Which Lens + Flash for 400d (£500-1000 budget)

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splatercash

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Kenny
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I'm not much of a photographer but did take the DSLR plunge and bought a Canon 400d two years ago. I've never used anything other than the kit lens and in built flash.

I now wish to take things a stage further, somewhat prompted by my uncle requesting that I take pics at his wedding. I therefore need a proper flash that can be altered to achieve bounce, etc. I also feel I should upgrade to a better general purpose lens as well.

In all I'm willing to spend between £500-£1000. However, I'll only go to the upper end of that budget if you can convince me that, my skills remaining equal, I should achieve superior pictures from the expendature.

In case you can't tell yet....I'm pretty amaturish :D

Regards the lens, I want something that is significantly better than the kit lens that came with the camera (otherwise what is the point?). I also want one with more zoom so that I can get better close ups without having to practically stand on my subjects.

My current thoughts are:

Lens - Canon EF Zoom lens - 24mm - 105mm
Flash - Canon speedlite 430ex ii

Obviously these two would use up all of my budget. Is that lens likely to be significantly better/more suitable for general use than the kit lens. What are the alternatives.

Actually, what questions should I be asking here?

Cliff Notes
1. Need better equipment
2. Cause I'm clueless :D
3. What should I buy
4. Help....please :D


N.B. I migth be going to America soon giving the option to buy stuff over there potentially (although exchange rate sucks at the moment).
 
OK, the 18-55mm that came with the 400D is not that good, so most of the current canon lens line up will be better and the 24-105 is supposed to be very good (I've not used it so can't say).

However I'm not sure that it is the best choice of lens though, you might find the the 24-105 a bit narrow at 24mm for group shots and at a constant f4 a little slow inside a dark church if you are not allowed to use the flash.

I'll let some of the more experienced togs recommend alternatives, but I don't think that one lens will cover everything you will need.

Ultimately though you'll need to take the time and learn to use your new equipment properly before your pictures will improve, so no it won't happen if your skills remain the same.

-- Edit --

Sorry I've re-read this and it sound overly harsh - that wasn't the tone I was going for. I just wanted to point out that new glass isn't a quick fix.
 
The wedding is a small afair and won't be in a church. My uncle has very low expectations :) The wedding isn't until September so I have plenty of time to b****r around with whatever equipment I buy. In particular I will do a lot of experimenting with flash photography to achieve good results with indoor shots.

Feel free to make other general use lens recommendations. Also, I'd appreciate someone explaining how/why one particular lens is significantly better than another. Why is the stock 18-55mm crap, for example? I'd love to see the difference visually (i.e. two pics of same subject taken on similar lenses at different ends of price/quality spectrum).
 
If you want an all in one lens solution, it will be difficult to find......there is usually some kind of restriction on every lens.

As a replacement walkabout/general purpose lens......at the top end of the scale, you have 3 main choices, 24-105 L f4 IS, 24-70 L f/2.8 and 17-55 f/2.8 IS.....all three have excellent image quality.

I have the 17-55 mainly because on a crop body such as your 400D, I find it is a better focal range to work with because of the wide end, and also the constant f/2.8. The 24-105 L f4 IS will give you longer reach but may not be fast enough in low light conditions where flash isn't permitted. The 24-70 L f/2.8 is faster but has a bit less reach and doesn't have IS. You may find the 24mm is not wide enough for some situations such as group shots in close quarters.

You will be better off buying second hand, as you will save money which you could maybe spend on a 2nd lens for further reach if you need it. Something like the 70-200 f4 L or 70-200 f4 L IS. Other options are high quality prime lenses but you will have to zoom with your feet.

I have the 17-55 f/2.8 IS and 70-200 L f4 IS and they compliment each other very well......however for a wedding, it may be a bit fiddly changing lenses so a second body would probably be ideal.

Edit: There are of course, non Canon lenses such as the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 which cost a fair bit less.
 
Any thoughts on the EF-S 17-85mm to replace the kit len? Worthwhile upgrade for the price?

Or the more expensive Canon EF-S 15-85mm?
 
splatercash said:
Feel free to make other general use lens recommendations. Also, I'd appreciate someone explaining how/why one particular lens is significantly better than another. Why is the stock 18-55mm crap, for example? I'd love to see the difference visually (i.e. two pics of same subject taken on similar lenses at different ends of price/quality spectrum).
Click to expand...

I can't comment on many other lenses - I upgraded from the non-IS 18-55 kit lens that came with the 400D to one of the newer IS 18-55 kit lenses from a 450D/500D which I got second-hand on here for about £65. Generally it felt much better put together (although still plasticky), sharper and better at focusing. I still have the old one so I'll try and do some side by sides over the weekend.

From what I've read the 15-85mm is regarded as better than the 17-85mm it replaced in Canon's line up but as it's quite new it's still expensive.

Matt
 
Reading reviews on 15-85mm right now. Looks the business - also, I can't believe how well IS works. I now totally resent that the kit lens doesn't have it!
 
The IS version of the 18-55 is definitely miles better than the non-IS version, and for the price is actually very good and sharp. I would stay away from the 17-85mm as it is an older model that had issues, and in general isn't renowned as a great lens, although second hand you could probably pick one up for not that much.

It depends what your expectations are.......if you are on the non-IS kit lens, and want something a bit better for not that much money.......then something like the 17-85mm or 28-135mm IS USM would suffice, and would be under £200 used. I previously owned the 28-135mm IS USM and it was a great lens that I had no problems with, but when I upgraded to the 17-55 f/2.8 IS, there was a massive improvement in image quality, and the constant aperture is irreplaceable. Optically, the 17-55 is a pro "L" quality lens whereas the others are not, obviously you pay the price premium for this.

The 15-85mm is supposed to be very decent but is not cheap......and it isn't a fixed aperture either. If you were going to splash out on one of those, you may as well go for the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS imo.
 
I also have the 400D. The kit lens gets some stick but I still regularly use mine and get some shots with it that make me happy. IS was a rare thing when the 400D came out. Its far more common now. Complaining its not on the kit lens is almost like me complaining my Ford Capri has no climate control!

I am often recommended to get a good 50mm (there are a range right down to f/1.2 IIRC) for shooting people/parties/weddings/christenings/etc. The f/1.8 is on my "to do" list. You can afford one of the better ones though,

My "jack of all trades" lens at the mo is a Canon 28-135 US / IS which I find gets nicer tone to my shots than the kit lens but its a slower autofocus. I got it ex-demo cheap, if I paid full retail I'd not be so happy with it, mainly because its so slow to focus I sometimes prefer to have it on manual. Other than the slight faff it gets nice pictures and I guess thats one important job!

I'm looking to get a Tamron zoom for general use, there's one about a 17-85 which holds f/2.8 throughout the range IIRC. I've not looked into this too much as I don't have the cash for it right now (about £340 I think)

As for a flash I use the Sigma EF-530 DG Super. Its way cheaper than the Canon equivalent and I am more than happy with mine.

My thoughts, for what they are worth anyway.
 
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