Lens Demo's

[alphaomega16]

Heya guys I was just wondering if anyone here lives around the Southend area that has a wide selection of lenses they wouldnt mind showing me that would be compatable with a Canon 400D.

[barongreenback]

They're called Jessops and there should be one in Southend

[senu]

All Canons EF ( and EF-S lenses) are compatible. There is also a wide range of Tamron, Tokina , Sigma and other well regarded 3rd party lenses varying in price and quality

Before going to "Jessops", ( A good suggestion BTW I went a few times and still pop in from time to time) It is worth asking yourself why you want the lens

Is it to replace the kit lens : Ie a better all purpose lens?
To get better Wide angle?
Better zoom?
A portrait lens?
Lowlight ( ie IS or "fast" lens?)
Close ups:macro
Unless you dont mind the kit lens, you will probably be using its replacement most of the time
No one lens can doit all and even those that are versatile will have strengths and weaknesses
These questions are impt as the variety is bewildering and the prices are just as varied: ( imagine a child let loose in Toys R uS )

There are Threads with all these type of questions the forums to help you before you set out to Jessops. Your time there will be better spent armed with some knowledge.
Even if there is a forum member around you, His/her shooting style and subjects of interest may be different from yours and they would be less likely to have access to the variety that Jessops do.
I would certainly be happy to let you have a play with my little collection but I live in Uxbridge!

[alphaomega16]

Originally Posted by barongreenback

They're called Jessops and there should be one in Southend

There is but they seem to be pretty clueless when it comes to the equipment.

I asked them about the "Rattle" I hear on my Canon 400D and they didnt have a clue so I cam home went on google and found out it was the "orientation sensor".

Plus this is my first DSLR and I would feel like a bit of an idiot standing in the shop trying to figure out what the blooming things do lol.

All I have atm is the kit lens and was thinking of looking for something with some zoom with IS and is quite quick.

Also I will want one to do family/single member shots also indoors as well as outdoors.

Also will need good lens for WWE Events.

[ajf]

What sort of power zoom are you thinking of?
This is a link to Canons Image Stabilised lenses and pretty much covers all the options available:

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Prod...PageID=26112#2

I use the 100-400mm IS lens which I can say is an excellent lens with a great reach but at F5.6 at 400mm it is not that fast. Ideal for airshows etc though and have not found the maximum of f5.6 to be an issue at all.

I have also the non IS 70-200mm F4 and can say that is also an excellent lens which I can only assume IS would make even better. They also do an F2.8 but be prepared to spend many £££s on it!

Andrew

[senu]

Originally Posted by alphaomega16

There is but they seem to be pretty clueless when it comes to the equipment.

I asked them about the "Rattle" I hear on my Canon 400D and they didnt have a clue so I cam home went on google and found out it was the "orientation sensor".

Plus this is my first DSLR and I would feel like a bit of an idiot standing in the shop trying to figure out what the blooming things do lol.

All I have atm is the kit lens and was thinking of looking for something with some zoom with IS and is quite quick.

Also I will want one to do family/single member shots also indoors as well as outdoors.

Also will need good lens for WWE Events.

Not all Jessops staff are clueless. Indeed most aren't and what they don't know they can often tell you where to find out IME . I guess it might depend on branch . There are some very enthusiastic ( and knowledgeable ) staff at the Uxbridge and North Greenford branches but given the pace of technonlogy one has to be understanding if they cant answer all queries to your satisfaction

If you want a replacement for the kit lens The Canon EF-S 17- 85 mm f 4-5.6 USM IS is probably the most appopriate but it costs £350 at the cheapest.There are much costlier ( and better ones!!)

The Money buys you better build and certainly better glass as well as fast quiet focusing (USM) and IS ( which rocks ) It also has better range than 18-55mm

It will not do for WWE events. For that you need a Fast Zoom or one with IS due to the low light and speed required in a sporting event:

For your family single member indoor /outdoor single shots: You could do worse then the £60 Canon 50mm 1:1.8 MkII which is a fast Prime lens.
Often called the "nifty fifty " or "thrifty fifty" it is great value for money has nice bokeh and good low light performance. Its build quality is flimsy but then the next one up ( the 1.4) costs 4x as much.
Unless you have space it is a bit less easy to use it for groups as it may not have a good enough wide angle

[Radiohead]

Depending on your budget it's yelling EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS to me, but it's not cheap.

[Yandros]

I don't know about the Southend branch, but both Lakeside and Basildon Jessops are not great for SLR knowledge. I won't be too rude about them, because they've freely admitted to not catering for the DSLR market - they sell point and click cams mostly. I seem to recall that they suggested Chelmsford was a higher end branch in this part of Essex.

I gather Cameraworld are pretty good as well if you're in Chelmsford.

http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/about_us.asp

The other nice little store to try is Photooptix in Lakeside (down at the far end of Brompton Walk). They don't have a huge range, but the staff generally know their stuff.