Buying Prime Lens vs Speedlite

[o hey tyler]

FL = Focal length

...​Oh.

I figured your were referring to the Canon mount back in the 60's

Nerd.

 

[OpticMemory]

so far everyone's opinion is 50/50..

in terms of my use... lately I've been doing a lot of street photography.. but.. there are also times when Im shooting indoors with low lighting..

tough decision.... but since it is now spring.. i will probably be outside more...

I just saw another 50mm but it is 1.8 instead of 1.4... and it is HALF the price cheaper.. O_O is 1.8 good? maybe i'll make a new post on this.

 

[OpticMemory]

oh.. by the way.. thanks everyone.

 

[sovietdoc]

You probably want a fast lens to let you shoot in darker conditions and control the light.

Flash - lets you do just that. I'd get the flash first.

 

[o hey tyler]

so far everyone's opinion is 50/50..

in terms of my use... lately I've been doing a lot of street photography.. but.. there are also times when Im shooting indoors with low lighting..

tough decision.... but since it is now spring.. i will probably be outside more...

I just saw another 50mm but it is 1.8 instead of 1.4... and it is HALF the price cheaper.. O_O is 1.8 good? maybe i'll make a new post on this.

The 50/1.8 is not great. If you spring on a 50 make sure it's an f/1.4.

 

[usayit]

For the price, I think the 50mm f/1.8 is unbeatable. The key is the price.... some people expect the world for a penny. Build is less, it uses a "zippy" motor rather than the silent USM, less aperture blades, and optics are good but not as good as the f/1.4.

It pretty comes down to how much you can afford.

 

[Dao]

If you shoot a lot of indoor events (i.e.birthday parties, company dinners) where you can bounce your flash, I will go with the flash first. What I did in the beginning was bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens (new at around $71 shipped) and a used non-TTL Canon flash (older model only ttl with eos film camera, bought it for around $30 - $40).

Today, I am still using that flash as a manual flash. There was a little learning curve using all manual settings (manual mode on ISO, aperture and flash power). But it won't take too long to learn.

And if you are fine with selling stuff, (assuming you keep your gears in good condition) you can sell the lens (or flash) back and move up later on. I was able to make few bucks after I use the lens for awhile and sold it (that simply because I bought it with $20 discount with google check out back then and the price of the new lens went up).

 

[Austin Greene]

EDIT: Glad others suggested this as well.

Wait...why not buy the flash and put that $100 difference into getting a nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8 which retails for $100)?

I disagree with Tyler on this one. A newbie would really have to pick at the 50mm to notice any huge differences in image quality. There are plenty of comparison videos out there verifying that. If you don't mind the cheaper build for lasting you until you pick up an f/1.4, I see no reason to not get one.

 

[OpticMemory]

Wait...why not buy the flash and put that $100 difference into getting a nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8 which retails for $100)?

I disagree with Tyler on this one. A newbie would really have to pick at the 50mm to notice any huge differences in image quality. There are plenty of comparison videos out there verifying that. If you don't mind the cheaper build for lasting you until you pick up an f/1.4, I see no reason to not get one.

That's a good point. Thanks for the suggestion. =)

 

[brush]

Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Canon: Electronics

You're welcome.

 

[OpticMemory]

Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Canon: Electronics

You're welcome.

Thanks Bill.

hmm.. Yongnuo... I've never heard of this brand.. yes it is ultra cheap... how is the quality? -- I'm a little skeptical on the brand, but i've got an open mind.

 

[brush]

Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Canon: Electronics

You're welcome.

Thanks Bill.

hmm.. Yongnuo... I've never heard of this brand.. yes it is ultra cheap... how is the quality? -- I'm a little skeptical on the brand, but i've got an open mind.

I haven't tried one of their flashes yet but I've heard lots of very good things...supposedly that 565EX is right on par with Canon's 580 EX II which is a model up from the 430 you've been looking at. I do have a set of RF-603C remote triggers from Yongnuo though, and I love everything about them...hopefully that will translate to their flashes too but I can't say for sure.

 

[OpticMemory]

Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Canon: Electronics

You're welcome.

Thanks Bill.

hmm.. Yongnuo... I've never heard of this brand.. yes it is ultra cheap... how is the quality? -- I'm a little skeptical on the brand, but i've got an open mind.

I haven't tried one of their flashes yet but I've heard lots of very good things...supposedly that 565EX is right on par with Canon's 580 EX II which is a model up from the 430 you've been looking at. I do have a set of RF-603C remote triggers from Yongnuo though, and I love everything about them...hopefully that will translate to their flashes too but I can't say for sure.

Ok cool.. thanks for the tips.. I will dig some more info about Yongnuo...

 

[photographyxfactor]

consider getting the 18-55 instead, the 50/1.8 (or 1.4) and you probably could STILL get the SB600. Depends on what you like to shoot and preferred focal lengths.