Lenses/gear for turning semi-pro

Monterrey

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a new camera and have decided on a canon 60D as I may get in to video more in the future. Still photography however is my prority and passion at the moment so I am lookin for some advice from people who are working in this field in whatever capacity.

At the moment I am mostly into landscape and street stuff but I have had a few offers from people to do birthdays, christenings etc. I am a student so money is tight, so please bear that in mind I do not own a camera at the moment, I have been using a 400d with 18-55 which my friend very generously let me borrow. I will just be doing odd jobs for the moment as I have another couple of years left in college.

So my questions are:

What lenses will cover me starting off?

Could you reccomend any other gear, flashguns etc?

I would apprecate any advice on these and I would ask that people stick to answering the questions I have asked, i don't need any advice from on my choice of camera or indeed career as seems to happen to many posters lol

frozenfrozen

What have you noticed you're missing with the 400D? i.e. noise performance, build quality, image quality, or anything else? Answering this will help profile you to see what sort of gear would be suitable.. What sort of budget do you have, and would second hand be an option? A 5Dmk1 second hand may be a good option if you also want to shoot video in the future? Lenses choices will depend on what you want to do, a 50mm F/1.8 would do as a start for your street photography.

Monterrey

frozenfrozen wrote: »

What have you noticed you're missing with the 400D? i.e. noise performance, build quality, image quality, or anything else? Answering this will help profile you to see what sort of gear would be suitable.. What sort of budget do you have, and would second hand be an option? A 5Dmk1 second hand may be a good option if you also want to shoot video in the future? Lenses choices will depend on what you want to do, a 50mm F/1.8 would do as a start for your street photography.

I have already bought the 60D so I am just looking for advice on the lenses and other gear. I have a tripod also. The 400D with 18-55 is great for walking around outdoors but if I keep getting job offers like I have been I would need something for low light situations as well eg: Inside a church, where I cant use flash all the time. Budget is about €500. Second hand gear is certainly an option.

frozenfrozen

Monterrey wrote: »

I have already bought the 60D so I am just looking for advice on the lenses and other gear. I have a tripod also. The 400D with 18-55 is great for walking around outdoors but if I keep getting job offers like I have been I would need something for low light situations as well eg: Inside a church, where I cant use flash all the time. Budget is about €500. Second hand gear is certainly an option.

Ok great that's a nice budget. First off I would buy a 50mm lens, canons 1.8 is a lovely one that can be picked up relatively cheap new, or even cheaper used. The price difference between them may warrant just buying it new to get the warranty and the fact that it will most definitely be in perfect condition.

A spare battery will be a necessity if you want to do weddings or parties and such as from experience, working (at night) with the lcd having to be on while taking lots of pictures would leave you worrying about running out of battery, better to just have a spare, since the money would be better spent elsewhere currently, just a single spare battery IMHO would be a better choice than a battery grip as the grip would eat a large proportion of your budget.

Am I right in thinking you have the 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 lens now? If so that would do as your wide angle and save you the money of buying a wide now, and leave you with a good chunk of budget to get a nice zoom lens with a focal length that would reach over 100mm, and then a single flash.

I don't have much of an idea about flashes, but I'm wondering if a second hand sigma 70-200 2.8 would fall into your left over budget? it would be nice for portraits if you didn't like shooting them with the 50mm because of distortion.

Monterrey

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Ok great that's a nice budget. First off I would buy a 50mm lens, canons 1.8 is a lovely one that can be picked up relatively cheap new, or even cheaper used. The price difference between them may warrant just buying it new to get the warranty and the fact that it will most definitely be in perfect condition.

A spare battery will be a necessity if you want to do weddings or parties and such as from experience, working (at night) with the lcd having to be on while taking lots of pictures would leave you worrying about running out of battery, better to just have a spare, since the money would be better spent elsewhere currently, just a single spare battery IMHO would be a better choice than a battery grip as the grip would eat a large proportion of your budget.

Am I right in thinking you have the 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 lens now? If so that would do as your wide angle and save you the money of buying a wide now, and leave you with a good chunk of budget to get a nice zoom lens with a focal length that would reach over 100mm, and then a single flash.

I don't have much of an idea about flashes, but I'm wondering if a second hand sigma 70-200 2.8 would fall into your left over budget? it would be nice for portraits if you didn't like shooting them with the 50mm because of distortion.

I don't actually own the 18-55, do you think it would be best to pick one up as well as the 70-200? Or would there be a one lens solution that would cover me. Thanks you so much for your advice

Kenny Logins

I'd go for;

50mm f1.8 ~ €120
Tamron 17-50 f2.8 ~ €250
Yongnuo YN-568EX ~€150

For a decent long zoom you'll probably need a new budget...

Monterrey

Kenny Logins wrote: »

I'd go for;

50mm f1.8 ~ €120
Tamron 17-50 f2.8 ~ €250
Yongnuo YN-568EX ~€150

For a decent long zoom you'll probably need a new budget...

Great suggestions I had been considering that Tamron but wasn't sure about it. I read some reviews there and it seems like good value for money. And yeah I could start saving again for a decent zoom after geting the first couple of lenses.

I have also read that the sweet spot of the 50mm is 2.8, would there be much difference between the Tamron at 50mm 2.8 and the 50mm at the same aperture do you know? Thanks

Nerro

Monterrey wrote: »

I have also read that the sweet spot of the 50mm is 2.8, would there be much difference between the Tamron at 50mm 2.8 and the 50mm at the same aperture do you know? Thanks

i always visit this page when i want to have a look at lens capabilities.
www.pixel-peeper.com/
you can choose different bodies aswell.

condra

The 40 2.8 is preferable to the 50 1.8 IMO for sheer image quality, though the 50 will be slightly more flattering for headshots. If you do a few portraits and want a 50mm lens, then spend the extra money and get the 50 1.4 in my opinion.

I saw the Tamron 17-50 recommended. The Tamron 28-75 might be a better option for portraits, paired with a wide prime for landscapes. If image quality is paramount for your landscape work, don't rule out the new series of fully manual Samyang lenses, which offer fantastic image quality for the money.

FWIW, I've tried quite a few of these mid-range lenses, and the 40 2.8 is the one that stays on my camera most of the time. It's discreet for street photography, focuses as near as 12 inches when needed, good focal length for environmental portraits, and the image quality is outstanding in its price range.

Pixel Peeper is great, but I also use this page to compare lenses:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=810&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=3&LensComp=105&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=4

dalton 1

hi
just to throw in my penny's worth.
if you decide to shoot a wedding i would highly recommend a back up camera and a few back up battery's and about 6 memory cards.

trust me on this you do not want to have to tell a bride your camera will not work or your memory card formatted and all the pictures are gone.

i would also recommend 2 flashes and two light stands plus a pocket wizard and triggers. i understand this will be allot of money but one horror story from a wedding and your name will be tarnished in case you decide to go pro in the future
i am a keen ameture photographer and have shot a few weddings for (friends on a tight budget) here is what i use
canon EOS 5D II
Canon 70-200 F2.8L is usm II (most pictures taken with this lens)
Canon 24-105 F4 (for group shots)
Canon 50mm F1.8
2x canon 580EX II speedlights with pocket wizzards (used for off camera flash)
Tripod, 2 spare battery's, Speed light battery pack, light stands X2, 6 CF cards(16GB)
i also hire an extra 5dmarkII for emergencies
i know this seems like allot of gear but i have been buying/updating Cameras and lenses for 8 years now.

look into hiring lenses for your first couple of weddings. might be a cheeper option and invest the money you make into your own gear.

Best of luck with your Photography career.