Newbie, lots of questions

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mrs007bond

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lisa bond
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Firstly you have permission to laugh very loudly at my stupid questions I am clueless about cameras always been a point and shoot girl

Yesterday i have purchased a Canon 350d from a friend, she has told me it comes with a 50mm lens (????????)

What is this lens ideal for?, have had a look round at other lens but really dont know what they are all for?
Can someone help me, what lens are good for differentjobs, eg a so and so lens is good for portrait, landscape etc

Budget is limited, mainly I take fairly close up photos of family, some landscapes shot, so just general photography really

Also I am off to chicago in a month what lens would be ideal to take to take some photos of the buildings etc

Many thanks hope some one can help me:)
lisa
 
No such thing as a stupid question.....:thumbs:

Welcome and ask away......:)

I don`t use Canon so am probably not best placed to offer advice,I think one or two on here do use Canon and will help you out very soon..............;)
 
You want a USA lens for shooting in Chicago LOL

Nah just pulling ya leg-a wide angle lens would be good like an 18 or 20 mm
 
Lisa,

A couple of consumer zooms would probably be the best thing to get you going.

I'd recommend an EF28-135 IS and an EF18-55. The first one should cost you about £180 and the second one about £30....both second hand.

Bob
 
what can i use my 50mm for? and the 18-55 is it a good all rounder?
lisa
 
Hi there Lisa :)
Just to give you an idea on some lens.

40mm or less is a wide angle size, (popular for landscapes)
50mm is classes as normal,
85mm or more is a telephoto (popular for sports,wildlife)
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The 50mm is a Prime lens, so it cannot zoom. This is good for low light.
A 24-70mm (or similar) lens would be a zoom, which in your case I think would better suit you. Its one of the most popular types of lens I think.

It all depends on your budget. I think a Canon person could point you in a better direction for which lens. I think it might be of use going to a store, like Jessops, and trying out some of the lens there, so you can get a better understanding.
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This is a good starter:
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s29048...kuOfferingPriceASC&IsInStockOnly=False&comp=n

May be cheaper elsewhere. If that is above your budget, ask again for another idea.

Good luck :)
and best wishes,
Adam
 
50mm would be good for anything from portrait to landscape, it will give you a similar view of things that you see without the camera ( does this make sense?)
18-55 is a good lens, it will give you a wider view at 18mm, which means you will be able to get shots of things close to you, people in a room, round a table, a complete ( not too tall) building, etc. And you will get the 50mm views.
To get shots of things farther away, like using binoculars, you will need a telephoto ( fixed distance) or a zoom lens. Something like an 18-200mm or similar would be a great walkabout lens, it will give you the ability to get in close at 18mm and get shots of birds on the tops of buildings at 200mm, and of course, everything in between without having to change lenses all the time.
Allan
 
Thats great adam, answered some of myquestions as what the different lens sizes are all about
lisa x
 
how about this lens

Sigma 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC (Canon AF)

What could this be used for?
lisa
 
The Sigma 55-200 is good, although personally (and with hindsight) I would be looking to go a bit longer if you are into candid street photography or perhaps closer shots of tourist stuff you cant get that near to. I've got a 55-250 Canon which is good, especially because its got image stabilization (helps prevent camera shake) but I also have a Sigma 18-200 which is useful by giving you wide angle at one end (more in the shot) to an OK zoom capability. Lots of good stuff out there second hand.
 
Lisa,

I'd definately recommend something like a Sigma 18-200 DC f3.5 to 6.3 lens to get you going.

It's not bad considering the range of zoom it offers, so for eg. 18mm will be handy for landscapes, around 60mm for portaits and the zoom end (100 to 200mm) will get you started for wildlife or maybe some sports shots.

I'd say it's a jack of all trades lens, and will obviously mean you don't have to keep swapping over lens, so disappointment for the dust fairies:lol: However, the lens is master of none. I started with this lens until I decided on what I'd like to specialise in, then invested in specialist fixed focal lens as my ability and enthusiasm grew.

Hope this helps!
 
thanks again, think i might opt for a 18-200 one as this seems a good 1st buy
lisa
 
Lisa, welcome to the forum :wave:

have you considered getting a book on the basics of using a DSLR ?(the type of camera the Canon you have bought is) There are several easy to understand books that cover the basics and investing in one of them may prevent you form wasting money on buying an inappropriate lens.

The 50mm lens that comes with your camera will be able to give you pictures of your family and is a good starter lens.

If your other interests are landscapes and you also want to use a lens to take pictures of buildings, then a shorter zoom lens - usually in the 18-55mm range (also known as a 'kit lens') would be a good purchase. I am assuming that you want to keep the amount you spend to a minimum at present ??? (please accept apologies if this is not the case :)) As mentioned kit lenses are an inexpensive introduction to what can become an expensive pasttime :lol:

Remember that we all had to start at some point and your questions are not stupid :lol:

Alan
 
Oh, and as mentioned an 18-200mm lens will cover most of the general shots you have spoken of wishing to do!!
 
Yes I do want to keep amount to minimum at present
I think a book is going to be essential for me at the mo,
will have a look at the 18-55mm lenses
lisa
 
Lisa

The 50mm comes in a few variants and I assume it is the f/1.8 you are getting with the 350D...

It is great for available light pics and you will be able to do things with it that you will not be able to do handheld with most zooms in your current price class...The secret is the small f/number - always a good thing in any lens because it means the lens can open to a big aperture and give you a faster shutter than, say the 18-55 f/3.5-5.6.

This is what is meant by a fast lens.

For buildings you will need a "short" / wide angle lens - as short as you can get but below 30mm on your lens - the 18-55 will do well for a start as it is a nice little lens with adequate image quality without any pretenses about it.

HTH!
 
If you are on a limited budget I would get the 18-55 kit lens first. It's quite lightweight to lug around, important factor for us weakling girls:lol: and it will give you a good idea of what type of pics you can get at various lens lengths.
I also have a 55-200 but I don't use this very often. I find the 18-55 to be most useful for landscapes and buildings. If you want to get close up it's easier to walk closer or just crop your photo in after you get home. I don't know about the weight or cost of the 18-200 (I'm a Nikon user) though I expect it will be a lot more expensive than the kit lens.

If you want to know what you can do with a nifty fifty (50mm lens) have a look at Ducky Doodles flowers and I have just put some landscape pics on my gallery of Haverfordwest which I took with my 50mm.
 
I have a kit lens doing nothing in my bag, if you are interested PM me.
 
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