What Lense to get?

King James

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I'm looking at getting a Canon Digital Rebel XT and was wondering what lense(s) to get. I'm not looking to spend a fortune but really enjoy doing macro shots of flowers, insects, and what not. Just looking for a few suggestions.
 
What's your experience with photography? A macro lens (a good one) will set you back a pretty penny. I would suggest a 50mm f/1.8 to start with.
 
Digital Matt said:
What's your experience with photography? A macro lens (a good one) will set you back a pretty penny. I would suggest a 50mm f/1.8 to start with.

I dont have much experience...more of something I'm interested in getting into. Have always loved photography just haven't had the $$
 
Another alternative is a set of close-up lenses to attatch to a normal lens; they're not perfect, but they work. I use them for all my close-up work, partly because I don't want to invest in a macro lens at this time, and partly because I like the effects they create.
 
King James said:
Have always loved photography just haven't had the $$
What were you shooting with before?

For macro photography you'll want a flash too.

A good macro lens costs more than the XT you're wanting to get.
 
DocFrankenstein said:
A good macro lens costs more than the XT you're wanting to get.

well if that is the case them I'm guessing thats out of the question. what other alternatives are there if any?
 
King James said:
well if that is the case them I'm guessing thats out of the question. what other alternatives are there if any?
What are you planning to shoot?

You can put some extension tubes on a telephoto lens and it will work ok, but you won't have enough focus distance...

Or you can reverse a lens and you'll have huge magnification and not enough focus distance. :wink:
 
i really like animal and nature shots...they don't have to be macro, but I want a lense that has a fairly decent zoom. I have a point and shoot I can use for simple thinks like pictures with the family and stuff, but I really want a lense that has ability to catch nature from both near and far
 
DocFrankenstein said:
What are you planning to shoot?

You can put some extension tubes on a telephoto lens and it will work ok, but you won't have enough focus distance...

Or you can reverse a lens and you'll have huge magnification and not enough focus distance. :wink:


actually extension tubes work quite well optically, as they don't have any glass in them...and I BELIEVE that you get a higher magnification/closer focus distance with a more standard focal length than with long telephotos...i.e. the thrifty fifty with a 36mm extension tube will be able to get extremely close and have higher magnification ratio than the same extension tube with a 135mm prime.


James, this question is extremely common. Many people that get a digital SLR want to go straight for the long range, 'ultra-zooms' first. I was the same when I got my first film SLR. If you are serious about photography, you will likely learn quite a bit more and have higher quality (technical quality) photos if you start with a nice prime, like the 50mm 1.8 that digital matt suggested. That way you could start with something basic, but still quite good, and learn from there if you want to save for nicer glass or glass that suits the type of photography you would like to pursue.
 

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