SLR's and Lenses

[MartynVRS]

Decided to buy a SLR as I can't go any further with my Lumix point and shoot. It's crap in the dark and shooting motorsport is hard work too. Know what camera I want (Canon 70D) just need a quick guide on what basic lenses I'd need to get me going. Think I'll need something with a bit of zoom and a 50mm kit lens but I'm unsure what. I'm already aware it's a slipperly slope when it comes to buying lenses.

[ColinD]

If unsure, it's tricky as the last thing you want to do its buy a cheap one and hate it.

 

What my sister has done is hire lenses, specifically for trips or big events. It seems costly, but works out ok for once in a year events.

 

Borrowing other peoples glass is good. For motorsport, 70-200 IS f4, or better imho or non L equiv, on bright days any good zoom should work, the darker it gets the better at panning you become

 

I'm sure you've discovered kenrockwell's site by now, if not google.

 

Workout what you will be taking photos of the most, landscape v action v architecture. Remember an expensive zoom can be replaced by an extra weetabix and walking 5 paces forwards

 

You will however begin to hate carrying 3 lenses around. When I'm climbing I'm weight sensitive, he says eating a chocolate biscuit, but if I was taking for keeps/selling I'd of gone and brought some L glass and left less to the cattery. As it happens I brought middle glass and when I thought it was holing me back I'd grab a book of the shelf and refresh my 'skills'.

 

 

HTH, either way enjoy it 70d yummy.

[ColinD]

oh do't bother with the kit lens, if you're going for a 50mm, grab a nifty 50mm II f1.8 lovely.

[MartynVRS]

oh do't bother with the kit lens, if you're going for a 50mm, grab a nifty 50mm II f1.8 lovely.

Read about nifty 50's and tried one on a camera in a shop in Tokyo and found it impressive. That will be something I get. I've wanted a camera for a while and being on holiday with my 4 year old Lumix showed me how outclassed it was. I have some good shots but plenty of bad ones. The 70D seems to be the best balance of all the features without going silly expensive. I'm also aware it's a slippery slope. I could do with a basic guide about the setting you can change like aperture and ISO, etc.

[Chester]

I have the 70D - good choice, you will not regret it.

 

I'm quite a fan of Sigma lens. I have a Sigma 70-200 that is really good and a Sigma 17-70 that I use as an everyday lens.

 

My wife has a Canon 650D that she uses the Canon 18-135 STM lens on. You could always try to get a 70D kit with the 18-135 STM. It's a good lens for the money and gives a useful zoom range without being too big and heavy. It would get you started and cover a good range whilst you decide what else to buy.

[Chriswright03]

Spending £££££s on good equipment will not automatically give you good photographs though as I have no doubt you realise.  I have just changed from a DSLR to Lumix bridge camera and whilst it's lens will always be a compromise it has a further zoom than the 70 - 200mm I had with the Canon.  I have used it mainly for shooting aircraft at RAF Coningsby and whilst it isn't as good as some of the mega bucks lenses I see when I am there I am happy with it.

 

I have seen some photography taken with really good gear and the shot has been poorly framed is out of focus and on the slant.  I think as Colin has said sometimes you need to read up about it all to refresh or improve your skills.

 

There are some cracking bargains to be had out there as photography is another one of those hobbies where some folk just have to have the latest of whatever and get rid of perfectly serviceable kit that can be picked up for a fraction of the original price.

 

You are also in a good place here for advice as I have asked for and received excellent advice from many on here and there are some really good snappers here.

[Mort]

oh do't bother with the kit lens, if you're going for a 50mm, grab a nifty 50mm II f1.8 lovely.

 

Unless you do a lot of Manual Focussing, I'd say get the newer 50mm f1.8 STM - it's much quieter when focussing, and a bit sharper at f4 and above. There's not a huge price difference new either.

[sigarland1987]

I was going to say reading this, maybe look at getting a cheaper body and slightly better glass, but then as mentioned above the camera does not automatically make you a better photo taking person. I am looking at a Canon 70-200 F4 as I want to do some panning shots of cars etc. but at the moment I have a nifty fifty and a 17-40 and that does me. Go to Carboots as well, I picked up a boxed Macro Flash kit for £2 and its brilliant as it can be remotely fired so great fun to play with!

[KBPhoto]

When it comes to spending money to improve your photography do it in this order:

Photographer > Lenses > Camera body

I'm still using a Canon 20D and a 5D Mk1, but I do have 'L' lenses (apart from the 50mm f1.4) and I've invested as much money on training as I have on equipment.

And I still have so much to learn...

[MartynVRS]

This really is my first stage of learning and finding out things, even basics like what do the all the lense numbers mean. The 70D should be a good all rounder and all the camera I'll ever need. I have here for info and my cousin who is really into it too. It's because of him I've been convinced into getting into it. SOmething I should have started years ago.

[fabdavrav]

I've ditched all my SLR gear as I found I was getting too obsessed with the gear & not having the fun of photo shots.

 

Got a very good point & shoot Olympus TG-4. Has a bad 25-100mm (35mm film equiv) zoom lens................BUT the lens is F2.0........is shoots in RAW & ISO down to 100, 4 sec max shutter speed. Also has a microscope mode which produce stunning marco close up, focusing down to 1cm away!!!! Also has an A mode which gives you some SLR functions, also has night composition mode which overlays several short shots ontop of each other to produce one picture! & it's drop, freeze, crush, water proof..........

 

Having fun again & my skills have improved more also!!

[ColinD]

Well I was looking at my SLR gear and I do have it for sale. I'd very rarely grab it for a climbing day, I carry too much gear as it is. I was a the point, or past the point of really wanting better lenses. I'd of stuck with the 40d body.

 

A bit of a 'gut' moment I took a look at the micro 4/thirds and fuji lines ups. I did like the smaller compact nature of it, certainly for travel and candid photos. Ended up on the Olympus OM-D 10 on the basis that I don't take photos in the rain. Now my slr kit hasn't really sold, which is a bonus and a curse. It's a bonus as I quite miss it, but then I don't either. If I was to go out to a crag today to take photos purposefully of other people, I'd probably grab my slr, but only because it's there... if it wasn't I'd be on the om with fixed primes and having to think about each shot. I've reduced my storage needs and delete far less

 

One avenue I was exploring wit the fuji, was using old primes, example topic, all manual focus but only 20 to 100 quid now and stunning quality still. Adapter ring and off you go, pentax-k fit.

 

Try each body / format in the shop, try to find a really good independent, although you may have to add a few quid to the purchase price, treat it as an hour of consultation. check the second hand cabinets, when I got the 40D I was leaving a 20D as the 50D had launched, I was set to get the 50D and found the 40 in the cabinet, difference was video (mostly) and I wasn't that fussed, so took advantage of the saving for some new glass budget boost.

 

That night composition mode is a hoot, knowing where an asteroid will appear, less so, 30mins and only one off shot...everywhere else plenty.

 

perseids-0030_1 by Colin Densem, on Flickr

[sigarland1987]

To be honest if you get a good SLR body and start playing with the little functions such as shutter speed, aperture turning the lens round- using sweet wrappers as filters etc. then you won't want to change the body. Also a good Body will last a long long time, I have had my 7D for 5-6 years and wouldn't change it now, only recently been looking at new lens etc as above but its about using the kit you have and finding the best angle to get that crucial shot. 

 

I have never done the starlight trail photo after seeing the above may give that a go, have done light painting before and that was good fun!

[MartynVRS]

Things I'll want to take pictures of are Motorsport as I definitely want to see more of it again after going to Suzuka plus I've started walking more so landscapes like Snowdon, Brecon, etc too. Then there's the pics of cousins growing up, etc. With every camera I've had being so weak at low light shots I wouldn't mind trying more of that.

[sigarland1987]

Look on eBay for a remote shutter as well if you want to do low light long exposure shots, means you can set the camera without any vibration from you pressing the camera shutter

[Chriswright03]

Or just use the time delay on the camera.

[sigarland1987]

Or just use the time delay on the camera.

That's an even better idea

[KBPhoto]

I've gone down the Olympus Micro 4/3rds route, but I'm not convinced. The small sensor severely hampers the ability to get shallow DoF.

I'd need expensive f2 lenses to get the same DoF as f4 on a full frame DSLR. And I frequently shot at apertures below f4!

I'm thinking Canon EOS-M with the same sensor size as the 70D, but the lenses are shocking and Canon are hanging on everyone using the adapter to fit SLR lenses to a smaller camera body; which defeats much of the purpose IMO.

Maybe I'll get a fast prime for the Olympus and have another go with that...

[Mort]

I'm thinking Canon EOS-M with the same sensor size as the 70D, but the lenses are shocking and Canon are hanging on everyone using the adapter to fit SLR lenses to a smaller camera body; which defeats much of the purpose IMO.

 

I like mine with the 22mm pancake on, anything else I use the adapter and my EF-S lenses, it looks rather stupid with the 70-200 2.8 IS on , but a decent prime plus the adapter isn't particularly much bigger than the native 18-55. I do wish they'd bring out some new lenses for it though, the 40mm pancake EF-S would be ideal for me in an EOS-M mount.

 

Mostly just use mine for video nowadays, as my 50d can't.

[KenONeill]

Just because you own a 28mm, a 50, a 135, a 70-200, a 300 and a 500mm cat, plus teleconverters doesn't mean you have to carry them all everywhere. I do have a big bag that can hold them all, both bodies, both flashes, my mono and tripods and all my filters, but I also have a day bag that I actually use way more except for "packing for holidays" and it holds typically 2 lenses, the flashes if I don't have the 300 or 500, and maybe the tripod.

 

The reasoning is that I can normally predict which lenses I'll actually want for a given shoot but not which shoots I'll do in a given fortnight holiday.

[pinkpanther]

My EOS M is permanently fitted with the 22mm pancake lens. Around £70 from eBay.

[MartynVRS]

Where's the best place to buy gear? I'm guessing ebay isn't bad for used lenses? Still trying to find a 70D at a decent price but not sure where from.

[Mort]

Got quite a bit of 2nd hand stuff from mbphotographic, and DigitalRev is often decent prices for new stuff if you don't mind imports.

eBay is ok if you can trust the seller. Got my EF-S 17-55 on eBay and ive almost spent it's cost over again on various repairs. Might just be a delicate lens model, but I have a suspicion it may just have been 'less than ideally' cared for before I got hold of it.

[Chester]

Where's the best place to buy gear? I'm guessing ebay isn't bad for used lenses? Still trying to find a 70D at a decent price but not sure where from.

 

If you are looking to buy new then http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/ is a good as place as any to start

[sigarland1987]

I can recommend London Camera Exchange if you have one local to you. Have always had good service from my local one and I tend to like looking at Camera lens before I buy them, also good second hand selection as well.