Help - what to buy in BHphotovideo....

alowe

Hi,

I'm hoping that someone will be able to give me some quick guidance and advice. I have a Canon 400D with kit lens, and also the kit len 70-300mm that came with the film EOS 300. Now, to be honest, these lens have done us well, we we're only beginners and mainly use the camera for holiday and doggie shots. However, hubbie would like to start taking macro photos of bees, flowers, etc.

We've looked up about macro lens, and what I can't get my head around is what we have in the 70-300 lens good enough to do macro or do we need a specific macro lens? Would a step-up ring (or something like that), be good enough for us.

We'll be travelling to NY this weekend (yeah!!!), and so can pop into BHphotovideo to make purchases, and what i'm wondering, is what should we look at getting. Now, we don't want to spend a fortune (or even a large sum of money - to me, more than $150/200 on a lens is more than enough.). I'm going to get a prime 50 lens, as recommended by a friend, and was also thinking about getting some of those filters that make lights look like stars or circles?

So, what i'm hoping for

* Do we need a macro lens. Is it worthwhile getting one for the cheap price I'm prepared to pay, or is there another option.
* Any suggestions on what filters to get that are most fun to play with.
* Anything else that i'm not thinking of? (I have a good bag, tripod, haze filters for all lenses and SD cards).

Thanks in advance for any guidance, Its much appreciated.

kensutz

One tip I found is to try and know what you definitely want before going there. It's an awesome place and a real eye opener.

alowe

Yeah, I was there last year, and thought it was such a cool place (mind you, I was in awe at the way they transport the stuff around the shop.)

We're trying to do as much research as possible to know what to buy before we get there, but are just getting confused over whether to buy Macro for the money we can spend or not - plus, to know what other fun bits to buy (fun filters), that we'd find useful in the future.

Something I forgot to mention is that we're expecting our first bundle of Joy this May, so will be using the camera for an awful lot of photos of the child (god love them) - so is there anything I should buy for this also.

ike

Have'nt been to the store myself but a mate was over there before christmas and got me the Canon 60mm Macro with a canon lens hood for €288. The cheapest i could get on ebay was approx €310+delivery (without the hood)

There are however other options - there was a vey recent thread here on close up filters - had a quick look can't find it, might be worth searching here for it.

Rob_T

I'm not sure when you are going to be there but remember as they are Hasidic jews they close at 1pm on Fridays and are closed all day Saturday but they are open on Sunday. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/HoursOfOperation.jsp

Zzippy

Hey, sorry to piggyback on this thread but I'm also going to NY in a cpl of weeks and planning to buy some gear in B&H.
I've a Nikon D50 at the moment, with the kit lens, as well as 2 lenses I had with the F75 (28-100 and 70-300).
I'm going to be getting a 50mm prime for a start, but also wondering do I need another lens for landscape photography which is another area I really want to get into. Also, what filters would people recommend for landscape photography in Ireland?

alowe wrote: »

Yeah, I was there last year, and thought it was such a cool place (mind you, I was in awe at the way they transport the stuff around the shop.)

How do they transport stuff around the shop??

m_stan

One really cheap way to get into macro photography is to get a Canon 50mm f/1.8 and some extension tubes.

It's a little tricky as you really need to use manual focusing, and obviously not as good as the real thing but it'll cost you less than 100 bucks and you'll get a great lens in the 50 for shooting portraits and low light shots.

See here for examples of what I've done with zero knowledge, and the canon 400d you have using this combination of gear.

With the right set of extension tubes you can use them with both your lenses, and pretty much anything else you ever buy.

Worth considering if you are on a budget and dont want to fork out a lot for a dedicated macro.

Stephen

Zzippy wrote: »

How do they transport stuff around the shop??

They've got this mad conveyor belt + lifts system that carries green boxes all around the store. When you purchase something you don't take it up to the till, they just send you to the register area (there's loads of them together, like a supermarket) where you pay and your stuff just arrives at the appropriate till

CH3OH

This link shows some photos 2, 25, 26 27
http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/


I'm on my way there as well.
Got a 580ex II flash picked up for me before christmas( 260 euro).
I'm hoping to just get a 50 mm 1.8 and possibly the 85mm 1.8. (Can't justify spending any more!)...and maybe a wide angle!!!
I

Rob_T

Another great place to go is J&R down near ground zero.

alowe

CH3OH wrote: »

This link shows some photos 2, 25, 26 27
http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/


I'm on my way there as well.
Got a 580ex II flash picked up for me before christmas( 260 euro).
I'm hoping to just get a 50 mm 1.8 and possibly the 85mm 1.8. (Can't justify spending any more!)...and maybe a wide angle!!!
I

Ooh, a flash - thats something i'm suppose to get as well. Anyone recommend a cheap and cheerful one for the canon 400d?

m_stan, I think we'll try the extension tubes. It seems to be the cheapest way to get into Macro, and if he does really like it and use them a lot, then we can always look into a more expensive lens then.

CH3OH

If you have a few spare $, you might pick this up ( if you are strong!)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800557508-USE/Canon__Super_Telephoto_1200mm_f_5_6L.html

Some pictures of it ( size matters?)
http://www.pbase.com/robert/1200mm

floydmoon1

do you get the asian chick with that lens:D