 BetterPhoto Member |
Purchasing a Canon SLR, Question About Lenses After reading a lot of reviews, and a lot of the questions on your site, I think I've decided on the EOS Rebel Ti, but I have a question about the lens. I understand from the reviews that the lens that comes on the kit (28-90mm, isn't very good and that I may be better off buying just the body and the 50mm lens recommend in a prior posting. I'll be using the camera primarily to take pictures of my kids, but I've always been interested in photography as a hobby. Being a complete novice, I'm wondering what makes one better than the other. Does it matter the brand of lens I buy seperately, as long as it fits the camera, or do I need to buy only a Canon lens? One more question, with the 50mm lens, I will only be able to get a closer picture by actually moving closer to the subject, right? Maybe you could recommend a good beginner's book too.
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doug Nelson |
Since a 50 is a single focal length and not a zoom, you just move closer to the subject, probably no closer than about 18 inches. The 50-mm 1.8 (older metal version or II version) is reasonably priced, especially used at keh.com, a reputable used camera dealer. I'd save the zoom for the 70-210 range or maybe 100-300. A 50 is most camera maker's best optical quality lens. This means that it resolves detail well, resulting in a sharp looking image. For a book, look at Jim's, The Absolute Beginners Guide to Taking Great Photos, available on this web page. [Editor: Thanks for the plug, Doug!]
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Jon Close |
The 50 f/1.8 is one of the sharpest lenses that Canon (or anyone) makes, don't be put off by its cheap look and feel. The cheap Canon zooms normally sold as a kit with the camera (EF 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 USM, 28-90 f/4-5.6 USM, 28-105 f/4.5-5.6 USM) are good enough for 4x6 snapshots, but not for big enlargements, and are cheaply made. The preferred "standard" zooms (covering moderate wide angle to short telephoto) from Canon are the EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM, 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 USM, and EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 USM IS (Image Stabilization). These 3 zooms are sharper, much better build quality, and have better ergonomic features including non-rotating front elements (for use with polarizer filter), focus distance scale, and ring-USM focus motors that allow nicely damped full-time manual focus without having to fiddle with the AF/MF switch. You can get lenses for your Canon from other makers such as Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. There can sometimes be an electronic incompatibility between these 3rd party lens makers and the most current Canon models, but the lens maker will generally update the lens to fix the problem.
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