M&A Going to Camera Store Today need ADVICE

messplay

messplay

Active member
i really want to step up in some equipment for my 7d...i have a tripod already and a bag and thats basically it...my lens is the 18-135mm kit lens i got with my camera but the lowest f-stop is 5.6 and im pretty sure it isnt nice glass/let alone some plastic... but i was wondering if there is something i should look for that is a decent price that the camera store might have, such as a prime lens or another lens in general that is GOOD

thanks
 
don't just go there and buy.

figure out what focal lengths you like, figure out what kid of shots you like, figure out what style you like, figure out your budget, and do lots of research.

That being said, the 50mm 1.4 is a pretty awesome prime if you want autofocus.
 
well others in M&A have pointed out that a kit lens is trash, i dont care it was a gift, i have the 7D which is what counts, ha. but i wanted a nice, quality lens that i wont regret purchasing that can capture a basic landscape shot, good portrait shots, and some macro.

 
^ what he said.

Do research before. A camera store can give you info, but it's likely that they don't have a clue about what you are trying to film, and are just looking to hock some gear on you.

If you think your kit lens has plastic elements in it, you need to learn up on camera gear in general before you start thinking about purchasing! get familiar with canon's line up of lenses, what makes some lenses better than others (aberration, sharpness, contrast, color rendition, build, mechanics of focus and zoom, etc). Then read a ton of reviews and view a ton of sample images and make comparisons.

THEN, decide if you want to fuq with older manual focus lenses and used lenses. You're shooting video, and at that resolution even softer lenses look sharp. If you're ok on that, start looking for lenses you can buy canon mount adapters for, used, on craigslist or ebay or KEH.com (when you order, call and talk to Dan Orchard, the only legit way to use that site). Some of those lenses look great on video because the softer focus and (sometimes) higher contrasts of older, simpler lenses look more natural. Plus, they are more prone to flare, which can be a good thing or a bad thing (I like it.)

you may find that your next purchase should be a fluid head, or maybe something else that's not a lens at all.
 
you're going to want something 50mm+ for portraits, and something wider than a 35mm for the basic landscape. You may be able to pair one of those with a macro ability, if you look.
 
wider than a 35?

so you mean something less that 35mm...

im thinking about the Canon 50 1.4 as my prime, yay nay?
 
wrong. it's f/3.5-5.6 (meaning that the widest aperture is f/3.5 at the widest(18mm) end, and f/5.6 at the longest(135mm) end.
 
A 50 1.4 would work for portraits and a lot of general shooting well, and it would give you low light ability.

And yea, I mean something less than 35. I find that on a crop sensor camera (like the 7d) I'm shooting about 20-25mm as a general wider landscape lens. But sometimes, something wider or tighter is necessary. it just depends on the shot you want. Also, that's for stills. For pan shots, I wouldn't want anything wider than 35 on a crop sensor. but again, that's a personal preference.

Maybe look for a good midrange zoom. I don't know canon's line well enough to recommend one. I know a lot of people that use the 17-40 L series lens, but I don't know how much that's worth or how fast it is.

If you are looking at canon 1.4, maybe look at older autofocus ones. Not sure if you want to deal with that all the time but it will be cheaper.
 
thanks a lot man!

what do you mean here with an 'older' autofocus lens? whats the difference between that and a 'newer' one, and what lens would be an example of this so i can compare online

/sorry
 
you're going to start paying a lot of money for faster lenses and better optics quick. It's not a great lens, but most SLR lenses aren't actually BAD, especially for video.
 
a newer lens would be the one on canon's website.

an older one would be one that's no longer on their website, made (i'm guessing) 10-50 years ago.

such as:

xlarge.jpg
 
difference is any number of things, from build quality to performance. start reading reviews!
 
don't waste money renting lenses. Consider your price range, what you want the lens to do, then research it. decide on the lens you want, and buy it.
 
i bought a Canon FD to EOS mount(x1.4 glass element) from B&H photo and it didn't fit the lens without modification (a couple hours of filing the mount with a hobby file), very annoying.
 
dont buy any lense that needs an adapter with glass, you are better off spending the money on different lenses. even the nice glass in nicer adapters still wont be as nice as the glass in the lens. defeats the whole purpose.

stick to things like the nikon mount. pentax k mount, etc that you can adapt with just a metal ring, and maintain infinity focus.
 
so guys..

i went ahead and purchased the Canon 50mm 1.4 USM today, it was $379 but i have a week to return it if need be. i just got back from shooting and that thing is fast! its great to have such a low f-stop so ill be testing it out tonight as well..

i figured with my birthday + christmas coming up i can most likely score two more lenses...

i noticed earlier today though how much i kinda missed not having my >50mm range from my 18-135mm lens (left in car) so maybe ill ask for that tokina 16-50mm for my Birthday in 2 months

i also got a Promaster UV Lens Filter to fit on, it was $69 - but i tihnk im going to return that..

any inputs/advice i should get as far as a ND filter and what brand? the camera store here is highly stocked with Promaster and then a high-end brand i can't remember where a typical UV Filter was like $169..

thanks!
 
haha i was telling my grandmother (who is a photographer) since the beginning of summer that i have been getting into photog..so i went home, mentioned it to her and drove her with me to the camera store, the day before i left to come back to school she had it overnighted haha
 
well it won't give you any more zoom, just a nice wide angle and fast constant aperture.

if you want more of the range, people like the canon 24-105L 4.0. People like it, but it's not that fast.
 
what do you mean by 'fast'?

i noticed with my new 50mm today that shooting continuous at High speed was a LOT faster than shooting at the same setting with my 18-135mm..both at or around the same aperture/shutter speed.

why is that?
 
a "fast" lens is a lens that lets in more light.

a lens that stops at f4 or 5 is a slower lens, one that stops up at f2.8 is faster, as you can imagine f1.4 is pretty fast.
 
yeah that was my assumption.

are the "L" series even faster or why are they more expensive? the 50mm 1.4L is over $1.5k
 
he doesn't let things go, I would suggest just ignoring him.

And as I've told you before, several times, you need to read in depth and comparative lens reviews. You will never learn anything important about camera glass until you start looking at reviews with sample pictures pointing out things like coma, aberratio
 
he doesn't let things go, I would suggest just ignoring him.

And as I've told you before, several times, you need to read in depth and comparative lens reviews. You will never learn anything important about camera glass until you start looking at reviews with sample pictures pointing out things like coma, aberration, sharpness, etc. Seriously, start reading.
 
i dont mean to come off as condescending, but if you dont know what L glass is, you dont need it.
 
Im sorry but you are being just as bad as his grandma who went out and bought him a 7d because he was 'getting into' photography. He clearly doesn't care about doing research he just wants you tell him the best glass to buy. If he cared he would of taken the advice to not just go there and buy, but he didn't.

Im also not a fan of kids who get things handed to them. Ever. Call me old fashion but I believe you should start with a hand me down film camera and a lens. You'll learn as you go.
 
I'm the same way. I've bought every piece of photo gear I own besides a few filters I got for christmas a couple years ago. I started with my dad's 35 year old olympus OM1 and a 50 in the darkroom.

Doesn't give you an excuse to be a troll.
 
If he doesn't respond to constructive criticism and suggestions, I troll. No need to be redundant.
 
i was actually reviewing the lens i bought today for a few days and had already gone into the store previously to make sure they had it to to talk to the employees.

i can also return it if i realize i would rather have something that isn't restricted to a fixed focal length.

dont trip.
 
lol.

Also, reviewing it for days? Yet you had to question what he meant when he said Canon 50mm 1.4?
 
stevens[5], Homework assignment for you:

In order to start to understand how your camera/lens works along with some basic photography terms please follow this link: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/ and read up on most of it. Actually make that all of it. Yes that's a lot of info, but there is a lot for you to learn. The more you know about photography, the faster you will improve. You'll understand the limits of your camera and lenses, and make informed decisions about what equipment you want to buy.

(the above link, although covering a wide range of terminology, is by no means in-depth on every item, use this as a starting point and continue searching)

 
Ha even by his standards you have been helpful, you told him to go get a 50 1.4 and he did.
 
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