Hello all....
I am trying to decide what the best kit is for my upcoming needs. I have posted previously about choosing a macro lens, but having test driven one of my shortlisted ones at the weekend, I am unsure as to what to do again.
I am still very new to SLR photography, and still trying to find my feet a bit. I have had my Canon 300D for about three years, but I just have not had the time to really get to use it properly and get the best out of it.
We are going on an adventure holiday to Peru in September, so that will give me the ideal time and opportunity to get some decent use out of my camera.
Okay, so the kit I bought when I first got the camera was:-
Canon 18-55 lens ( kit one that came with the camera )
Sigma 70-300 ( 1:2 macro )
I was very pleased with the sigma, and especially messing around with macro shots. I especially like that I could be some distance away from what I was shooting with the macro.
We took the camera away on holiday and found that, although I really enjoyed using it, I soon got fed up of swapping the lenses all the time. We ended up using our old 2mb Ixus for most snaps and using the SLR with the zoom lens for longer shots.
So, when we returned home, we traded the Sigma 70 - 300 for a Tamron 28 - 700. This has been the lens that has remained bolted on my camera ever since and I have been very pleased with it. Apart from the fact that it doesn't really do macro, which is a disappointment. I bought some Fox macro lenses from ebay that I have yet to experiment with, ( they only came the other day ).
So, my current kit is:-
Canon 18-55 lens ( kit one that came with the camera )
Tamron 28-300
Set of macro lenses to fit the Canon
Our trip will involve a 4 day hike along the Inca Trail in the high Andes, to Machu Pichu. Along the trail there will be lots of orchids, ruins and mountain vistas. Then, we delve into the Amazon Jungle which will offer close up shots of insects and plants and long range shots of birds and monkeys etc.
So, I was thinking along the lines of keeping my Tamron 28-300 for the long shots, buying a dedicated 1:1 macro lens for the orchids and jungle creepies and using our new Fuji compact for the wider shots along the way.
Having test drove a 70mm macro lens at the weekend, I have not been able to convince myself that I will get enough use from it to justify the outlay. Having flicked back through some macro shots from my old Sigma, I am pleased enough with them to maybe go back down that route.
So, my current thinking would be to sell the 18-55 Canon and the 28-300 Tamron and replace them with the new 18-250 Tamron as an all-rounder for the Inca trail for people, vistas and some close in orchid shots - and grab a second hand Sigma 70-300 for the jungle, giving me length for tree dwellers and 1:2 macro for the bugs.
So, proposed kit:-
Tamron 18 - 250
Sigma 70 - 300 ( 1:2 macro )
Could the macro lenses that screw onto my Canon 18-55 be used on the sigma to give a greater magnification than 1:2, if I wanted to experiment more with macro?
Thanks in advance for any opinions, or alternative suggestions.
Cheers.
I am trying to decide what the best kit is for my upcoming needs. I have posted previously about choosing a macro lens, but having test driven one of my shortlisted ones at the weekend, I am unsure as to what to do again.
I am still very new to SLR photography, and still trying to find my feet a bit. I have had my Canon 300D for about three years, but I just have not had the time to really get to use it properly and get the best out of it.
We are going on an adventure holiday to Peru in September, so that will give me the ideal time and opportunity to get some decent use out of my camera.
Okay, so the kit I bought when I first got the camera was:-
Canon 18-55 lens ( kit one that came with the camera )
Sigma 70-300 ( 1:2 macro )
I was very pleased with the sigma, and especially messing around with macro shots. I especially like that I could be some distance away from what I was shooting with the macro.
We took the camera away on holiday and found that, although I really enjoyed using it, I soon got fed up of swapping the lenses all the time. We ended up using our old 2mb Ixus for most snaps and using the SLR with the zoom lens for longer shots.
So, when we returned home, we traded the Sigma 70 - 300 for a Tamron 28 - 700. This has been the lens that has remained bolted on my camera ever since and I have been very pleased with it. Apart from the fact that it doesn't really do macro, which is a disappointment. I bought some Fox macro lenses from ebay that I have yet to experiment with, ( they only came the other day ).
So, my current kit is:-
Canon 18-55 lens ( kit one that came with the camera )
Tamron 28-300
Set of macro lenses to fit the Canon
Our trip will involve a 4 day hike along the Inca Trail in the high Andes, to Machu Pichu. Along the trail there will be lots of orchids, ruins and mountain vistas. Then, we delve into the Amazon Jungle which will offer close up shots of insects and plants and long range shots of birds and monkeys etc.
So, I was thinking along the lines of keeping my Tamron 28-300 for the long shots, buying a dedicated 1:1 macro lens for the orchids and jungle creepies and using our new Fuji compact for the wider shots along the way.
Having test drove a 70mm macro lens at the weekend, I have not been able to convince myself that I will get enough use from it to justify the outlay. Having flicked back through some macro shots from my old Sigma, I am pleased enough with them to maybe go back down that route.
So, my current thinking would be to sell the 18-55 Canon and the 28-300 Tamron and replace them with the new 18-250 Tamron as an all-rounder for the Inca trail for people, vistas and some close in orchid shots - and grab a second hand Sigma 70-300 for the jungle, giving me length for tree dwellers and 1:2 macro for the bugs.
So, proposed kit:-
Tamron 18 - 250
Sigma 70 - 300 ( 1:2 macro )
Could the macro lenses that screw onto my Canon 18-55 be used on the sigma to give a greater magnification than 1:2, if I wanted to experiment more with macro?
Thanks in advance for any opinions, or alternative suggestions.
Cheers.
I will read it properly when I finish work, promise!