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Which lens should I get?

T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
I'm fairly new to SLR stuff. I have a point-and-shoot that I can use fairly well, but it's not enough for me. I think I am going to get a Canon EOS 30D (unless there's a better one for the same price :confused: ), but I don't know what kind of lens I should get. :confused:

For now I just need an all-around lens for taking pictures of scenery, etc, I don't need it to be wide-angle or telephoto or anything, but I would like some level of zoom (not too much, like 8x at most) and a good level of focus (so I can take some close-up pictures if I wanted to) but nothing too fancy.;)

Anyone have a good lens to recommend me? :D

Thanks,
The General
 
miloblithe

miloblithe

macrumors 68020
Nov 14, 2003
2,072
28
Washington, DC
I'd start reading here to get an idea of what's available.

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

Keep in mind that with an SLR there's a trade off between lenses that do it all (or a lot) and lenses that do what they do well. Great macro lenses aren't going to be zoom lenses. 8x or more zoom lenses aren't going to be sharp at all focal lengths, etc. And of course, there's also a trade-off in convenience between having lenses that do a lot acceptably well and having multiple lenses that do specific things well.
 
C

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,973
Do you really need 1/8000 shutter or 5 fps? I would go for the 400D, as the 30D is not environmentally sealed like the D200.
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
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cube said:
The 400D is called "Digital Rebel XTi" in USA.
Click to expand...

Okay then it is, I just realized that I forgot to put the link in! :rolleyes:

So this is a good camera then? Because I can save a bunch of money as this one is way cheaper. :D

And this may be a dumb question, but how do I know which lenses will work with it and which one's wont? :confused:
 
C

cube

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May 10, 2004
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The 30D has 5 fps, 1/8000 shutter, 1/250 X-Sync, magnesium body, 750 shots battery (50% flash), better white balance, longer JPEG bursts, spot metering, separate control display.
The 400D has 3 fps, 1/4000 shutter, 1/200 X-Sync, plastic body, 360 shots battery (50% flash), dust removal, more megapixels, smaller, lighter.

Specs comparison
400D review

From 400D press release:
Photographers are also able to use the same battery and Battery Grip BG-E3 as used on the EOS 350D, as well as continued support for all EF and EF-S lenses, EX Speedlites and EOS accessories.
Click to expand...
 
E

enigma51

macrumors newbie
Nov 1, 2006
8
0
The General said:
Okay then it is, I just realized that I forgot to put the link in! :rolleyes:

So this is a good camera then? Because I can save a bunch of money as this one is way cheaper. :D

And this may be a dumb question, but how do I know which lenses will work with it and which one's wont? :confused:
Click to expand...

Just look for any lense that says canon eos compatible.
 
C

cookie1105

macrumors 6502
Mar 27, 2006
426
0
London, UK
All of Canons EF & EF-S lenses will fit the DREB xti.

That being said one of the main ideas of an slr is that you can change lenses for a given situation.

Do you want to take in a glorious vista, put your wide-angle zoom on. Want to shoot a portrait, get out your 85mm prime. Close-up of a flower, use your macro lens. Your kid's football match your tele-zoom. You decide what glass you want to use for the job.

I honestly feel, that if you want one lens that does it all then you would be much better off with something like one of the cameras on this page.

If you have got your heart set on a dslr, please research what is out there. There are other makers Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony..........It is a lot of money to spend on a consumer item if you are not 100% sure about your choice.

If after researching, you are still determined to go with Canon maybe just get the kit lens with the DREB xti and use it while you learn more about slr photography. It really is not as bad as people say.

I hope you find what you are looking for.
 
C

cube

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May 10, 2004
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If you want only 1 lens I would go with D80 + 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor (27-300 equiv.)

I could forget about the D200 environmental seals because the 18-200 comes with a moisture warning anyway.

To get comparable range on Canon you would need 5D + EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM and deal with the weight and bulk.
Or wait a bit and settle for something slower at the long end (and maybe not ultrasonic):
400D + Sigma 18-200 mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS (28.8-320 equiv.)
 
C

cookie1105

macrumors 6502
Mar 27, 2006
426
0
London, UK
If you really only want one lens then......

Cube, that's a really nice choice for a nikon body and I would say the one to get.

If you just wanted one do-it-all lens with a canon body how about the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM. Together with a 30D this might be quite a combo. But very expensive at $3,500.

hhmmm, you got there first:confused:
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
Yeah that's a bit more than I'd want to spend. I'm not looking for just one lens that does it all, I just need a lens that will do for now, because I don't have the money to buy a macro, a telephoto, and wide angle, etc right now. Do you think if I just get an XTi w/ lens, that it will be fine until I get used to using this camera? This is the one I was thinking about getting, it comes with a EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM 22.2 x 14.8mm. :confused:

I don't really know what all that lens terminology means, anyone care to explain it to me? I'm taking photography classes next semester, and I need this camera for it. Okay yeah, I'm a noob who needs an SLR for class, :eek:.
 
sjl

sjl

macrumors 6502
Sep 15, 2004
441
0
Melbourne, Australia
The General said:
I don't really know what all that lens terminology means, anyone care to explain it to me? I'm taking photography classes next semester, and I need this camera for it. Okay yeah, I'm a noob who needs an SLR for class, :eek:.
Click to expand...

Whoof. You're asking for a lot of information.

18-55mm refers to the focal length range. Focal length: well, consider a pinhole camera. The focal length of a lens is the distance a tiny pinhole would have to be from the sensor to cast the same image as the lens would.

f/N is the aperture size. It's written as a ratio: f/1.0 means the aperture's diameter is the same as the focal length of the lens; f/2.0 means the aperture's diameter is half the focal length of the lens; etc. The lower the number, the more light the lens lets in (with a corresponding depth of field tradeoff). The stated f/ number is the maximum aperture size; almost all lenses can be "stopped down" to a smaller aperture. The larger the maximum aperture, the more expensive the lens will be, because the elements in the lens have to be that much bigger.

USM means "ultra sonic motor". In short: the lens will be quieter when it focuses than an equivalent non-USM lens.

22.2x14.8mm refers to the size of the sensor that the lens will cover with its image. This information is redundant with the "EF-S" designation - "EF-S" is a designation that the lens will fit only on certain Canon bodies (specifically, the 20D, the 30D, the 300D, the 350D, and the 400D), all of which have that particular sensor size.

I'm glossing over a lot of detail here, but it gives you a starting point, anyway. Hope this helps.
 
C

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,973
Nikon terminology

Canon-specific terminology:
DO: Diffractive Optics element (a way of making shorter and lighter lenses)

Equivalences:

Nikon Canon Sigma Minolta/Sony
SilentWave Ultrasonic HyperSonic SuperSonicWave
AF-S USM HSM SSM
DX EF-S DC DT
VR IS OS only in-body
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
Awesome, thanks for the help guys. I knew the mm was referring to the focal length, but I didn't know what the focal length was! This has been a great help. I already had some idea about photography, like I know about aperture, ISO, shutter speed, f-stop, etc, but yeah. Thanks for all the help.

Oh, and what about that lens that comes with the XTI? Is it just total garbage or is it usable? I've read some reviews that say lenses that come with DSLR's are usually junk, but maybe thats coming from people with really really high expectations? I mean, I'll get some new lenses after a while, but if the lens that comes with it is just total garbage then I might as well just go for the body and get a lens separately. :eek:
 
C

cookie1105

macrumors 6502
Mar 27, 2006
426
0
London, UK
The lens is fine for starting you off. I have taken some pictures that I am very proud of with the rebel xt and the EF-S 18-55mm (kit lens). I will still be using it until I can afford to replace it with a 17-40 L.

If you decide to get another lens for it, how about EF 50mm f/1.8?
 
C

cube

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May 10, 2004
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If you have large hands you might prefer the D80 or the 30D to the 400D.
Also, compared to the 400D, the D80 has a better viewfinder, spot metering, Kelvin white balance, greater exposure compensation range, and goes up to ISO 3200 (vs. 1600 for the 400D), but no dust remover, shot bursts are shorter, and it uses SD/SDHC instead of CF.
The D80 has less chroma noise but the 400D preserves more detail.
The D80 has a bit of an edge in wide angle, and it's easy to compute focal length equivalences in your head.
People tend to say that the Nikon kit lenses are better than Canon's.
 
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