New to photography, got some questions(:

[_Beasty_]

Hello everyone,

I'm a 15yr old guy, who just got into photography. I've always had a huge fascination with cameras and pictures before and I recently picked up my first DSLR, the Canon EOS T3. So I just had a few questions that I hope someone can answer for me

1.) Is there any maintenance I need to do besides basic cleaning to keep the camera running alright? (Anything that requires dissembling?)
2.) What are the differences in lenses? I know the stock lens is an 18-55mm, but what are other lenses used for, and what are the advantages of using more expensive lenses?
3.) I noticed on a more expensive camera (EOS t3i) it had a "Self Cleaning Sensor unit" what does this mean?

Thank you very much

 

[rexbobcat]

There's nothing that needs to be dissembled unless you have problems with the camera itself. You can clean the sensor however, by locking the mirror in the "Up" position and taking the lens off.

The differences in lenses range from the focal length, to the native f-stop of the camera. One example is that the 18-55mm has an f-stop of 3.5-5.6. There is a 17-50 that Canon makes that has an f-stop of 2.8. This means that the aperture inside the lens is larger, and can let more light in. This means that you can use lower ISOs and faster shutter speeds. This also affects the DoF. When the f-stop is lower, such as 1.8, there is very shallow DoF and there will be more background blur than a lens that has an f-stop of 2.8.

A self-cleaning camera is basically a camera that has a sensor that vibrates at very high speeds when you turn the camera on and off. This is to shake off any dust particles that accumulate on the sensor.

If you have any more questions, just ask.

 

[_Beasty_]

So lenses with lower f-stop in turn will take higher quality photos? Makes sense. Thank you very much for the reply, trying to digest all this information is quiet tough but I'm up for the challenge.

 

[480sparky]

So lenses with lower f-stop in turn will take higher quality photos?.........

They CAN. It's not automatic or guaranteed.

 

[_Beasty_]

So lenses with lower f-stop in turn will take higher quality photos?.........

They CAN. It's not automatic or guaranteed.

So hypothetically, you buy a 17-50, does it depend on the pictures your taking, or how you set up the camera if the pictures will come out better?

 

[480sparky]

Given two lenses, side-by-side, I'd check independent reviews first instead of dismissing an f/2.8 in favor of the f/2.0 version. Larger apertures make for easy auto-focus and nice bright viewfinders, but you rarely shoot wide-open.

 

[o hey tyler]

It depends on your knowledge of light, exposure, and composition mostly. Having nice glass will help. But it's just as easy to take a crappy picture with nice glass as it is to take a crappy picture with crappy glass.

 

[480sparky]

In short, buying expensive lenses doesn't make great photos. It only makes you the owner of expensive lenses.

 

[_Beasty_]

In short, buying expensive lenses doesn't make great photos. It only makes you the owner of expensive lenses.

So are there NO advantages of buying a lens? Because I'd prefer something with a bit more of a optical zoom than the stock 18-55 that comes on the T3

 

[Natalie]

Once you've mastered the basics of photography (lighting, composition, aperture, etc.), then you will find yourself limited if you're shooting with a crappy lens versus shooting with a high-quality lens. That is, most people beginning in photography won't be able to take better photos with a higher-quality lens than with a lower-quality lens. There may not be any benefit to dropping the cash for an L-series lens just yet... When you've had enough experience to know without a doubt that you're being limited by the lens you're using, and not your techniques, then it's time to move up to a higher-quality (and generally much more expensive) lens.

 

[480sparky]

So are there NO advantages of buying a lens? Because I'd prefer something with a bit more of a optical zoom than the stock 18-55 that comes on the T3

Not at all. The advantage comes from knowing how best to utilize your gear.

 

[creisinger]

More expensive lenses/higher quality glass have other benefits besides offering larger apertures or brighter viewfinders...

The higher quality in glass and assembly results in better sharpness, color reproduction, distortion, vignetting, nicer bokeh, sometimes higher focal lengths or special features such as being a sole high-end tele-zoom or macro lens.

Just because a lens may be incredibly expensive doesn't mean it delivers better images just because it's, well, expensive. Some very high quality lenses can do things the "regular" or cheaper lenses cannot do.

For example you can get a 14mm ultra wide angle lens like this one:
Amazon.com: Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras: Electronics
check out the pictures you can get with this thing. You cannot do that with a kit lens that any D-SLR manufacturer throws in with the body.

Depending on what you want to shoot, you pick the right tool for the job.

 

[ph0enix]

So are there NO advantages of buying a lens?

That's one possible answer (in your case/at this time). What others are getting at is that expensive cameras and lenses don't take great photos. Great photographers do (with any equipment). It takes years and even decades to become good at this. There are, of course, great advantages to getting faster lenses once you know what you're doing. Keep in mind that lenses can be quite expensive.

Because I'd prefer something with a bit more of a optical zoom than the stock 18-55 that comes on the T3

You can certainly buy an expensive zoom lens but if you want to learn photography, your 18-55 is a good start. If you stick with it, chances are that you will know exactly what your next lens should be when the time comes.

 

[punch]

i got some really good advice about acquiring lenses: it was to use one lens at a time until you know everything about how to shoot with it. there's really no reason to get another lens at this point. it sounds like you need to read and look at photos and SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT. once you've got an idea of how things work and what you like, you'll have an easier time figuring out what lens will suit your needs better. getting a new lens feels like getting a new camera again to me. it feels a little bit like square one figuring out how it can help or hurt your photos. take your time with your 18-55mm until you've exhausted its limits.

as for maintenance... don't monkey with your camera's insides at this point. don't touch the lens glass, don't touch the sensor, don't touch the mirror. unless you're shooting in a dust storm or leaving lenses and cameras face up and open, it will be a while before you need to add anything into your maintenance repertoire.

 

[SCraig]

There's nothing that needs to be dissembled unless you have problems with the camera itself. You can clean the sensor however, by locking the mirror in the "Up" position and taking the lens off.

But before you do this, PLEASE read instructions on how to clean a sensor. DO NOT just go in there and wipe everything down with a paper towel. There are many tutorials on the internet pertaining to sensor cleaning. Study them beforehand and understand what you are doing because doing it wrong can cause serious problems with your camera.