Camera Labs

Hey there,

I bought my Canon 600d camera a few months ago after your suggestions. I attended a beginner photography course and started to learn basic mechanics of dslr photography. Because of being an Architect it seems my hobies are concentrated on exterior/interior architecture and a little bit lanscape photography. I decided to upgrade my gear for architectural photography.

It seems i need to buy a circular polarize filter, a tripod and a wide angle lens. So could you please show a way to me about tripods and lenses. I have no idea about tripods but searched wide angle lenses a bit.

It seems I may have choose Canon 10-22mm or Sigma 10-20mm. Sigma is fairly cheaper than Canon. I think Canon seems better but what I gonna loose if I choose Sigma? And which tripod would you wanna advice to me?

Lastly I am thinking about Lowepro Inverse 100 for bagging my gear. I really need a beltpack so It seems really nice, compact and enough to me. Have you got any other suggestions or warnings about that bag?

Thanks for your interest,

Both of the lenses you talk about are awesome, some people swear by the Canon and others by the Sigma, but I don't think you can go wrong. If you really wanted to figure it out you could always rent one or the other for a time and see which one suits you best.

If you plan on doing a lot of architecture and landscapes then (talking long-term here) you could look into one of the TSE lenses, something along the lines of Canon's TS-E 17mm f/4L. It's all-manual focus, but it allows you to correct distortion that you get in wide-angle lenses like the 10-22 or 10-20. Like I said though, this would be more of a long-term goal, especially as the TS-E lenses aren't especially cheap.

I'm shopping for a tripod right now, likely the Manfrotto 055XPROB variety, with aluminium legs instead of carbon fibre, but my application will be slightly out of the ordinary as I'll need the heaviest but most-portable kind I can get. I plan on getting a 3-way head as I'll be able to get some kind of video usage out of it as well. If you're going to be doing long-exposure photography as well (say, to remove people from an architectural scene), don't skimp on a solid support... it can make a huge difference.

I can't speak for a good bag for your type of photography as I tend not to need or want a tripod at the moment, but I'm sure there are others who could lend a better opinion on that.

Good luck

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Canon EOS 5D MkII | Canon EOS 7D | Canon Digital Rebel XSi | EF 35mm f/1.4L | EF 50mm f/1.8 II | EF 85mm f/1.8 | EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM | EF 135mm f/2L | EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS | 580EX II | LumoPro LP-120

My Flickr

Plymer,

the lens what you called is a little bit expensive for me now and I dont wanna buy a prime wide angle lens. Of course if you tell me that it creates huge differences I can think about it but lots of reviews suggests 10-20 or 10-22 so I think they are good enough?

I was originally thinking about the Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 or the Tokin 11-16mm f/2.8.
What made me go for the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 (not the newer f/3.5) was the price.

The deal I got on it was under half of the Canon, and when I do landscapes, I am usually at f/8. When stopped down, I did not see any real difference between any of the lenses in terms of quality, so I went for price.

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

Thus why I said "long term"

I've used the 10-22mm and it's a great lens... Like I said, there really isn't a way to go wrong with either. If one fits your budget better than the other then go for it and then either go out for dinner or buy an extra filter or memory card or something

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Canon EOS 5D MkII | Canon EOS 7D | Canon Digital Rebel XSi | EF 35mm f/1.4L | EF 50mm f/1.8 II | EF 85mm f/1.8 | EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM | EF 135mm f/2L | EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS | 580EX II | LumoPro LP-120

My Flickr

Looking at tripods can be quite complicated, because you have

Different brands
Different sizes
Different materials
Different features
Different heads (detachable)

How much money are you looking to invest into a tripod and head?

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I didnt decide a specific value for equipments. I am new at photography and interested in architectural photography. So it seems I need a tripod/head.

I am not professional right now so may be best ones are useless for me but I want a secure, good ones which are not very heavy if it is possible.

Its weight/performance ratio is the key of my research.

Carbon fibre is lighter than aluminium, but can cost significantly more money.

If using a DSLR, you definately want some weight to it, otherwise it will fall over and won't be as stable for the images.

Manfrotto have the 055 and the 190 series, I believe. Within those two categories, you have different models, for instance some will tilt and some won't. I would have a look on their website. I am still looking to get one. I currently use a Monopod though, which was bought for easiest in all respects, and to save money.

190 Series - Short
055 Series - Long

Aluminium or Carbon Fibre
The Size
The number of legs (the more legs, the more compact, and therefore more expensive)
The features - does it tilt?
The maximum weight - this varies, and the head should also be considered

The domestic style tripods, the type of thing that you see available for £15 at your local camera shop have fixed heads, are extremely lightweight, and not really suitable for DSLRs. You ideally want a professional style one.

The Professional style tripods are available with or without heads. If you are happy to purchase a particular tripod and head that is available in a kit, you can take for a discounted price. I have noticed though that Monopods don't really come in kits though.

When buying, I would look at both ebay and Google 'Shopping' (tab). Within Cameralabs, there are affiliated sponsored links which means when the purchase is made, Cameralabs will receive something, which goes towards running the site.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II