Camera Labs

hello guys,

I just won a canon 400d in a raffle and practically a newbie. I have read a lot of infos bout dslr and photography and been wanting to buy one. Lucky me i won one. I have some questions to you guys on what lens to use since i like landscape,macro and portrait/lowlight shots. Can you advise me some lens that would fit my interests?Is there a lens that would cater all kinds of shots that i want?if not, what lens for each shots that you would recommend?

Thanks

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

Hi Donpakundo, welcome to the Cameralabs forums - and congratulations on winning a Canon 400D!

I'm presuming you won a 400D kit which came with the 18-55mm lens.

This is a great lens to get you started, and if you are a newbie, I'd say stick with it until you find it limiting in some respect - that will then help you decide what your next lens should be. For example...

1: If you find it doesn't go wide enough, buy a wider angle lens, like the Canon 10-22mm.

2: If you find it doesn't zoom-in / magnify enough, then get a telephoto zoom, like a Canon 70-300mm.

3: If you find it doesn't focus close enough to subjects like flowers or insects, then get a macro lens like the Canon EF-S 60mm.

4: If you find the quality isn't as good as you hoped, or you just want something which perhaps zooms in a bit closer and has anti-shake features, then swap it for a Canon EF-S 17-85mm.

I'd honestly say though if you're starting out, the kit lens will be fine for the vast majority of the shots you wnat to take, be they landscapes portraits, close-ups etc. I'd always recommend using it for a while first to discover what direction your photography's going to take.

If your camera didn't come with a lens though, I'd recommend going for the Canon 17-85mm straightaway as it's a great general purpose lens and a good step up from the 18-55mm kit lens.

If you'd like to learn more about the differences between several general-purpose Canon lenses, check out our Canon 400D lens upgrade article here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/features/Cano ... s_upgrade/

Gordon

thanks for the advise.its great

well, I kinda started with my friend's canon 30d and he let me shoot it whenever we get to travel together. His camera has a medium telephoto lens ( i forgot the specs) and a 50mm lens. i liked taking landscape and portrait/lowlight scenes. Is there any canon lens that are cheaper than those you recommended but somehow with same quality?

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

how about canon ef-s 17-85mm f/4-5.6 is usm vs 17-55mm f/2.8 is usm lens for a newbie like me as a replacement for the 400d kit lens?

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

Hi Donpakundo, in reply to your first message, you get what you pay for!

If you want the cheapest general purpose Canon lens, buy the EF-S 18-55mm kit model.

In answer to your second message, yes, either of those lenses are great upgrade options for the 400D and its kit lens. The 17-55mm is pricey though and would appeal mostly to people who photograph in low light. Unless excellent low light performance is crucial to you, the 17-85mm represents better value - and has a longer range.

I've compared them both in our Canon lens group test. Read the verdict to weigh up their pros and cons.

http://www.cameralabs.com/features/Cano ... s_upgrade/

Gordon

You are not kidding about the price of the EF-S 17-55 IS USM in the UK it averages out at about £715-750 compared to the EF-S 17-85 IS USM around £350-400.

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Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

thanks for advise again.if i have a fair amount of money, i would go for the 17-55mm right now.hehehehe. but maybe ill stick first with the kit lens. i have to save some dough first.

anyway, i know this would be out of the topic but my friend have a question about nikon lens. he has a nikon d80 with 18-135mm lens package. and then he sees the 18-200mm lens but again, its expensive for a student like him.he told me though that he was not bothered with 18-135mm not havin the VR feature but he wanna asked if it is a great lens for the d80 body.hes the kind of person that want the best all around lens but without the money hahahaha.he also has the 50mm f/1.8 lens for portrait and lowlight scenes. he also wanna ask if it is a great lens for an amateur like him.
we were thinkin of creating a small club who loves lowlight scenes hehehe.with us two the founders here in our town.

thanks

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

well there will be three of us now with the club who loves low light scenes.hehehe.but we dont know a good club name.we were thinking of "Darkside club" but can you guys suggest one or two?i know it sounded silly but i will appreciate your opinions.thanks

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

Hi donpakundo, your friend (and hopefully a few others!) will be pleased to hear we're working on a Nikkor kit lens group test which includes results for the 18-135mm on a D80. Look out for it at Cameralabs very soon!

Gordon

Hello again donpakundo, as promised, we've published our group test of Nikkor kit lenses, which you can find here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikko ... roup_test/

Right, I'd better stop talking about Nikon in the Canon forum now!

Gordon

its good to know that you already have a nikon lens test in the site.Im very impressed with Nikkor 18-200mm lens.im thinkin bout switching to nikon hehehehe.it's an all around lens.its equivalent to 3 different lens.

well thank you very much

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

For low light photography, a great set of lenses are

1. Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC (comes with hood) which is equivalent to a 45mm lens on a Canon film camera

2. Canon 50mm F1.4 (equivalent to 85mm on a film camera)

3. Canon 85mm F1.8 (equivalent to 135mm on a film body)

all 3 are excellent value and very light and compact to carry as an extra lens or 2

Cheers

Bernard