opinions please

mels · Oct 6, 2005

Hi,
I recently bought a secondhand canon eos 3000N. It came with a 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II.

What I would like is any opinions /thoughts on the good and the bad with the camera and lens.

I would also like to know what else I should get by way of lenses and other equipment so I have a basic kit. I mainly take photos of kids (mostly moving occasionally still lol).

If anyone could also tell me if there are non- Canon lenses that will suit my camera that would be great.

Cheers

Meysha · Oct 6, 2005

How long's a peice of string?

Nice camera, but I've got no idea on the lens.
Can I suggest just using the one lens for a while now, and then go through your photos and figure out where you want more/less zoom, and at what zoom you take most of your photos. That will give you a bit more of an idea of what lenses, if any you need to buy.

My dad was a professional photographer for years and years but he only had 1 lens.

You may want to think about getting a faster lens. That one isn't especially fast, and if you're going to be shooting kids, you may want that nice zoom, and the flexibility of a faster lens.

But stick it out with the one until you figure out for yourself what you need.

Marctwo · Oct 6, 2005

I think the 28-80 is practically useless for shooting kids playing. To get any kind of intimacy, you'll have to be right in there where the action is; And you'll have to keep running around like a blue-ar$ed fly to try and keep up.

Get a 70-200/70-300 and you can sit back with a good over-view of what's going on.

For EOS you're looking for any lens with EF fit (not EF-S) under various brands such as Canon, Sigma, Tamron.

Digital Matt · Oct 6, 2005

Buy a 50mm f/1.8 and get shooting.

Big Mike · Oct 6, 2005

Welcome to the forum.

The camera should be a good one. The lens is in the normal zoom range, I think that range should be good for shots of kids. If you get too long of a zoom (70-300) it may be hard to get shots indoors because there is not enough room to back up.

The downside is that it's a slow entry level lens. Slow meaning it has a small maximum aperture (F3.5-5.6) this could make it hard to get good shots of moving kids if the light is not bright. It's not the sharpest lens either, but should be good for most 4x6 or 5x7 prints.

As for accessories, I'd suggest a hot shoe flash to mount on top of the camera. Maybe a 50mm F1.8 lens as well.

joeboot · Oct 6, 2005

Everyone recommends the 50mm f/1.8 so often that it gets a little boring. But you know what? They are absolutely right! It is a fantastic lens and will solve all (almost all) of your photographic problems, provided you have the mobility to move yourself and your camera forward or backward as necessary for framing the picture. This is what we did in the olden days.

I also would not give up on your 28-80. If you are using print film and don't plan on making many prints over 4x6, it will probably be plenty sharp. Also, you can make up for the 3.5-5.6 by getting faster film.