New guy

[henryp]

B&H great too....

Thank you.

Hmm, I get it. So I would want a shorter focal length range if I would want to shoot things closer up, and a longer focal range if I want to shoot something retlatively far away?

Maybe I misunderstand, but if not I think you're misunderstanding. A telephoto lens will let you stand further from your subject and still fill the frame. When I'm shooting a football game, I use a telephoto lens to get an image of the quarterback that fills the frame without actually wandering onto the field.

A wide angle lens lets me, for example, stand with my back to the wall and still get all of my subject in the frame without having to crop off the top or bottom. When my sister went to Italy she said she often needed the wide angle to get the whole building in front of her while pressed against the wall of the building behind her.

In effect, a tele lens is like binocs on your camera while a w/a lens is like looking through the binocs backwards.

Hope this helps.

 

[djacobox372]

However the Rebel uses an EF-S mount which can use both EF and EF-S interchangeably. Any lens made after 1987 by Canon will mount to a Rebel and work with all features. You don't have to worry about things like not having a focus motor in your Nikon body and what lenses will autofocus and what lenses won't... or what lenses will meter and what lenses won't.

When you buy a new Nikon body like the D3000 you have to read the fine print on the Nikon site as to what lenses are completely compatible with it and which ones are only partially compatible.

Example, this is the break down of Nikon lenses and their compatibility with the D3000:

If you opt for a d200, d300, d700 or d3 all those worries you mention are mute--they can use every lense made since 1959 (with one or two RARE exceptions that you'll never encounter).

 

[bazooka]

What Henry said.

Also, keep in mind that filling the frame with a subject (a person for example) at two different focal lengths by physically getting closer with a wide angle and getting further away with a narrow angle (telephoto) will separate and compress the subject against the foreground and background elements in the photo respectively. You can use different focal lengths to change perspective when shooting the same subject at the same size in the frame.

 

[brian1337]

Hmm. Alright. Whats the F/1.4 or whatever it is stand for? f-stop or something? =s

 

[brian1337]

Actually, I might get the T1i (3818B018AA Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S Digital SLR Camera - Black - with 18-55mm Lens - Refurbished)
It comes with a 18-55mm lens and i can use that while i find money to buy other lenses
And, plus the T1i can do video, and I might use that for biking and dance stuff [=

 

[inTempus]

However the Rebel uses an EF-S mount which can use both EF and EF-S interchangeably. Any lens made after 1987 by Canon will mount to a Rebel and work with all features. You don't have to worry about things like not having a focus motor in your Nikon body and what lenses will autofocus and what lenses won't... or what lenses will meter and what lenses won't.

When you buy a new Nikon body like the D3000 you have to read the fine print on the Nikon site as to what lenses are completely compatible with it and which ones are only partially compatible.

Example, this is the break down of Nikon lenses and their compatibility with the D3000:

If you opt for a d200, d300, d700 or d3 all those worries you mention are mute--they can use every lense made since 1959 (with one or two RARE exceptions that you'll never encounter).

That's good to know, but the OP is shopping in the D3000 range, not the D300 and up range.

 

[henryp]

Hmm. Alright. Whats the F/1.4 or whatever it is stand for? f-stop or something? =s

Almost every lens you can put on an slr allows you to vary the size of the lens opening (aperture) to allow more or less light to pass through to the sensor (or film). Apertures are measured in f/stops and the smaller the number (f/1.4 is smaller than f/2.8 which is smaller than f/5.6), the larger the aperture and the more light passes through. This controls exposure -- how much light reaches the sensor. The other camera control which changes exposure is the shutter speed. Think of this as a door. Aperture is how wide you open the door and shutter speed is how long the door remains open.

When you buy a lens, the two specs you consider first are the focal length (wide angle or telephoto, etc., or the zoom range if you're looking at zoom lenses) and the maximum aperture, or widest lens opening. The smaller the number (f/1.4 for example) the more light the lens can possibly pass at the widest aperture setting. This means a brighter image in the finder, since you always view at the max aperture, and it means the lens can be used in lower light conditions.

 

[brian1337]

So I should always look for the highest aperture? Or is there advantages of a low aperture?

 

[henryp]

So I should always look for the highest aperture? Or is there advantages of a low aperture?

All else being equal a 70-300 f/4 will be smaller, lighter, and less expensive than a 70-300 f/2.8. There's no solid rule-of-thumb as to which is sharper or the better performer optically. The f/2.8 is aimed at the pro, but often to achieve the faster max aperture the designers have to accept other compromises. In my experience, there is no "always." I swapped a Nikon 28/2.8 for a 28/2 once and loved the faster max aperture, but the weight difference was noticeable.

 

[brian1337]

Ehh i kinda get it. haha.
Adorama just removed the T1i Refurb though :[ arghhhh

 

[brian1337]

Do you guys know any other place where I can get a refurbished T1i? I really want it, but I don't think I can pay the $750 for it =[
I checked on canon's website, but the T1i wasn't there in the refurbished section

 

[Jeremy Z]

If you're only going to have one lens to start with, it should not be a 50mm. It will be useless for anything but portraits and short telephoto shots.

Start with a kit lens.

For my Pentax, I have the 18-55 kit lens, the 50-200, and an old manual focus 50mm f/2. I only use the 50mm for close-ups and the rare portrait. I only paid $60 for it or I would regret the purchase.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy refurbished. The Macbook Pro I'm typing on right now is a an Apple refurb. and it is great. I saved $200, and it was as good as new.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Other thoughts - I hardly use the 50-200 lens at all. Unless you're shooting sports or wildlife, you will get more use out of a wide angle lens, a tripod, or a good bounce flash instead of the telephoto zoom.

 

[brian1337]

Yeah, i was about down to buy the T1i refurb with the 18-55 kit lens but adorama took it off >.<