Suggestions from the more knowleadgeable...

[husky_mom]

soooo..... reading another thread one guy asked whet all the numbers of a lens meant... and now I´m asking something aroudn the same... but...

if I wanted a rather fast lens... with capability to get nice shots with somewhat low light conditions.... like indoors or cloudy days....

also some that may take nice portraits and action shots....and had a nice zoom and very sharp focus....

what would you suggest??... it may be too much for just ONE lens, but please add which ones would you get to achieve that....

as a side note also consider I have a S3 IS... so I have limited options there... but would like to know what can I get for it and also what can I get when/if I get a better/newer one...

thanks for your inputs

 

[Dao]

I could be wrong .. but i do not believe your camera can change lenses.

You may need to invest some money in a DSLR camera.

 

[husky_mom]

actually you can get some telephoto, wide angle, fisheye and several filters, but you HAVE to get a lens adapter...

just not sure about the numbers in such lenses

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

whats your budget?

for cheap and fast, (wow that sounds bad!) you can go for a prime (which doesn't zoom) like a 50mm 1.8, which is only about 90, sometimes less.

I don't know much about other len's, sorry. But if you post your budget, I think you'll be likely to get more advice!

 

[husky_mom]

LOL... actually cheap sounds nice LOL... since I´m already planning on saving for a DSLR.... but who know how long that´s gonna take

the ones I´ve seen for this S3 are: 2x or 3x telephotos... not sure how many mm I guess the Canon one si about 648 or something....
the wide lens are .45x or .75 x up to 27mm (I guess... I completely forgot about this one)
so I´m very limited but wanted the best option among them all...

I shall try save fast and furious for a better one with more options later on...

 

[christopher walrath]

Or spend half the money for a DSLR and get a film SLR, film, chems and gear to develop your own B&W. Just another option. You could be a litle more particualr with what you get as it would cost you less part for part.

 

[elemental]

LOL... actually cheap sounds nice LOL... since I´m already planning on saving for a DSLR.... but who know how long that´s gonna take

the ones I´ve seen for this S3 are: 2x or 3x telephotos... not sure how many mm I guess the Canon one si about 648 or something....
the wide lens are .45x or .75 x up to 27mm (I guess... I completely forgot about this one)
so I´m very limited but wanted the best option among them all...

I shall try save fast and furious for a better one with more options later on...

These are not actually new lenses but rather converters- they "multiply" your focal length by their given factor to lengthen or shorten it. For example, I had an 0.25x converter on a 28-90mm lens on a film camera, which brought the 28mm end down to 9mm. A 2X converter would change the 28mm end to a 56mm equivalent, and the 90mm to an effective 180mm. Converters will adjust your focal length ("zoom" so to speak) over the entire range, allowing you a wider wide angle ("zoom out") or a longer telephoto ("zoom in") by whatever their multiplication factor.

What makes a lens "faster" or "slower" is its aperture. Essentially, focal length is how long the lens is (generally expressed in mm) and aperture is how wide the opening is in relation to this focal length (for example, f/2.8 means the aperture is 1/2.8 of the focal length). A larger aperture allows more light in, allowing for shorter exposures (because it takes less time to get the desired amount of light onto the sensor). This makes the lens "faster."

Unfortunately, none of the conversion lenses you mention impact aperture, they simply change the focal length. You aren't actually replacing your lens, you're just screwing something onto the end of it. As far as I can tell, these converters are the only lens change you can make, meaning you won't be able to get a "faster" lens. The good news is the new crop of entry-level DSLRs from almost every manufacturer means last year's models can be had for cheap, and most of the improvements are for marketing purposes primarily. Fast lenses aren't always expensive either, like Canon's 50mm f/1.8 (I'm not recommending Canon, just an example).