Canon EOS 550D

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Shaunna

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Shaunna
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Treated myself to the Canon EOS 550D for christmas :) thought it was time for an upgrade
Got the EFS 18-55mm and EF 75-300mm lenses
Got UV, CPL & FLD filter
Tripod, bag etc
Love the camera so far, such a lovely handable camera!
Just wondering if anyone has any tips, and if people could suggest other lenses, equipment i could invest in :)
 
Really depends on what you want to take pictures of. You've got a good starting kit there. I would say learn to use what you already have, then if you find it is limiting you, ask what it is you are lacking. Eg if you want to take lots of indoor shots of the kids in poor lighting conditions, a fast prime or flashgun could be a good investment.

There's no point buying extra equipment if you are not going to need/use it.
 
a flash unit can come in handy.....

remote triggers likewise...


then your really into specifics.... what sort of thing do you like to shoot???

people- light reflecting discs perhaps, diffusers for flashes and the like

landscape- wide angle lens 11-16mm tokina £350 is a fab way to go....

distance- zoom lens 50-500mm os sigma (a lot of money)


or you can go more professional and get some prime lens which can cope with lower lighting and achieve some epic results but again these can be ultra expensive...

photography is always expensive, and someone somewhere will always entice you into buying something you could do with, the possibilities are endless!!
 
If that is your first DSLR then you have bought wisely. It is capable of producing superb images with the lens you have.

I would suggest you use it for a good few months before deciding to buy additional kit or lenses. You will by then have a good idea where your photographic interest lies and you can always ask questions here then.

Don't forget to post your shots here for critique and advice.
 
Thanks both for your replies
Nature, Landscapes, Macro, Wildlife etc are my areas
I won't be rushing into buying any equipment just yet, im just pondering about what would be of use to me and worth while investing in
 
Yellowbelly said:
If that is your first DSLR then you have bought wisely. It is capable of producing superb images with the lens you have.

I would suggest you use it for a good few months before deciding to buy additional kit or lenses. You will by then have a good idea where your photographic interest lies and you can always ask questions here then.

Don't forget to post your shots here for critique and advice.
Click to expand...

It is my first DSLR, had several cameras but finally took the plunge into the DSLR world
I do love the camera already just takes some getting used too with the dial and settings etc
Glad to hear its a good camera mind, so hard with everything on offer of late but think this will be suited to me :)
Im abit wary of posting photos at the moment, been part of other forums etc and some people can be very nasty rather than just offer critique
 
Shaunna said:
Thanks both for your replies
Nature, Landscapes, Macro, Wildlife etc are my areas
I won't be rushing into buying any equipment just yet, im just pondering about what would be of use to me and worth while investing in
Click to expand...

They may be your interests now, but as you explore photography I'll reckon you will find other interests and disregard others. When I first started in film, my overwhelming passion was street and people. I rarely shoot them these days.
 
Congrats on the new camera and post the pictures, you may get the odd weird comment but from what I've found this is a very friendly forum, everyone started somewhere.
If you do post then you'll get even more advice (y)
 
Yellowbelly said:
They may be your interests now, but as you explore photography I'll reckon you will find other interests and disregard others. When I first started in film, my overwhelming passion was street and people. I rarely shoot them these days.
Click to expand...

Ive been interested and playing with photography for near on 5 years now just never took the DSLR plunge :)
 
Shaunna said:
Ive been interested and playing with photography for near on 5 years now just never took the DSLR plunge :)
Click to expand...

Ah so you are now widening your possibilities. :)
 
Shaunna said:
It is my first DSLR, had several cameras but finally took the plunge into the DSLR world
I do love the camera already just takes some getting used too with the dial and settings etc
Glad to hear its a good camera mind, so hard with everything on offer of late but think this will be suited to me :)
Im abit wary of posting photos at the moment, been part of other forums etc and some people can be very nasty rather than just offer critique
Click to expand...

The beauty of digital is that you get instant results. Just play around with all the settings, take lots of pictures and see how changing the setting affects the results.

Your current kit will suit your interests quite well for now, perhaps with the exception of macro, where you might find you want a decent macro lens and a flash would come in handy, as well as a way to get the flash off camera. However, are also lots of cheaper options to experiment with macro too, if you just want to try it and see if you like it.
 
Martyn D said:
Congrats on the new camera and post the pictures, you may get the odd weird comment but from what I've found this is a very friendly forum, everyone started somewhere.
If you do post then you'll get even more advice (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks :)
I will do in good time, haven't had a chance to take a proper look at the critique section as of yet
 
Wilkol said:
The beauty of digital is that you get instant results. Just play around with all the settings, take lots of pictures and see how changing the setting affects the results.

Your current kit will suit your interests quite well for now, perhaps with the exception of macro, where you might find you want a decent macro lens and a flash would come in handy, as well as a way to get the flash off camera. However, are also lots of cheaper options to experiment with macro too, if you just want to try it and see if you like it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice
Been quite wary at the moment, but might just have a play and push the buttons and turn the dials and see where it gets me :) haha
I think macro is more of a summer area, as its the plants, flowers and insects area i like so have time to think and work on that one.
Where as the wildlife side of things is at hand if you get what i mean :)
 
A tip that helped me with my 550D was to use the live mode when not shooting acrion/sports/wildlife etc.

The live mode shows you how well exposed your shot is before its taken.

This means that while in live mode you can turn the dials and see exactly what effect on exposure they have.
 
The 550d is a superb camera I traded mine in for a 7d but wish I kept it for a spare its a superb bit of kit enjoy it Shaunna
 
Hi Shaunna

I too own a 550d that i purchased back in december 2011. I used it for about 8 months with the 18-55mm kit lens getting some top quality pictures and to be honest some terrible ones! But always the terrible ones were caused by me progressing onto P,AV,TV modes etc...trial and error taught me loads. Back in July 2012 I was considering an upgrade to my kit lens and read what must of been hundereds of different reviews on the 24-105mm f4L and the 17-40mm f4L. I wanted to choose an L glass so that I had the assistance of better quality optics and if needed, a lens that would have a good resale value. A friend of mine suggested the EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 (non L) which he currently had and was using on a 60d. He kindly loaned me the lens and I took it on a family day out at Belton house in Lincolnshire. when I got the pictures onto the computer I was stunned at the quality of the colours and most notably how sharp the pictures were before any post processing took place. I took some pictures of my son kicking a rugby ball from his hand on continuous shooting mode (which is relatively slow on the 550d) and I was well impressed on how sharp the pitures were. Close ups of my lad and daughter were literally miles ahead of the kit lens and the clarity was brilliant. After all that I still forged ahead and chose the 24-105mm f4L because

a. I wanted the extra focal length at the tele end
b. After looking at 1200+ pictures on my hard drive, only 140 where at a focal length wider than 25mm.

I bought the 24-105mm f4L from an ebay company called Digigood based in southern England for £560 brand new, they deal with imports so it didnt come with a genuine Canon warranty but it did come with a UK warranty provided by themselves and if there were any problems the lens could be returned to any UK Canon professional repair centre; namely London Camera Exchange who have stores throughout the UK....if I cant name companies in here I apologise in advance!

So far since july 2012 I have taken approximately 8000 photos with this lens and I think it is brilliant...this isnt the lens alone though and I have been constantly improving my skills with the camera body through different photography magazines and tutorials etc.

I think you can get the efs 17-55mm f2.8 for about the same price as the 24-105mm f4L nowadays. I was equally impressed with both lenses and the 24-105mm is permanently on my 550d as an everyday lens unless I switch it over to the 100mm macro. I think you will be more than satisfied with either, should your budget allow! I like many beginners was afraid to make that upgrade because of the huge cost (in my eyes anyway) to a better glass but have never looked back. The only time I use the kit lens now is if I do some astrophotography where I can get open to 18mm at f3.5.

I do rabbit on for Wales sometimes but I hope this is of some use....good luck in deciding on your next lens! :D
 
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