lens question

[swmocity]

wats more important..USM motors or IS?..rather yet whats the difference..also "L" glass?

 

[prodigy2k7]

USM is ultra sonic motor.. Has a motor in the lens, focuses faster, IS is image stablizer, used to counter-act hand-shake which makes created blur in images with a slow shutter speed. L lenses are "professional" quality lenses, build tough, and produce crisp images etc... Cost more also

 

[swmocity]

so does the image stablizer lenses focus slow...like the kit lenses...i want to buy a new lens but im not to sure what to get...i dont care to much for focus speed...dont plan on taking action shoots...i read that the IS lens bumps the shutter speed four times faster...something like that?...also what should i be lookin for if i want a lens that can focus good with low light?...

 

[icassell]

I don't have any IS, but I'm happy. I have USM (or Sigma HSM) on all my lenses except the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 -- wish I had it there too, but it is still a great walkabout lens.

 

[tirediron]

Image Stabilization accounts for camera vibration. It allows you to use slower shutter-speeds and get sharp results.

 

[Bryant]

If you're wanting something that works in low light, IS and USM won't help you there. You'll want a lens that's aperture can go way wide like f/1.8 or 1.4 if you can afford it. The wider the aperture, the more light is let in, allowing for more light to fill in a shorter time brightening pictures. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is about $80 on Amazon, also called the nifty fifty. I've heard great things about it.

 

[Phazan]

^IS helps in low light..

 

[nymtber]

there is one problem with HUGE apertures. an aperture of 1.8 or 1.4, etc. has VERY little depth of field, even at a few feet.

you wanna shoot in low light, get a tripod. if you wanna handhold in lowlight, get a decent lens, and image stabilization.

canon USM lenses are very quiet and fast. Manual focus is silent and fast once you learn...cheaper lenses dont have as nice of a manual focus feel, however.

"L" glass is expensive, and good...but I doubt most of us that arnt shooting for money need that level of glass.

a good tripod (I love my bogen/manfrotto) will surely help with low light and even image quality sometimes. that can sometimes go double if you use 2 second timer, or buy a remote shutter cord.

unless your shooting skittish animals, USM doesnt help a lot. Id go with IS over USM.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Well thats why you shoot something at a distance for a bigger DoF. A landscape shot such as a mountain range, can be shot at F/1.4 with everything basically in focus (except a foreground IF there is one...) And this can be shot at pretty low light... compared to F/5.6

Edit: USM and IS are completly different.... Both of them are often combined on a good lens...

 

[KhronoS]

so does the image stablizer lenses focus slow...like the kit lenses...i want to buy a new lens but im not to sure what to get...i dont care to much for focus speed...dont plan on taking action shoots...i read that the IS lens bumps the shutter speed four times faster...something like that?...also what should i be lookin for if i want a lens that can focus good with low light?...

The USM helps with the focusing, it focuses fast and quietly. An IS lens will not focus slowly because every lens that has IS has USM as well (you won;t see lenses with IS and without USM), there are lenses with USM but without IS.

A lens to focus in low light it doesn;t mather that it has USM or IS, you need to have a big aperture opening ( like f/1.4 or f2.8) so that gets a lot of light into the camera so the sensor can focus easily

For example my 28-135mm IS USM lens with f/3.5 in a poorly lit situation can't focus doesn;t mathe how had i try, but if i put my 50mm lens f/1.8 without any fancy IS or USM i can focus easily if i open uo to f/1.8

 

[ksmattfish]

The "L" in Canon L lenses stands for "Luxury", as in this lens is going to cost you and arm and a leg, but you'll be hip and fashionable. Your photos will be the same as before with non-L lenses, but you'll feel much more luxurious! At least one Canon published lens guide says it stands for "Luxury". I've also heard some folks say it stands for "Low Distortion".

 

[swmocity]

If you're wanting something that works in low light, IS and USM won't help you there. You'll want a lens that's aperture can go way wide like f/1.8 or 1.4 if you can afford it. The wider the aperture, the more light is let in, allowing for more light to fill in a shorter time brightening pictures. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is about $80 on Amazon, also called the nifty fifty. I've heard great things about it.

lol i already have a 1.8...i like it but the low DOF is what i dont like...im trying to get full body pics

 

[swmocity]

The USM helps with the focusing, it focuses fast and quietly. An IS lens will not focus slowly because every lens that has IS has USM as well (you won;t see lenses with IS and without USM), there are lenses with USM but without IS.

A lens to focus in low light it doesn;t mather that it has USM or IS, you need to have a big aperture opening ( like f/1.4 or f2.8) so that gets a lot of light into the camera so the sensor can focus easily

For example my 28-135mm IS USM lens with f/3.5 in a poorly lit situation can't focus doesn;t mathe how had i try, but if i put my 50mm lens f/1.8 without any fancy IS or USM i can focus easily if i open uo to f/1.8

ahhh..that was my next question...thanks u already answered it

 

[swmocity]

as far as brands...canon,tamron, and sigma whats the big difference them if any different at all

 

[Mullen]

as far as brands...canon,tamron, and sigma whats the big difference them if any different at all

Just different people trying to get your money.