Lens help

[er111a]

I have two lens currently a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens and the one that came with the camera. are they good and should I get different lens thanks

 

[Dao]

Do you think you are limited by your current lenses?

 

[er111a]

Do you think you are limited by your current lenses?

No but I just dont think my photos loom as good as they should

 

[Plato]

Do you think you are limited by your current lenses?

No but I just dont think my photos loom as good as they should

What makes you believe that buying new lenses will make your pictures loom any better?

 

[Big Mike]

There are certainly better lenses available, but the best way to improve you photos is not by changing your gear, it's by improving the photographer.

 

[er111a]

Do you think you are limited by your current lenses?

No but I just dont think my photos loom as good as they should

What makes you believe that buying new lenses will make your pictures loom any better?

Because they are not bad

 

[Derrel]

Well, if you'd like your photos to loom better, perhaps you'd like to try a prime lens, like Canon's 50mm f/1.8 EF-II or Canon's 35mm f/2 EF lens....both of those will probably give you slightly richer color than the kit zoom or the 55-250.

My personal opinion is that the Canon 18-55 kit lenses have all been somewhat disappointing to many people; the first version sold in the USA was really a POS lens; I know, I happen to own one, and it is a terrible lens. There are two people (that I know) on this forum that use the newer 18-55 for much of their work, and their photos show a lack of quality that is caused largely by bad chromatic aberration in the images the 18-55 makes; high levels of CA sort of undercut your photos in a subtle, insidious way. The images will have this sort of "plastic lens look", sort of "video capture" look to them, with very faint yellowish fringing on the edges of solid objects--that is the typical 'look' coming from the 18-55 EF-S lens. When seen on its own, like when it is the only lens you own, you might not notice it, but when an image shot with a higher-grade lens is seen side-by-side, you can easily see the difference a "quality lens" makes.

I know you are a relative beginner, and I'm not saying that a new 50 or new 35 Canon prime will automatically make your images look fantastic, but there *is* a difference in performance between Canon's absolute cheapest zoom lenses and their prime lenses, and even a beginner will get the technical benefits of better lenses. The artistic benefits are another matter entirely. But one of the things that Canon L glass and Nikon ED glass lenses have is richer color saturation; it's actually noticeable on every frame. Not that the 50/1.8 or 35/2 are L-glass grade, but they ARE actually optimized to do one thing, and they have fewer elements and fewer air-to-glass surfaces and that leads to higher contrast and less lost light due to reflections.

 

[SrBiscuit]

No but I just dont think my photos loom as good as they should

What makes you believe that buying new lenses will make your pictures loom any better?

Because they are not bad

what aren't?
the pics?
or the lenses?

 

[erhard]

Important to remember is what you want out of photography. Are you into sports, nature, macro, portrait, happy snapper etc etc.
I found that lenses that come bundled with a camera are generally cheap and get you started right away using the new toy. After all, camera manufacturers are not about to give too much away! ;-)
What I call 'long range' zoom lenses, such as your 55-250 are a compromise, then again, most zooms are to one extend. If you think about it, here is a piece of glass that is trying to cover all those focal lengths, something has got to give.
Usually they are not really good in the lower end as well as the top end, depends on the brand and model and they don't normally offer you a low 'f' stop.
So we come back to what I first said, what is your main interest in photography, as this should help you decide what type of lens to get and will also help members here to give you more accurate advise.
Whatever you decide, always try and buy the very best you can afford and when you can't afford it straight away, wait and save up some money, don't make the mistake of getting a less superior model/make lens because you are impatient.
And finally, as has already been mentioned, practise practise practise and then practise some more. :sillysmi:

 

[er111a]

What makes you believe that buying new lenses will make your pictures loom any better?

Because they are not bad

what aren't?
the pics?
or the lenses?

pics

 

[fokker]

I second the suggestion to get a prime lens - specifically the 50mm 1.8 II. Not only is it a great lens that costs next to nothing and gives you an awesome big aperture to play with, but using a prime lens forces you to think about your photos so much more than a zoom lens, it really is a great way to improve your shots.

 

[AliasPros]

The nifty fifty (Canon 50mm 1.8 II) is the first lens I picked up outside of my kit lenses, although the focus is operatic for the price of under 100 bucks you cant go wrong! However it's the gateway drug to more expensive L's I found!!! LOL

ALIAS
(Rookie)

 

[Tulsa]

You can buy my L series 20-35mm f/2.8 lens, like new condition and cheap.

 

[AliasPros]

You can buy my L series 20-35mm f/2.8 lens, like new condition and cheap.

Really? How much???????????? PM me with details...

ALIAS
(Rookie)

 

[SrBiscuit]

Because they are not bad

what aren't?
the pics?
or the lenses?

pics

well then, i agree with some of the suggestions for a nice prime.

what about your pics do you think would be improved by a new lens?