WITH that same lens.
Personally, I don't think there's enough of a reason to jump up to the XSi, especially for your first camera. It's not going to make a noticable difference in image quality. I suggest starting out with the XTi, and when it dies eventually or you grow out of it (in a few years), upgrade to the 50d (or it's replacement). Save the extra money towards a telephoto lens or another nice lens. Just remember, your lenses last a lot longer than your camera, and it's the lens that makes the image quality -- not the camera.
Others have presented plenty of good information on primes and zooms in general.
With regards to Canon system, I always recommend that new buyers pick up a 50m 1.8 to go along with the kit lens or whatever else you might buy. For the price, it is an amazing lens.
I've owned a few good 'mid-level' Canon zooms (28-135 IS, 70-210 f3.4-4.5 USM, 28-105 f3.5-4.5 USM). They're good values if not absolutely fantastic lenses, very usable with ring USM focusing.
But the 50mm 1.8 is the one that stays on my camera 95% of the time.
If you are a beginner, I would recommend you just shoot with the kit lens for a bit, and find which focal lengths you gravitate towards. Maybe a shorter or longer zoom will be more useful for you, or maybe a single prime will suffice for most of your shooting. We take a LOT of photos of our children, so in our case the 50mm prime works very well. I would personally prefer perhaps a 35mm lens due to the crop factor, but lenses in that range are significantly more expensive.
With regards to Canon system, I always recommend that new buyers pick up a 50m 1.8 to go along with the kit lens or whatever else you might buy. For the price, it is an amazing lens.
I've owned a few good 'mid-level' Canon zooms (28-135 IS, 70-210 f3.4-4.5 USM, 28-105 f3.5-4.5 USM). They're good values if not absolutely fantastic lenses, very usable with ring USM focusing.
But the 50mm 1.8 is the one that stays on my camera 95% of the time.
If you are a beginner, I would recommend you just shoot with the kit lens for a bit, and find which focal lengths you gravitate towards. Maybe a shorter or longer zoom will be more useful for you, or maybe a single prime will suffice for most of your shooting. We take a LOT of photos of our children, so in our case the 50mm prime works very well. I would personally prefer perhaps a 35mm lens due to the crop factor, but lenses in that range are significantly more expensive.
Had a question regarding this, so resurrecting this thread.
I'm old school film, I didn't have access to a darkroom so I would "crop" my photos while taking them with a zoom.
With digital, nowadays, you can "crop" your photos on your computer...
So, whould it be better to use Prime lenses and crop, or a Zoom lens?
I would imagine it always goes back to the quality of the glass and the sensor.
I use an Olympus E-500, E-420 (with the E-500 kit zooms), and a Canon 20D (the kit 18-55 (I know it's a cheap one) and I just got the 50mm 1.8 this past week).
I'm trying to figure out what to take with me to take pics at Science Fiction conventions and at the Model Rocketry Flying Club.
Anyone know of any website that discuss this?
Thanks.
I'm old school film, I didn't have access to a darkroom so I would "crop" my photos while taking them with a zoom.
With digital, nowadays, you can "crop" your photos on your computer...
So, whould it be better to use Prime lenses and crop, or a Zoom lens?
I would imagine it always goes back to the quality of the glass and the sensor.
I use an Olympus E-500, E-420 (with the E-500 kit zooms), and a Canon 20D (the kit 18-55 (I know it's a cheap one) and I just got the 50mm 1.8 this past week).
I'm trying to figure out what to take with me to take pics at Science Fiction conventions and at the Model Rocketry Flying Club.
Anyone know of any website that discuss this?
Thanks.
I crop my photos when I've shot with a zoom, assuming the composition would be improved by doing so. I don't crop to make up for lens deficiencies (*) or my inability to position myself to frame the composition the way I want it framed.
If you know what you're there to shoot, then bring the right lenses for the job. Those lenses might be primes, or they might be zooms, or they might be both, depending on what your needs are. If you don't know what to expect, then a zoom is likely to be your best choice, at least on the short side of 300mm. Other factors could also go into that choice, such as size or weight considerations.
* with the caveat that the best I can do right now is 420mm on an FX body. If I need more than that, I am either SOL or examining my budget for spare lens money.
Had a question regarding this, so resurrecting this thread.
I'm old school film, I didn't have access to a darkroom so I would "crop" my photos while taking them with a zoom.
With digital, nowadays, you can "crop" your photos on your computer...
So, whould it be better to use Prime lenses and crop, or a Zoom lens?
I would imagine it always goes back to the quality of the glass and the sensor.
I use an Olympus E-500, E-420 (with the E-500 kit zooms), and a Canon 20D (the kit 18-55 (I know it's a cheap one) and I just got the 50mm 1.8 this past week).
I'm trying to figure out what to take with me to take pics at Science Fiction conventions and at the Model Rocketry Flying Club.
Anyone know of any website that discuss this?
Thanks.
For the conventions, you'll want the extra speed of the prime lens for sure (assuming they're indoors). For the flying club (presumably outdoors), you'll probably want the flexibility of a zoom. However, that 50mm lens is going to be sharper than either of the zooms you listed.
Instead of the Sigma 25-200 I would buy Canon's EF 70-200 f/4. A much better lens. It's a little more expensive, but sharp and fast-focusing.
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On another note, the EF 50mm f/1.4 costs around $80.00 (new) at B&H (the company I buy from), but it may be cheaper at Amazon and such. I don't have the f/1.8, since I will buy the f/1.4 in the near future.