Help with Lenses

viv muir

viv muir

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Viv
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Hi,

Looking for a good all round lens for a canon 650d , doing portraiture, still life, landscape and street photography. Also need a macro lens for college. can anyone advise me where to start ?
 
A good all rounder could be a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8.

What macro could depend on the subject. If you want to photograph bugs etc you may well want a longer focal length so you don't need to get too close and scare them off, so something in the 100-150mm range may be best. I had a Sigma 150mm f2.8 that I thought was very nice. If you're just photographing still life a 50mm macro might do.
 
Another good one IMO is the Canon 28-135mm IS USM lens - also has decent macro (close up) abilities as well.

0147.jpg

That pic was taken on my 350D (8MP) using the 28-135mm lens.
 
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IMO 28mm isn't a great starting point for an allround lens on an APS-C camera. YMMV.
 
woof woof said:
IMO 28mm isn't a great starting point for an allround lens on an APS-C camera
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Surely what counts as a all round lens differs dependant on the main are of photography a photographer specialises in. eg a 10mm-22mm is a good all round lens for a landscape photographer but not for a motor sports photographer who will need a longer reach.
 
redsnappa said:
Surely what counts as a all round lens differs dependant on the main are of photography a photographer specialises in. eg a 10mm-22mm is a good all round lens for a landscape photographer but not for a motor sports photographer who will need a longer reach.
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My own experience when I got my first APS-C DSLR (there were no FF DSLR's in those days) was that 28mm wasn't a great starting point for a zoom. Initially I couldn't understand what was going on as 28mm on FF is quite wide... not so on APS-C and that's why the standard range zooms for APS-C are 18-50mm and not 28-70mm.
 
I would suggest the canon 18-135 IS STM. D spite kit lens traditionally being a little pants, I found this exceptionally sharp. Focusing was swift and accurate. Would not be "as good" as the Tamron, but is eminently more flexible..
 
Canon 15-85 covers a very good range on a cropped body and has excellent reviews. I loved mine.
 
redsnappa said:
Surely what counts as a all round lens differs dependant on the main are of photography a photographer specialises in. eg a 10mm-22mm is a good all round lens for a landscape photographer but not for a motor sports photographer who will need a longer reach.
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If you're specialising in one particular type of photography, then surely you don't want an "all round" lens: you want a specialised lens to suit your specialised needs. An "all round" lens is one which is more-or-less suited to a range of tasks, and in fact the OP explained her needs very clearly in the first post :
viv muir said:
Looking for a good all round lens for a canon 650d , doing portraiture, still life, landscape and street photography.
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Grumps1974 said:
Canon 15-85 covers a very good range on a cropped body and has excellent reviews. I loved mine.
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I'll second that. Whenever I'm using a cropped body, the 15-85 is my go-to general purpose lens. Note to the OP: 15-85, not 17-85. You won't see people singing the praises of the 17-85.
 
I don't see any lens as being an all round lens - please define ALL ROUND????

Les
 
Thanks everyone for the advice , lez325 I'm at college doing my HNC and still not sure which direction I want to take so don't want to go spend loads on lenses just yet. We cover still life , portraiture, landscape, macro and I'm looking for a good lens that will see me through the course :)
 
For a single lens solution you want at least 18mm on the wide end and at least 50mm on the long end. Smaller aperture will be okay on the wide, on the long end for portraits you may prefer an f/2.8 zoom of some description - That said at something like 85mm wide open with plenty of background distance the maximum aperture may not be too relevant.
 
Ukmitch86 I'm saving no up for the 6D just now , and hopefully be able to get on the classified's soon to start buying bits and bobs ;)
 
Yeah this is why I'm not keen on spending loads just yet , just want to get through just now before I buy my new equipment.
 
redsnappa said:
Surely what counts as a all round lens differs dependant on the main are of photography a photographer specialises in. eg a 10mm-22mm is a good all round lens for a landscape photographer but not for a motor sports photographer who will need a longer reach.
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Ultra wides are rarely the 'best' for landscapes, unless you're right in the middle of it. Otherwise, everything is far too distant.
 
viv muir said:
Yeah this is why I'm not keen on spending loads just yet , just want to get through just now before I buy my new equipment.
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Viv, are you aware of the old photography adage of spending on glass before spending on body?
Switching up to full frame doesn't have to be an expensive exercise, you should check out the results with the 5Dc, plenty of users. This is a great demonstration thread; http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1159990&page=661
The money you were putting towards the 6D body is better spent on glass IMO.

odd jim said:
Ultra wides are rarely the 'best' for landscapes, unless you're right in the middle of it. Otherwise, everything is far too distant.
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Ditto - this is why a FF body with a 50mm is a genuine all-rounder.
Viv - Did you know the 50mm focal length is optically the simplest to correct? It often has the flattest plane of focus, making it great for stitching panoramas - no pincushion or barrel distortion.
http://digital-photography-school.com/5-quick-reasons-use-nifty-fifty-landscape-photography/
 
Thank you I appreciate the help , I will have a look at the links when I get home from work. My brain is frazzled . I will defo have a read at this :)
 
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