photography and etc.

ellentic

i got an EOS 350D a few months ago, and have been messing about with it, and made a little folder on photobucket of the shots that i thought were the best of the lot.. thought i'd post it here for your perusal/criticism.

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/claaaarke/misc/?start=all

i'm also looking for some advice on a lens. as you might know, the kit lens with the camera isn't great. to be honest i don't know much about lenses.. i'm not geared towards any particular style of photography really, its all just random shots (as you can tell from the photos above).. but eh.. yeah.. basically i don't really know what type of lens i want..


cheers,
gar.

Borderfox

If you are looking for a lens to replace the kit one then get yourself a 50mm f1.8.

Shiny

Get a Canon 17-85.

Should cover most situations.:)

sineadw

You do realise you'll probably get as many different suggestions as replies?

I'm getting one myself next month so watching this with interest...

ellentic

heh, yeah... i'm noticing a trend. i was kind of hoping for a short explanation as to which lens and why.... since i don't understand any of that technical lark.

Shiny

Read about each suggestion here.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

that will give the rating of every lens and the pro's
and cons that every user has with a lens.

This site helped me choose everything I bought.

Borderfox

Canon 50mm f1.8 is excellent in low light because it is not a zoom and therefore can let more light in. Its also very cheap. Because it doesnt have any zoom it makes you think a bit more about each shot you take. It does beautiful portraits and a lot more. Hope this helps...

Fenster

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4

Fionn

I'd agree on the addition of the EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens (the nifty fifty) it's reputed to be the best glass per € you can get. Just try and get it outside Ireland
The kit EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens gives you a reasonable range for wide angle. the 50mm wont allow that, as was mentioned you need to think about the shots.
it might be an idea to specify your budget, personally i'd advocate one of these for a general walkabout lens:
EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens - has image stabilisation and is good in low light situations
i own both these and they're great:
EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens - great all rounder L quality
EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM Lens very nice wide angle lens and again L quality

Fionn

one of my sons brought it home from the USA for me, I think it cost around $78 or something which is about €59 or thereabouts. if i remember correctly some of the irish shops were looking for something like €135 or so for it. :rolleyes:

ellentic

just had a look on komplett.ie ... it was cheaper than i was expecting.. €109.

elven

Holy crap Fionn. That's some shopping list. Or should I say bloody L

Just another vote for the fifty, here. I'm also currently considering the sigma 24-70mm f2.8 becuase I need a walkabout lens, I don't generally need that much of a wide angle so the 24 on the 350D giving an effective 35mm-ish is good enough, for me anyway. You won't get something else at f2.8 through the whole zoom unless you want to spend silly money, and it also does macro although I'm not sure just how close. 400 quid-ish in real shops but I'm sure its an awful lot cheaper elsewhere.

Valentia

Just to confirm what Fionn said about the 50mm 1.8, it's €59 in B&H.

ellentic

i reckon i'll go for the EF 50mm f/1.8 II, after reading some reviews of it.. sounds very good.. my dad has a nice zoom lens anyway, so i can just borrow that if needs be..

cheers for the advice.. feel free to have a look at them photos and criticise/advise on them.. as i said, i don't really know much about photography.. so any tips or criticism is appreciated..

Fionn

lol
ya gotta luv L

the 17 - 40 was got on another American trip too (was about half the price of here in good old spendy Ireland)

the 24 -105 was brought in from Germany in the now, sadly gone low VAT days!

Fenster

elven wrote:

Holy crap Fionn. That's some shopping list. Or should I say bloody L

Just another vote for the fifty, here. I'm also currently considering the sigma 24-70mm f2.8 becuase I need a walkabout lens, I don't generally need that much of a wide angle so the 24 on the 350D giving an effective 35mm-ish is good enough, for me anyway. You won't get something else at f2.8 through the whole zoom unless you want to spend silly money, and it also does macro although I'm not sure just how close. 400 quid-ish in real shops but I'm sure its an awful lot cheaper elsewhere.

Wide angle lenses work really well with macro tubes. You'd nearly be better off splashing out for the Canon 17-85mm if you feel like splashing out a little.

Valentia

I got the 17-40 on my recent trip. I haven't taken any daytime shots yet with it but the night shots in NY are sooooo clean and sharp. It's deadly light too compared to the 24-105. I know the L's are expensive and I didn't have any until recently but I really am amazed at the difference in quality. Not just sharpness but colour depth, lack of flare etc etc. Definitely worth saving (or making **** of your CC) for.

DrummerBoy

elven wrote:

I'm also currently considering the sigma 24-70mm f2.8 becuase I need a walkabout lens......

There's one for sale in the adverts.ie section. Electronics FS forum. Was just looking at it a few minutes ago....

A

edit oh wait it's a 28-70

elven

Awww I just got excited there for a minute.

PaulieC

I just got a Sigma 24-70 2.8 this morning. Work colleague picked it up form me in B&Hlast week for $430. It's sitting here beside me and camera is in the car. Work is going to be very difficult indeed today

ellentic

as regards ordering from B&H.. how much does it cost and (roughly) how long does it take for shipping? Would this be the best place to order it from?