what lens ??????

steveuk

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ive decided to buy a 400d body and a half decent lens as im a complete newbie i havnt a clue as to where to start for the time being i think the lens would have to be a bit of an all rounder if at all possible , budget for my lens £250 stretching to £300 if need be . thanks :)
 
Hi Steve, have a look at the Sigma 17-70mm DC Lens. You'll pick one up within your budget and it's a highly rated lens

Review here
 
Will you be buying body only or will you be buying it with the kit lens?

Its a good idea if you do get the kit lens to have a play around with that and see how you go on with it - from there you can decide what kind of pictures you want to take and then you can decide what you want to have in terms of focal length.

I replaced the kit lens (18-55mm) with a canon 28-105mm USM lens which I think is a really good all rounder for your bog standard shots and it only cost me £139.99. I've got the Sigma 10-20mm for wide angle shots (£260ish), the 100-400L for telephoto zoom shots (£860) and a Tamron Macro lens which is for close up work (£240).

If I were you I'd get the 400d with the kit lens and try it out for a few months and see how you get on with it. When I bought my 350d last year I got a canon 90-300mm as part of the deal which wasn't bad and my wife still uses hers (until she gets the replacement 100-400), you can pick them up brand new for £139.99 from argos.

The body, the kit lens and maybe a cheap zoom would see you out for quite a while I think.
 
I bought the 400D with the kit lens nad also a cheap second hand Sigma 70-300 Super Macro lens. I do use both but must admit i tend to use the kit lens more at the moment.
 
I have the 90-300 most of the time (but will be selling it soon once I have my new lens), but it is something I would get again if buying kit again from scratch. :) worth looking into. Great range, used alongside the kit lens.
 
Unusually sound advice from Matt there (:p )

Depending on the deal you can get:

You'll hear it described as a complete dog, but the 18-55 kit lens is reasonable and some of what i consider to be my better (composed and lit) shots have come from it.

Work out what you prefer to photograph - landscape / people / nature / wildlife. Each have differing requirements (the 18-55 will cover landscape, people and some nature but you'll need something around 300mm plus for wildlife).

or

as the Daddy says, buy the body only and invest in the Sigma then save like a person posessed for something either a little wider or a little longer :)
 
once again thanks , macro's a lens for close ups yes ? and the higher the mm on a lens the longer/better the zoom ?

browsing through a few mags and the amount of different types of lenses are pretty scary
 
yeah macro lenses allow you to do shots like....

Tamron 90mm Macro Lens

20060827001616_brid06.jpg


And a telephoto allows you to do things like this:

Canon 100-400L

20070402144808_248.jpg


The higher the mm on the lens the further it will go :)
 
Steve, if it's of any help, my initial set up when I progressed to DSLR was the Sigma 17-70 that I mentioned earlier and the Canon 70-300mm IS USM. The Sigma costs around £230, the Canon around £400. Both are excellent lenses, and both highly rated. With those 2 you would have the flexibility to shoot everything from landscapes to wildlife, including macro, although the Sigma isn't a true macro lens by any means but it'll still give excellent results.

Just to give you and idea what both lenses can do

This was shot with the Sigma 17-70


Spider_Plant_Flower.jpg



and this with the Canon 70-300....

Girls_on_Bench.jpg



HTH :)
 
I too have the sigma 17-70 and the 10-20 and 70-300 apo. All are good lenses and I use them all alot. The 17-70 probably stays on my camera the most though. It is about £180 from onestop-digital at the moment too. I have bought two lenses and various other bits of kit from them with no problems whatsoever.
 
Also consider Kerso for you lens as you get to be able to claim canon cashback if on the list.
 
should i get a 400d with a kit lens then upgrade once ive got hold of the basics ?
 
I Would, certainly for the price difference between body only and kit, then you can decide what 18-55 really means and you'll know more what you want, if that makes sense.
 
I started with the 350D and kit lens and got the 90-300 included for a bit more of a price, certainally a good place to start, somewhere on here is a list of things you should do with a kit lens before upgrading, worth a read, I havent done them all though.
 
I wish someone had said to me 18 months ago: "just buy a 1Ds mkII and a handful of L glass".

That way i'd have saved some money.

And own a 1Ds mkII.

You live and learn
 
have you a link ? cheers



I started with the 350D and kit lens and got the 90-300 included for a bit more of a price, certainally a good place to start, somewhere on here is a list of things you should do with a kit lens before upgrading, worth a read, I havent done them all though.
 
trying to find it, but dont seem to be able to at the moment, some else maybe able to help.
 
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