What Lens to Use with Canon DSLR?

v.e.r.b.a.l

I'm buying a Canon 550D in a few weeks and it comes with the kit lens which will do me for a while, but I want to get my hands on a decent lens for video.

I read Philip Bloom's article about different lenses. I understand that I'll need a lens with fixed aperature, ideally something like an F2.8, but what I'm wondering is what kind of range I'd need to get?

I.e. Is a Sigma 11-16mm very wide? Almost fish-eye?? Would I be best going with a prime or a zoom? I kind of prefer the idea of having a few options with zooms...

AnonoBoy

Well you don't have to worry about fixed aperture with a prime lens.

If you're only buying one lens then definitely go with a prime. A good quality 50mm 'nifty fifty' will never let you down.

v.e.r.b.a.l

50mm or 30mm? This will be for a cropped cam - the Canon 550D, so it won't have full-frame sensor. Will 50mm work fine on it and then also on the likes of the 5D MKII if I upgrade some day down the line (if I win the lotto! :rolleyes:)

AnonoBoy

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

50mm or 30mm? This will be for a cropped cam - the Canon 550D, so it won't have full-frame sensor. Will 50mm work fine on it and then also on the likes of the 5D MKII if I upgrade some day down the line (if I win the lotto! :rolleyes:)

I'm not overly familiar with the 550D at all but if it's fairly cropped then maybe the 30mm.

But read up on it first I'd say and even try a few out if at all possible.

andyterryjay

the cropping isnt much. and the 50mm works great with the 550D.

Here is a music video i shot with a Canon 550D and 50mm lens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFH5I9hjbwU

FewFew

50mm is pretty great with a 550D / 60D ... but I've never used it with a full sensor so don't know the difference.
Recently picked up a 17-55mm f2.8 Canon lens and it's really beautiful, can use it for the same stuff as my 50mm, but also I have the wider shots if needs be.

gpdv

I also got a 50mm f1.8 few months ago, I really like them, nice background blur and bokeh. In dark conditions they are actually better/lighter than your eyes. Stock canon lens are dark so the only place to use them is outside or with lots of lighting. Other zoom lens are expensive.

On stock lens at 18mm the straigh lines are distorted badly, not really fish-eye yet, but still distort architecture and people portraits. I guess 11mm would be something like fish-eye.

v.e.r.b.a.l

gpdv wrote: »

I also got a 50mm f1.8 few months ago, I really like them, nice background blur and bokeh. In dark conditions they are actually better/lighter than your eyes. Stock canon lens are dark so the only place to use them is outside or with lots of lighting. Other zoom lens are expensive.

On stock lens at 18mm the straigh lines are distorted badly, not really fish-eye yet, but still distort architecture and people portraits. I guess 11mm would be something like fish-eye.

Was this the lens you got? http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/2986/art/canon/ef-50-mm-f-1-8-ii-lens.html I had literally just decided on this one when your reply popped up on my phone!!

I hear it's a bit of a cheap, plastic-y build... but to get great F1.8 shots and video for that price, ya can't complain really!!!

v.e.r.b.a.l

Thanks for all the advice!

My plan is to start off with the 50mm F1.8 prime I listed above, then get something like 11-20mm wide-angle (probably a Sigma) with fixed-aperature of F2.8 (finding it hard to source a cheap one of these!), then a telephoto lens, something with a good zoom range, like up to 500mm. These boyos are quite expensive though, so that'll be a good bit down the line.

What's the story with a macro lens? I'd love to do extreme close-up videos, but if the minimum focus is tiny, does this effect normal shots? I.e. is a macro just for close-ups and won't work very well far away?

I'm getting the 550D this day week. I've already ordered an LCD Viewfinder Extender and a Time Lapse remote, so I'm getting excited. If I feel the 50mm prime is limiting me, I'll always have the 18-55mm kit lens to fall back on...

gpdv

Yes that's exactly the lens. They are ok, very small, focus ring is very narrow, auto focus slow, don't have image stabiliser - tried to shoot a video handheld one time and it was a disaster while on stock lens stabiliser helps. The price is excellent, the image you get from the lens is great.

I have few filters for stock lens and after getting 50mm I discovered they are smaller diameter, so need another set of filters

steve_

For macro shots you could get an extension tube for your lens. I got one for my 24-105 and i can get insane close ups. also you could buy a 2x magnification tube for your lens also to give you more zoom. Remember you also have the digital zoom on the 550d so you dont need to fork out serious money just for a telephoto lens

v.e.r.b.a.l

steve_ wrote: »

For macro shots you could get an extension tube for your lens. I got one for my 24-105 and i can get insane close ups. also you could buy a 2x magnification tube for your lens also to give you more zoom. Remember you also have the digital zoom on the 550d so you dont need to fork our serious money just for a telephoto lens

Hmmm, never been a big fan of digital zoom. But I haven't even gotten the camera yet, so I can't really say for certain (it's arriving the day after tomorrow - fingers crossed!)

Are those extension tubes expensive? I'm a bit of a noob with DSLRs, sorry, but can they be used on any focal length? I.e., could I get one for a 50mm prime?? I'd love to get some real close-up shots of insects and the likes!!

I managed to save a bit of money by getting the camera body-only and the 50mm prime (the kit lens doesn't have the constant-aperture I'd need for video), so I'm hoping to get my hands on a wide-angle beast also. I was hoping for something with a bit of range, constant-aperture and a wide-angle of around the 10mm mark. I've spotted Tamron, Canon and Sigma lenses (most around 10-20mm), some with fixed-aperture, some without, but I think the one that suits best for me (despite having a much smaller range) is the Tokina 11-16mm. It's a bit pricey though. Any other recommendations?? An ambitious price-range of about €200 or so ideally, otherwise a distant €400

v.e.r.b.a.l

steve_ wrote: »

I got one for my 24-105 and i can get insane close ups.

Any chance I could see a sample of some of the close-ups?? Cheers!

steve_

i mostly shoot video so i dont have photos of close ups. The digital zoom holds up pretty well (on my 600d) i wouldnt just it all the time but its handy. Also you might wanna look at putting magic lantern on your 550d, its open up alot more options to you and is aimed at the cinematographer

v.e.r.b.a.l

Wow. ML looks cool. Did I read that it has a built-in intervalometer?? Dang, I just bought one!! :rolleyes: Automatic Movie Restart is a great tool to have.

Gonna play with the camera for a while before I install ML. Wanna get a feel for it, but def gonna get that!!

steve_

haha yeah it has one built in. Also now does bulb ramping for time lapses so you can get consistent exposures during your time lapse

v.e.r.b.a.l

steve_ wrote: »

haha yeah it has one built in.

Balls! :rolleyes:

gpdv

Wow, I've never heard about extension tubes, and they are cheap if without electronic contacts (around 10 euro), just found a good photo examples here:

WARNING: contains spiders:
Show me your 50mm f/1.4 w/ extension tube shots!
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=317106


So can you also do natural tilt-shift videos and photos with them? On most of tilt-shift examples you can clearly see that it's just blur applied to top and bottom of a picture, sometimes there is a vertical wall or a building and the top of it would be blurred.

v.e.r.b.a.l

WOW!! :eek:

Some great shots there. I'd love to video some macros of insects. Am I understanding right that you can get one of these extension tubes to get shots like this from a 50mm 1.8????



*googles like a mad yolk with credit card in hand*

steve_

That shot was taken using a 50mm 1.8 with extension tube so yes you can get the same results

v.e.r.b.a.l

Just an update to this thread. I got the 50mm F1.8 and I also have macro extension tubes.

The 50mm is great. Absolutely brilliant. Amazing bokeh, amazing low-light, amazing price. The build is a bit plastic-y and the focal ring is thin, but no problems with it and very usable. 50mm on a crop-sensor like the 550D is a bit tight. More like 80mm on a full-frame sensor. Hard to get landscape shots and the likes, but absolutely worth the money and a great close-up, "portrait" lens.

The tubes are great too. The focal distance is fixed, so you need to hit it right on the dot. I.e. you need to be exactly 4cm away from what you want to focus on. It's a little difficult to get right (especially at 31mm), but the results are great if you put a bit of effort into it. Well worth the money again seeing as they're incredibly cheap compared to a full macro lens.

Gonna get the Tokina 11-16mm wide-angle lens in a week's time for my birthday. Should meet my timelapse needs. I was at a talk with Philip Bloom a while back and asked him about it and he reckoned it was one of the finest wide-angle lenses he's ever used and couldn't recommend it enough. That was enough for me. Tried it out in a shop in Cork and it's the business.

If anyone wants any advice about the lenses I've listed above, give me a shout

v.e.r.b.a.l

Oh, on another topic (and maybe it should be a new thread perhaps?), I'm looking to get a decent ND filter for long-exposures in daylight.

Looking to get that lovely long-exposure water look for a couple of timelapses mostly. Any advice on what I should get? Should I buy the biggest and use stepping rings for my lenses?

anonjoe555

if you're looking for good glass on a budget look into m42/pentax mount lenses. i use a few on my own 550d an i'v gotten some great results.