advice please

bryonumbe · Nov 14, 2007

heyy i was looking at purchasing a cannon 40D and and i have no idea whaty lenses to buy
i want to take some close ups and some at about 30 feet and i would also like to take good scenery pics so if you could please suggest some lenses that arent really expensive but would work well im looking to buy probably two lenses

soylentgreen · Nov 14, 2007

Welcome to the forum...First off, it would help if you stated a budget and the sort of image quality you are after. I would reccommend you start off with the starter kit lens first with a good all-around performance. Use it for a while before investing in more lenses right off the bat. Unless you have money burning a hole in your wallet. :wink:

I reccommend the EF-S 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS lens over the EF 28-135 IS due to the wider field of view of said 17-85. Great general purpose lens to start with, can zoom down to 17" or so for macro work and good reach at 85mm. Use the lens, improve your skills, narrow down your needs, than add on from there. If after a while you feel you need a more close-up lens for macro work, than get a macro lens. If you determine you need more zoom capability, than invest in a telephoto and so forth.

bryonumbe · Nov 14, 2007

thanks for the reply ya this is my first dslr and im looking to be able to take high quality pics and to take pics with friends and do miny photo shoots so if you know of a good lens for that that would be great thanks

Sideburns · Nov 14, 2007

Hey guys. Just gonna mention...Bryon is my baby brother. He has little to no experience in the photography world...but I'm sure he can learn bits and pieces...
I was suggesting to him maybe a Rebel XTi or similar...
I consider the 40D overkill for a first camera, especially with no pro/semi-pro work in mind.
He will most likely mess around with my kit lens.

Just gonna wonder if you would back me up on this or not? He is 16, and I know that everyone wants the best...but do you think it would be more than he needs? I have no problem with him going and getting the 40D, but I think that the XTi would even be overkill to be honest.

I have suggested to him, a 50mm 1.8 and the sigma 70-300Macro...good starting lenses I think...covers all his bases...cept maybe scenery...which the kit lens could easily cover.

Sideburns · Nov 15, 2007

bump.

soylentgreen · Nov 15, 2007

Well, Bryon has to start with something. The XT/ XTi is as beginner DSLRs as it gets in Canon terms. But keep in mind, he will eventually learn and grow as he uses the camera, so you need that aspect of it. Prove me right Bryon. Though the mid-level bodies are a bit much in terms of costs, function, etc. I found it to be a benefit when I purchased my 20D over the XT. I can honestly tell you I had no idea what an f-stop was when I got my 20D. I wanted a camera that would last me for a while and not need to upgrade as my skills improved and found it lacking in some way. The deciding factor was feel and function. The XT/XTi was just too small and chincy to handle. Try them out at the store and see how they feel, also look for deals on teh 30D instead of the 40D if you do not need the Live-View (which I rarely use) or 6.5fps.

Sideburns · Nov 17, 2007

He likes lookin at the numbers. As for "learning" and whatnot...I doubt he'll even come back here unless I force him to come back and learn something. I appreciate your help with answering his questions...but I'm pretty sure he's so set on blowing his cash that he'll never see your reply.

I just don't want him to waste money on a 1400 dollar camera, then use it like a P+S and then 2 months later...when the new car smell wears off...have it collect dust for most of the year until we go on vacation and he carries around a gigantic "P+S".

lol....oh well.