which lens?

[patrickc]

Hi,

I'm currently using a canon 350d, but the lens that came with it is really bad.
I'm hopeing to find something that can auto focus in relativley low light - clubs, bars etc. I geuss the more i spend the better lens I can get, I'll probably buy second hand and my budget is between £100 - £250. If anyone has any suggestions that would be much apprieciated. cheers

 

[dod]

you'll probably get loads of recommendations for the 50mm F1.8, nice and cheap and produces great results.

 

[Jonnyreb]

Hi,

I'm currently using a canon 350d, but the lens that came with it is really bad.
I'm hopeing to find something that can auto focus in relativley low light - clubs, bars etc. I geuss the more i spend the better lens I can get, I'll probably buy second hand and my budget is between £100 - £250. If anyone has any suggestions that would be much apprieciated. cheers

For auto-focus without flash use, I'd suggest you look at 1.4 to 2.0 max aperture. A few that spring to mind are the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 (about £230) the Nifty Fifty Canon EF 50mm 1.8 (about £60) or the EF85mm 1.8 - again, around £250. Also the Canon EF 35mm 2.0 - dont know the price of this one but would guess around the £250 point...??

I hear Sigma do a very good 30mm 1.4 wich is a crop only lens.

One thing to think about - the 1.6 crop of your camera will make the FOV equivalent to: 30mm = 48mm, 35mm = 56mm, 50mm = 80mm and 85mm = 136mm

When considering all of that, bear in mind that 50mm is roughly equivalent to the effective FOV of a human eye and 70mm is the approximate 'zero magnification of lens' point

 

[patrickc]

thanks guys. a friend recommended a sigma dc lens ( 18 -125mm). its F/3.5 - 22. Anyone familiar with one of these? Regarding fstops in general is it best to go as low as possible for autofocusing in lowish lights, or is it more to do with the actual lens? im currently using a canon EFS lens with f/3.5 - f/5.6 but often have probelms autofocusing. thanks for the help

 

[Jonnyreb]

the faster the lens - the more light gets in - the faster the camera can determine distance and asist with AF. But yes, the quality of the optics helps as does the camera

 

[apodo]

I doubt the 18-125mm (which is also f/3.5-5.6) would be better than the kit lens you have now. Large zoom ranges like that are a compromise of quality for the convenience of covering a large range in a single lens.

Michael.

 

[desantnik]

Regarding fstops in general is it best to go as low as possible for autofocusing in lowish lights, or is it more to do with the actual lens? im currently using a canon EFS lens with f/3.5 - f/5.6 but often have probelms autofocusing.

Well, a wider aperture (ie lower F value) lets in more light letting the camera "see" in conditions it might not. You can use the 50mn f1.8 to take photos indoors without a flash in reasonable light conditions - I've used it in museums with good results for instance.

However if your subject is boogying on down in a club you might find the "nifty fifty" doesnt actually focus fast enough. Yes its wide open, but its dog slow. You get what you pay for - mine cost me 45 quid!!

Your current lens is presumably the kit lens? If so, its a zoom and the max aperture size goes down as it zooms in. It will be widest open at the least length, but still f3.5 isn't "wide" really.

I'd give the "nifty fifty" a try though, if nothing else it might prove cheaply whether it is actually possible to get non-flash photos in your target environment. If it works, maybe upgrade/PX later.