SLR help please!

[firestarter]

Is there any easy way for the close up lenses to tell which would be better to buy? A lot of people say you have to buy the EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

That's not a close-up lens. It's a prime (ie, non zoom) lens.

I see it is also pretty cheap. If I do buy that, what advantage does it have over the 18-55 kit lens?

It's faster - it lets more light in. That lets you increase shutter speed, or decrease ISO - so it can give you options to take higher quality photos.

It should be sharper than your zoom.

If you use it at f 1.8 or a similarly wide aperture and focus on something close up (say a portrait), then the background just beyond the subject will be out of focus. This can make pictures look almost 3D - it's a great effect.

 

[HE15MAN]

So is that why with the kit lens, when I try to take close up pictures in AV mode, they all look like crap?

 

[HE15MAN]

Just took these shots a few minutes ago with my newly learned skills. I think they are better!

 

[firestarter]

They do look a bit sharper.

You're still shooting a 250mm lens at 1/320th though. To get properly sharp results you should rest the lens on the back of a chair, or get a tripod or monopod - since the shutter speed you're using is only just about getting sharp results.

 

[HE15MAN]

They do look a bit sharper.

You're still shooting a 250mm lens at 1/320th though. To get properly sharp results you should rest the lens on the back of a chair, or get a tripod or monopod - since the shutter speed you're using is only just about getting sharp results.

Yea it is tough. Those Indigo Buntings are just small birds.

 

[jampat]

So is that why with the kit lens, when I try to take close up pictures in AV mode, they all look like crap?

How close? Lenses have a minimum focus distance (it varies, but typically around 3' for short lens and 6' for a telephoto) inside this distance everything will be blurry. And in AV if the light sucks, with the kit lens, shutter speed may be dropping too low.

 

[HE15MAN]

They do look a bit sharper.

You're still shooting a 250mm lens at 1/320th though. To get properly sharp results you should rest the lens on the back of a chair, or get a tripod or monopod - since the shutter speed you're using is only just about getting sharp results.

Do these look any better to you?

Ahhh I am aggravated! I was lucky enough to be walking back from lunch, and see hundreds of birds flying around. I look and find one, and realize it is one of my favorite birds. This bird also is hardly seen, at least by me, in Florida! So I was ecstatic when I saw them right outside my office at work in a huge tree! After taking the photos in AV mode, I realize I had forgotten to swap my images over to Raw mode

 

[jampat]

RAW wouldn't really help much with those shots. They are reasonably exposed and the white balance is decent. No advantage to RAW.

Just keep shooting and learning, don't get too caught up in the details.