Help! Think I'm regretting purchase of the T3i and EF 50mm f/1.8 & EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

[jen223]

So I bought a T3i a couple years ago in a kit with the EFS 18-55mm IS for our honeymoon and loved it as my first DSLR! I took a photography class to learn to use it and have since mostly taken food and travel pics, although I love photography in general and find an excuse to take pictures of anything.

Then I recently popped out a baby and obviously wanted to take amazing pictures of her, and after some lazy quick research (hey, I'm a frazzled new mom) on Amazon, bought the EF 50mm f/1.8 & EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lenses.

Now I'm wondering if I should've made different purchases and am looking to upgrade. I'm reading from this forum opposite views - some tell beginners considering 70D vs. T3i that the 70D is worth the extra cost. But then when someone asks about upgrading from the T3i, people say it's not much difference in image quality. I find that the images I take now are fine, but I do get annoyed at the color and sharpness of my photos. BUT this could just be due to my own lack of photography skill. Thoughts on this upgrade?

As for the EF 50mm f/1.8, I now want to upgrade to the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, which I hear is vastly superior to the 50mm f/1.8. I figure this would be a good investment since I take so many photos of my daughter and family portraits. I'm sure it can't hurt when taking pictures of my food creations as well. Is it worth it, and is there another lens to consider instead?

As for the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, I did NOT realize how far away I have to stand to use this lens! Right now I rarely use it, but the 2 times I have, I think the photos came out much better than that from the 50mm f/1.8. Maybe it'll come in handy when my daughter is older and will be embarrassed by me shoving my large camera in her and her friends' faces? Is it worth selling this and getting a more "useful" lens in the meantime?

As for the EFS 18-55mm IS, I don't remember what it was worth, but is there a better "all purpose" lens to get for when I travel? I'm assuming the previous lenses I've mentioned aren't the best for travel photos.

Thanks, everyone! Hopefully this is the last of my purchase regret!!

 

[CAP]

I have the Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM II and i love it, My minimum focus distance is about 95cm witch is not too bad.


Look into it though.

 

[astroNikon]

Are you using the 50mm at f/1.8?
can you provide sample photographs that are not sharp with full EXIF (information about the camera settings - aperture, shutter, iso, etc) data ?

 

[gossamer88]

The 50mm on the T3i behaves like an 80mm lens. The 85mm more like a 135mm. That is why you have to stand so far from your subject.

Basically your camera's sensor is cropped by a factor of 1.6x from a full-frame camera's sensor (35mm).

A full-frame camera matches exactly what the lens focal length is. In other words, a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera is 50mm.

You're probably better off getting the 50mm 1.4 and selling the 85mm.

 

[jen223]

Are you using the 50mm at f/1.8?
can you provide sample photographs that are not sharp with full EXIF (information about the camera settings - aperture, shutter, iso, etc) data ?

I typically use the 50mm at f/2.8 or so to keep more in focus and only 1.8 if I really want that shallow depth of field. I'll look for some photos, but they're pretty much all of my daughter and I don't want to put her picture on the internet. Although generally I keep the camera on aperture priority mode.

 

[jen223]

The 50mm on the T3i behaves like an 80mm lens. The 85mm more like a 135mm. That is why you have to stand so far from your subject.

Basically your camera's sensor is cropped by a factor of 1.6x from a full-frame camera's sensor (35mm).

A full-frame camera matches exactly what the lens focal length is. In other words, a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera is 50mm.

You're probably better off getting the 50mm 1.4 and selling the 85mm.

Yeah, I knew this would be the case but didn't realize I'd be standing THAT far away! Is the 50mm 1.4 that much better than the 50mm 1.8, do you think?

 

[gossamer88]

The 50mm on the T3i behaves like an 80mm lens. The 85mm more like a 135mm. That is why you have to stand so far from your subject.

Basically your camera's sensor is cropped by a factor of 1.6x from a full-frame camera's sensor (35mm).

A full-frame camera matches exactly what the lens focal length is. In other words, a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera is 50mm.

You're probably better off getting the 50mm 1.4 and selling the 85mm.

Yeah, I knew this would be the case but didn't realize I'd be standing THAT far away! Is the 50mm 1.4 that much better than the 50mm 1.8, do you think?

I have the 1.4 and love it. You can find it for less than $300 on CL or eBay.

 

[astroNikon]

Go take a picture of something else that has alot of detail where you won't be satisfied with the sharpness ... like a cat which has alot of hair.

 

[JacaRanda]

I would definitely not upgrade to the 70d until you have reached some kind of camera limiting factor. My wife went from T3I to 70d, but she primarily shoots wildlife and benefits from faster continuous bursts and a better focus system.

I like astroNikon's idea of posting some shots other than your daughter. You may have to learn to use flash to stop motion, and the 18-55 kit lens in cramped space.

 

[jaomul]

I have the Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM II and i love it, My minimum focus distance is about 95cm witch is not too bad.


Look into it though.

While I am sure you are trying to be helpful, you should realize that suggesting a lens such as the 85f2 to a new mom is probably not realistic. From your signature it looks like you are a pro photographer and your gear is certainly upper tier.I am not so sure how many people in the forum find suggestions such as an 85L lens or a 1dx really helpful for their budget.Recommending a Ferrari to a family who need an upgrade to a Volkswagen Jetta is a similar.

To OP. You say you need to upgrade. Are your shots off only with the 50 lens. Do you shoot jpeg or raw. If jpeg is your camera set up in your picture style choice to give sharp images (this setting can be turned down and images won't be very crisp). Saturation is the same and if your picture style setting is neutral or faithful there won't be much punch to your shots. If you shoot raw and process these settings in camera won't really matter.

The 50 f1.8 gets mixed reviews here. Many think its poor, personally I think its great. It is possible to have a bad copy also. The 85 f1.8 is great but as you noticed you have to be a distance away to use it on a crop.

As for travel, the kit lens is good but not very fast. A better option may be something like a sigma 17-50 f 2.8 OS or tamron 17-50 f2.8 or even the newer sigma 17-70f2.8-4 OS C.
Before you spend though check out thoroughly your own gear and settings. Its easy to drop money and get no benefit. As for the 70d, your images will not really be better with this camera except maybe in sport type situations. I would sit on my hands a bit before any camera upgrade. Just an opinion