Please help I got a few questions?

RumDaddy · Jun 10, 2009

Im looking at Canon lenses, if they dont say EF or EF-S their like 50% cheaper. What does the EF do or mean?

Im reading that you guys are suggesting that I spend $1100 to $1500 on the lenses. But Im seeing ones for 1/2 that. Is there that big of a difference in your glass. <---Im getting keen to the photraphy slang now (LOL) like noise and glass.

How important is image stabilizer? Im looking at what appears to be two almost identical lenses with almost a $1000 difference. Is the image stabilizer that important?

SpeedTrap · Jun 10, 2009

RumDaddy said:
Im looking at Canon lenses, if they dont say EF or EF-S their like 50% cheaper. What does the EF do or mean?

Im reading that you guys are suggesting that I spend $1100 to $1500 on the lenses. But Im seeing ones for 1/2 that. Is there that big of a difference in your glass. <---Im getting keen to the photraphy slang now (LOL) like noise and glass.

How important is image stabilizer? Im looking at what appears to be two almost identical lenses with almost a $1000 difference. Is the image stabilizer that important?

This is not an insult, but the level of questions you are asking you need to re-think trying to go pro.

I stand by my original statement that you have alot to learn before you dump a tone of money on new gear.

Look into classes and keep educating yourself, choosing the wrong things now or going cheap will only cost you much more down the line.

bigtwinky · Jun 10, 2009

If they don't say EF or EF-S, what do they say? FD? If so, FD is an old mount style that can't be used on modern digital cameras without an adapter.

EF-S = usable on crop sensor cameras only (Rebel, 40/50D)
EF = usable on full sensor AND crop sensor cameras (Rebel, 40/50D, 5D, 1D)

Can you please post up the lenses that you are looking at? There are lenses for all budgets
A 70-200 f/4 is cheaper than a 70-200 f/4 IS which is cheaper than a 70-200 f/2.8 which is cheaper than the 70-200 f/2.8 IS.
Sigma and Tamron will generally be cheaper than the similar Canon.

If you are doing low light / indoor shots, alot of people use the IS. For outdoor shots, its not as essential. So its situation dependant.

If you are doing studio portraits with flash units / strobes and such, IS is irrelevant. Shooting a wedding in a dimly lit church or a band in a dark club? IS will make a difference. It will allow you to go 2-3 stops slower on your shutter speed and maintain a good image quality.

bigtwinky · Jun 10, 2009

SpeedTrap said:
Look into classes and keep educating yourself, choosing the wrong things now or going cheap will only cost you much more down the line.

100% agree

paulk_68 · Jun 10, 2009

RumDaddy said:
Im looking at Canon lenses, if they dont say EF or EF-S their like 50% cheaper. What does the EF do or mean?

"EF" stands for Electro-Focus. Through a series of electronic contacts, the control of lens focusing is provided by the camera body.

"EF-S" stands for Electro-Focus (Short). Slightly different EF mount that is only compatable with the following digital cameras having APS-C sensors: Digital Rebel, XT, XTi, XS, XSi, 20D, 30D, 40D, and 50D

Definition provided by my B&H Photo catalog.

Im reading that you guys are suggesting that I spend $1100 to $1500 on the lenses. But Im seeing ones for 1/2 that. Is there that big of a difference in your glass. <---Im getting keen to the photraphy slang now (LOL) like noise and glass.

YES! With lenses, you really do get what you pay for.

How important is image stabilizer?

Click to expand...

Im looking at what appears to be two almost identical lenses with almost a $1000 difference. Is the image stabilizer that important?

I have only owned one lens with IS (the Canon 300mm USM IS f/4L) and rarely used the IS because I shot outdoor nature stuff with it. In low light conditions, I would imagine that it is quite benificial to have it unless your hands are rock solid and do not shake at all.

paulk_68 · Jun 10, 2009

bigtwinky said:
SpeedTrap said:

Look into classes and keep educating yourself, choosing the wrong things now or going cheap will only cost you much more down the line.

Click to expand...

100% agree

X2!

Consider this: You go the cheap route without having a lot of experience, you get contacted by someone who wants the most expensive package out of the three that you might provide- say that package is priced well over $1,000,.. and then the person tells you that the ceremony will be held in a church that does not allow flash.

What do you do?

Fight the temptation to accept and tell them that you cannot give them what they want? They can give a poor review of their experience with you- potentially costing you future clients. Word of mouth can make or brake you.

Or, accept and hope for the best? When you cannot deliver what you promise, there are no do-overs. I can't imagine what the damages might be, but I'm sure they will cost a lot more than it would have to educate yourself on all of these things.

There is no need to rush into any of this.

atbawrps · Jun 10, 2009

Seriously, you should know ALL of this and more before you even think about going pro. You're asking basic questions on equipment.

RumDaddy · Jun 11, 2009

bigtwinky said:
If they don't say EF or EF-S, what do they say? FD? If so, FD is an old mount style that can't be used on modern digital cameras without an adapter.

EF-S = usable on crop sensor cameras only (Rebel, 40/50D)
EF = usable on full sensor AND crop sensor cameras (Rebel, 40/50D, 5D, 1D)

Can you please post up the lenses that you are looking at? There are lenses for all budgets
A 70-200 f/4 is cheaper than a 70-200 f/4 IS which is cheaper than a 70-200 f/2.8 which is cheaper than the 70-200 f/2.8 IS.
Sigma and Tamron will generally be cheaper than the similar Canon.

If you are doing low light / indoor shots, alot of people use the IS. For outdoor shots, its not as essential. So its situation dependant.

If you are doing studio portraits with flash units / strobes and such, IS is irrelevant. Shooting a wedding in a dimly lit church or a band in a dark club? IS will make a difference. It will allow you to go 2-3 stops slower on your shutter speed and maintain a good image quality.

This is what Im looking into buying.

Canon

B&H Kit
50D SLR Digital Camera Kit with Canon 28-135mm & 70-300mm Lens

15.1 Megapixel
6.3 fps Continuous Shooting
Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
3.0" Clear View VGA LCD
Live View Mode
Integrated Cleaning System
ISO 3200 - Expandable to 12800
9-point Wide-area & Face Detection Live AF
HDMI Output

Heres some info on the glass.

Compatible with All Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
The EOS 50D is compatible with all Canon lenses in the EF lineup, ranging from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto lenses, and including Canon's EF-S series lenses, manufactured specifically for Canon's APS-C sized digital sensor. Canon lenses employ advanced optical expertise and micron-precision engineering to deliver unprecedented performance in all facets of the photographic process. Aspherical optics and fluorite elements, for example, are featured in the universally acclaimed L Series lenses, and Canon's Image Stabilizer technology in select lenses minimizes the effect of camera shake.
2nd set if info

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens has been developed to meet the high-performance standards that today's photographers demand. The telephoto effect can make the picture look compressed or have excellent background blur. At the 300mm focal length, you can fill the frame with a postcard from 4.9' away. Ideal for sports, portraiture, animals, etc. Improved Image Stabilizer Technology provides up to three stops of "shake" correction, and the "Mode 2" option stabilizes images while panning with a moving subject. Compared to the original Canon EF 75-300mm IS zoom lens, this telephoto lens has faster autofocus, and overall the lens is lighter and has a smaller diameter than the original.

RumDaddy · Jun 11, 2009

Im getting ready to drop around $2000 so if theres any additional advice or if Im making a mistake please let me know and once again I do appreciate all the help and input.

PhotoXopher · Jun 11, 2009

That glass is too slow for a wedding, you'll want 2.8 or faster in my opinion. But right now it just seems like you want cool new gear and don't really get the 'how or why' that goes along with it.

That's just based off what I read here, if I'm wrong then good luck to you!

SpeedTrap · Jun 11, 2009

That lens you are looking at is a consumer level lens.
it will not be nearly fast enough for weddings or pro work.

Good Luck!

RumDaddy · Jun 11, 2009

N0YZE said:
That glass is too slow for a wedding, you'll want 2.8 or faster in my opinion. But right now it just seems like you want cool new gear and don't really get the 'how or why' that goes along with it.

That's just based off what I read here, if I'm wrong then good luck to you!

Thanks for the constructive criticism, I think.

Your right I dont get the how or why that goes along with it, thats why Im in a beginners photo forum asking a lot of questions.

A while back I bought a Olympus body that came with two lenses. Ive dabbled in family portraits and outdoor shots for fun. Ive also done several low budget weddings. Friends and family and 2nd time around stuff. Ive never gotten in over my head. Like I said low budget weddings and favors for friends. Ive gotten as far as the Olympus camera can take me and its time to upgrade and use the old Olympus as a back up. If I dont get this done soon, the money I have saved for camera equipment will end up being spent on a bill or a home improvement.

So please help me out. Explain how its to slow or better yet what would be fast enough. A million thank yous.

atbawrps · Jun 11, 2009

RumDaddy said:
N0YZE said:

That glass is too slow for a wedding, you'll want 2.8 or faster in my opinion. But right now it just seems like you want cool new gear and don't really get the 'how or why' that goes along with it.

That's just based off what I read here, if I'm wrong then good luck to you!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the constructive criticism, I think. Your right I dont get the how or why that goes along with it, thats why Im in a beginners photo forum asking a lot of questions.

A while back I bought a Olympus body that came with two lenses. Ive dabbled in family portraits and outdoor shots for fun. Ive also done several low budget weddings. Friends and family and 2nd time around stuff. Ive never gotten in over my head. Like I said low budget weddings and favors for friends. Ive gotten as far as the Olympus camera can take me and its time to upgrade and use the old Olympus as a back up. If I dont get this done soon, the money I have saved for camera equipment will end up being spent on a bill or a home improvement.

So please help me out. Explain how its to slow or better yet what would be fast enough. A million thank yous.

Get lenses with f stops lower than 2.8. If you don't know what that is or why, you might want to think about learning more about photography before you go spending a lot of money.

FYI, a good lens will eat more than half of your budget.