I am getting my son a Canon 450d for Christmas with the 18-55 mm standard lens, can anyone recommend an alternative lens to go with it. He has spoken of wanting to experiment with a fish eye lens, has made some decent still life shots, and also has an interest in landscapes. Any advice would be much appreciated.
ALTERNATIVE LENS FOR 450D
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jeffrobjent
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I find the Canon 28 - 105 to be very good, very sharp and a decent price too.
IanH
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Personally I would compare 40D with 450D prices 1st (dependant on how serious your son is) there are some very good deals to be had on the 40D due to the 50D release.
Then I would just purchase the body with the kit lens (be it 17-55 or 17-85) and see how he gets on with it before spending potentially hundreds of pounds on a lens that he doesn't really want. Then when he has got used to the camera and decided which direction he's going, get him the lens.
You could leave him an IOU in the box for "a lens" once he's had a good play with the kit he's got, then he would have something to look forward to plus you havent wasted upto 500 quid on a whim lens.
If its his first DSLR, it's a hell of a pressie on it's own without an extra lens.
Ian.
Then I would just purchase the body with the kit lens (be it 17-55 or 17-85) and see how he gets on with it before spending potentially hundreds of pounds on a lens that he doesn't really want. Then when he has got used to the camera and decided which direction he's going, get him the lens.
You could leave him an IOU in the box for "a lens" once he's had a good play with the kit he's got, then he would have something to look forward to plus you havent wasted upto 500 quid on a whim lens.
If its his first DSLR, it's a hell of a pressie on it's own without an extra lens.
Ian.
Jonno_dudley
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i'd agree with ian regarding the 40D. i own one and have no regrets, it feels a lot more solid, has a top screen and a higher shutter burst.
i have also read that the 18-55 is not a great performer, maybe save the extra money and go for a body only. If he likes to shoot landscapes then a ultrawide lens would be very useful. i have a tokina 12-24F4 lens which is awsesome.
Also i would also love a fisheye lens, i love the effect, but never purchased one as think there's only so much use for one.
i have also read that the 18-55 is not a great performer, maybe save the extra money and go for a body only. If he likes to shoot landscapes then a ultrawide lens would be very useful. i have a tokina 12-24F4 lens which is awsesome.
Also i would also love a fisheye lens, i love the effect, but never purchased one as think there's only so much use for one.
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the 450d kit 18-55 seems to me to work very well, and I get comparable performance from it to the EF-S 55-250 IS. The 55-250 compliments the 18-55 well. The only downside I've found, is I tend to always have the wrong one fitted at just the wrong moment, but that's just me...
PD_BARBS
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I agree with this, I use one of these as my walk about lens and a great upgrade to the kit lens, although it has no IS. The extra length is great, but certainly not wide enough on a cropped body, I had to compliement it with a sigma 10-20.
So I would recommend getting your camera and seeing what you like to shoot, before getting carried away with upgrading lenses.
Thank you for all the advice, the IOU appeals. It is to me a massive present, but it is combined with his 16th birthday as well. I have bought him the camera I have always drooled over, in its various guises but never got.
Once again a massive thank you.
Once again a massive thank you.
I agree with this....the 18-55mm IS is a cracking lens in it's own right and is on my 450D 80% of the time....with the other 20% split between the 55-250mm IS and the Nifty (which is why I'm now trying to bend the missus' ear into me getting the new 18-200mm IS, to have an all round walk-about lens - so it can be on my cam 99% of the time, with the Nifty for low light situations
)..... No...that's me as well
POAH
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really depends on how much you want to spend on him at this early stage. the standard lens will do just fine for most of what he wants to do. if I was in your boots I would splash out on the efs 55-250 IS to give him the range form 18-250mm.
for a fish eye you are looking at either the tokina 10-17mm or sigma 10mm f2.8 for the proper effect on the APS-C sized sensor. you might also want to consider getting him a cokin P ND grad filter set and holder if he likes landscapes.