Which Lenses???

[freerider25]

Hi im new!!!

Ive just bought a Canon eos 400d with the standard lens.

Im going to Thailand with work over christmas and have no idea which lense to buy.

Bearing in mind it is nearly christmas im on a bit of a tight budget.

Ive bought a lot of photo mags to learn how to use my camera (as im completly new to this)

So still learning the manual settings.

Instead of reading I thought that i might as well ask people who actually know what they are talking about

I would imagine it will be a lot of landscape photos as im going to Angkor Wat in cambodia (temples and stone) and a few wildlife (i hope!!!!)

Any ideas - remember cheap budget!!

Would anyone recomend used lenses??

[caeclyd]

To get the best out of the Canon you need to invest in good quality lenses.
Remember that the lenses are the eyes of the camera and the body is only the brain. Put crap in front of the brain and it will record crap.
Ditch the canon 18-55 lens...now. It is rubbish.
For a lens for such a trip consider a lens around 17 to 85 mm. Canon, Sigma or Tamron.

hope this helps

[alexphotos]

I got a freind that just came back from thyland and was there for more then 2 years, I will ask him if it is cheaper to buy you lens over there. I knwo that he got is laptop fix in3 hours for 35$ (the video card was dead )

[lance_h]

for landscapes and such, an ultra-wide is a must imo. don't waste your money replacing a focal length you already have. the "kit lens" is not "rubbish" for those on a tight budget. but if you can, buy an ultra-wide, something in the 10-22mm range. this will open a whole new world of possibilities and provide a unique perspective only an ultra-wide can provide.

[gummyb]

Considering that you have a tight budget and will not be shooting for National Geographic, you could live with the lens that came with the camera for now. If you insist on buying a lens now for travel lanscape it would be a 3rd party 10-20mm type.

When I travel, my 24-120mm is the one I use most often out of necessity. I plan to upgrade to the 18-200mm Nikon later. However, I also have a 10-20mm Sigma that enabled me to take a lot of nice landscape.

[gummyb]

Of course the lens will be cheaper there, but if it brakes later...how will you get it fixed. I sometimes buy overseas knowing that if I have a problem I will have to spend months without the piece while I sent the equipment to my friend over there for repairs. So, unless you have a close friend over there who can take care of you when things go bad later, don't bother.

I got a freind that just came back from thyland and was there for more then 2 years, I will ask him if it is cheaper to buy you lens over there. I knwo that he got is laptop fix in3 hours for 35$ (the video card was dead )

[lord_of_the_badgers]

for landscapes and such, an ultra-wide is a must imo. don't waste your money replacing a focal length you already have. the "kit lens" is not "rubbish" for those on a tight budget. but if you can, buy an ultra-wide, something in the 10-22mm range. this will open a whole new world of possibilities and provide a unique perspective only an ultra-wide can provide.

it's funny you know, but i lately shoot the majority of my scapes around 55mm...

shooting as wide as poss, is, often just "accepted".. ain't necessarily so - it is nice to have it of course.. but i use wide more often as an effect - i don't like cramming too much in, plus a lot of wider zooms tend to be weakest at their widest.

to the original poster, the 2nd reply was the one to pay heed too...

17-40 f4L. Sure it's not in your budget, but you'll thank me if you stretch to it.. it's small, light, and damn sharp

[billinchapelhill]

For less than $100 US you can get a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. For 3 times that you can get the 1.4.

The 1.8 will give you a serious increase in wide aperature shooting and short depth of field sharpness.

Being fixed focal length and not a zoom, this lens will teach you how to be better faster because you have 1 less variable to deal with.
Bill

[jypsee]

as being worthless are not giving you accurate information; it's a decent lens and makes good photos

http://www.pbase.com/jypsee/image/27475056
(made with the 300D)

get a EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS and you'll have a decent kit which will give a wide range of focal lengths and image stabilization for those times when the light isn't so good

Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel ,Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
1/8s f/5.0 at 28.0mm iso200


Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel ,Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
1/160s f/5.6 at 135.0mm iso400

[gummyb]

Yes...but you are supposed to be on vacation and not thinking!

For less than $100 US you can get a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. For 3 times that you can get the 1.4.

The 1.8 will give you a serious increase in wide aperature shooting and short depth of field sharpness.

Being fixed focal length and not a zoom, this lens will teach you how to be better faster because you have 1 less variable to deal with.
Bill

[steveprice]

Hi im new!!!

Ive just bought a Canon eos 400d with the standard lens.

Im going to Thailand with work over christmas and have no idea which lense to buy.

Bearing in mind it is nearly christmas im on a bit of a tight budget.

Ive bought a lot of photo mags to learn how to use my camera (as im completly new to this)

So still learning the manual settings.

Instead of reading I thought that i might as well ask people who actually know what they are talking about

Foget additional lens and concentrate on mastering the equipment you have. Spend the money you would have spent on the additional lens going somewhere to get some unique pictures.

Steve



I would imagine it will be a lot of landscape photos as im going to Angkor Wat in cambodia (temples and stone) and a few wildlife (i hope!!!!)

Any ideas - remember cheap budget!!

Would anyone recomend used lenses??

Forget additional lens. Concentrate on mastering the equipment you have. Spend the money you would have spent on the lens going to some additional places and getting some more pictures. The quality of your pictures depends on what you put into them not what equipment you have. Look at the galleries on this site containing pictures taken with a Holga camera - a cheap, nasty, plastic camera thats practically falling apart when you buy it and with a cheap nasty lens. These photos look great.

Dont by used lenses, it is a false economy there are too many things that could be wrong with it. Buy new and you can always get a refund if it doesn't perform well. Then when you want a new lens you can sell it.

Thats my advice.

Steve

[talleyfamilyphotography]

Forget additional lens. Concentrate on mastering the equipment you have.

Hurrah! Someone finally said it!

I've left a couple of photo forums because I was (among other things) put down for loving my Canon's 18-55mm kit lens. I've since realized that most of those folks are pixel peepers and "measurebators". Instead, I've learned to use what I have and have taken many excellent photos with my "crummy" kit lens.

Just so those know that I'm not raving about this lens because I haven't tried better - I used to have a Canon 70-200 f/4L, which is an awesome piece of glass in its own right. Unfortunately, financial concerns led me to forsake it some time back.

[vok74]

I agree with steveprice too, don't feel pressured into shelling out extra money immediately just because some people dismiss the kit lens as rubbish (incidentally, I use the kit lens on my 300D and have taken plenty of shots I'm happy with). Once you've got used to the camera you'll have a better idea of what your future needs are.

[christianmalford]

Why buy a lens? Think laterally. As has already been noted, the 18-55mm may not be THE best in the world, but for the majority of normal purposes you're going to get some totally fine pictures from it.

My recommendation would be to buy a decent, stable, well built tripod that you can pop your camera and lens on, and use the self timer to kick off the shutter after 10 seconds (or buy the little infra red remote that Canon do for £15 if you have the cash AND you're impatient).

The stability afforded by a tripod instead of hand holding, especially in low light will give you a much more improved picture than spending £500+ on a lens which you will only see the benefits of when you start to blow up your pics or sell them. Master your camera and existing lens first, get some steady, shake free shots which are well composed, THEN worry about upgrading, particularly if you're on a budget. Try a whole day of shooting at just, say 18mm for landscapes, or just at 55mm if you're in a city doing portraits.

And if you really enjoy landscape work, then the 10-22mm Canon is a fantastic lens - but be content with what you've got for now, give it a good workout, and you'll get some major enjoyment out of it by mastering it, not spending dollops of cash. Enjoy!

[dougj]

There have been some great recommendations so far IMO, get to know what you already have, focus on composition, use a tripod when needed.

I'll add that a key area of DSLR work is post processing. This is something frequently overlooked by folks new to a DSLR, and can easily make the difference between a soft, washed out photo and one that is sharp with great natural colors and contrast. DSLRs do not natively produce print or post-ready images. By design they need some post processing, which can be very fast and easy depending on the starting image and the software used.