At long last

[seany]

I've been back and forth a million times on what lenses to buy for my Birthday. I've spent hrs upon hrs looking at shots from various lenses. I've now made up my mind...


I've gone for a 35 F1.4L and a 135 F2.0L. I was going to get the 16-35 which i've owned before, but i prefer primes and the two have chosen are stunning performers. So i've banged the order in with Kerso, the 35L is not easy to get hold off so will take a week or so.

I'll be counting the hrs

[RobertP]

He's pretty good at keeping you informed. Answered all my queries quickly.
He will probably phone you if he hasn't already.

Still a scary process until that parcel arrives

[RobertP]

FM lens reviewers seem to like them

Looking at the way you are going seany I see a FF camera body being your next birthday present.

35 is not that wide on a 20D. So there is either another lens or two or a different body on the horizon?

[seany]

I spoke to him last night actually Robert. It's not that wide on a 20D it's near a classic 50mm which is the standard for street stuff . I do enjoy street stuff most, though i don't get the time i'd like to do that. So i'm set for a while i think, but you know how this game goes

I'm happy with my 20D Robert, i don't think i'd get a 5D actually. But you never know

Those two lenses are two of the most regarded lenses canon make. http://www.pbase.com/3abxo3/canon_35_14
http://www.pbase.com/mfoto/ef135

[mr jones]

85mm you recommended to me was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY to long for the wedding.... (no one mentioned just how small the reception was going to be (although out of 5 bridesmaids (bearing in mind 2 were robs daughters and thus less than 11 years old) there was a resounding thumbs up for the other 3!)


85 was beautiful for the reel big fishgig on friday though!

[seany]

I'ts strengths does not lie in group shots jamie i'd go to me 50 for that. But much depends on the space you have of course

[tomson]

the 85mm is great for picking people out of a crowd and getting a nice head and shoulders shot - i'll use it for maybe 50% of the shots i take at a wedding. Definitely needs to be coupled with summut much wider though.

[Mr THX]

Originally Posted by seany

I've been back and forth a million times on what lenses to buy for my Birthday. I've spent hrs upon hrs looking at shots from various lenses. I've now made up my mind...


I've gone for a 35 F1.4L and a 135 F2.0L. I was going to get the 16-35 which i've owned before, but i prefer primes and the two have chosen are stunning performers. So i've banged the order in with Kerso, the 35L is not easy to get hold off so will take a week or so.

I'll be counting the hrs

Seany, Interested to know how to go about picking the correct lens for a camera. I've read many of these threads for advice and direction and I'm currently pondering over which body to choose. At the minute I currently swayed to buy the 20D. I would (as most recommend) buy the body only and then source a lens separately. Funds only allow for one lens so I wanted to make the correct choice

Where do I start, the numbers and letters after most of the lenses have me at a loss - (I'm Ok with the aperture information) its the affix's after those numbers USM's - DX's or the L's that are at the end ??? Which are best ?? Is there a sliding scale from good to bad ??

My main use for the camera would be in the home / garden - three kids to photo - holidays etc ........ and then some room for artistic licence as this hobby takes hold and I run with it (well walk )

Your (or anyones) advice on the lens quandary would be much appreciated.

[mr jones]

L lenses are canons "proffessional" range. so they are "better" than the other canon lenses and also they are more pricey!


USM means ultrasonic motor, which means focusing is quicker and quieter than the cheaper non usm motor.


i dont have a clue about DX, thats a sigma term and i dont know what it means :D

[RobertP]

USM = ultrasonic motor - Canons quiet fast focusing motor built into the lens and powered by the camera.

DX got me there - de luxe?

L = Luxury - Canons designation for their high(er) quality lenses.

There is no short cut to finding out about different lenses - read reviews....look at sample images....even look on ebay to see what people sell.
The review sites give ratings for the lenses so that is a good place to start.

You need something like the kit lens range to get you started. It will cover most of the stuff you mention. After a while you will realise the limitations and want something else as well...and so it starts

Originally I only had the kit lens with the 20D. That was not bad but I wanted a bigger aperture for lower light use. I bought the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 - based on reading lots of reviews.

I borrowed some lenses from someone with an old canon film slr and that certainly help get an idea of what zoom ranges I needed. If you can't borrow you could buy on ebay and then sell them again without losing much - as long as you are careful.

[seany]

Can only really echo what Robert said.

Nikon has a DX range, not sure what the dx stands for though.

I don't think you could go wrong with Tamron that Robert has. A good "walk about lens" as they're called, which will cover a Varity of situations.

Some info on sigma lenses http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/supp...riviations.htm http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lens...andardzoom.htm

The EX range is sigma high end lenses, DG is designed with digital in mind, though can work on traditional slr's.

As Jamie said, L's are canons pro/enthusiast range. If the forums out there are anything to go by, most people with L lenses don't actually make a living from photography.


Most canon lenses are EF fit, there's a new type called EFS that is made specifically for digitally slrs. There's not many lenses of this kind for canon at the moment, and some wonder if efs lenses have a long future.

Canon lenses http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/con...categoryid=148 (click on "lens 101" on the right of the page)




There's fixed focal lenses known as primes. All my lenses are fixed, it's just what i prefer, it's a subjective thing. Primes tend to be sharper/ lighter more discreet (unless we're talking about super telephoto primes) and faster then zooms. But you have to use your feet and for some that’s inconvenient, not for me; But we're all different.

When lenses ar described as “fast” it means that they have a wide maximum aperture from 1.0 to 2.8 this means they let in more light so you can get a faster shutter speed in poor or available light. Saves the need for a tripod which in poor light situations are no use for moving subjects so fast shutter speeds are needed

You can only really know what you like by using it for a certain length of time. But i do think the Tamron Robert spoke of coupled with the 20D would be a great start, far better then the one i had

[dood]

If you only want one lens for now, and considering your usage, I would skip the kit lens and go for better quality. How about the canon 28-135 IS USM or if funds allow, the 24-70L ?

[DJW]

Good starting point here