help?

K

Katherine-

Messages
4
Name
Katherine
Edit My Images
Yes
Well,
I've just been informed that this site is great with all things photogrpahy, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Photography is a hobby that I intergrate into my art work for college and will for university.

Currently I have a Canon 350D, a 18-55mm lens, a Uv filter and a tiny lowepro bag.

I want some lenses/equipment that are reasonably priced and make a big difference to the quality. But I'm not sure exactly what is best to get...
If anyone has any useful suggestions t would be very much appreciated.
:)
 
Last edited:
Welcome to TP!

Well lenses will give you the biggest boost in quality I suspect.
Maybe a 17-55 f/2.8 would be a good investment to replace the 18-55mm. Or maybe a good low light prime lens like a 35mm f/2 or 50mm f/1.8
A body upgrade may give a bit more performance in certain areas, like High ISO, but most older bodies can still produce great quality photos with some good glass infront of them.

What sort of things do you shoot? This will enable us to give better suggestions as to what lenses and or body would be a good upgrade.
 
I tend to shoot a variety of different things...
I take my camera out a lot in the mornings and do scenic shots,
occasionally flowers...
For art work I aminly photograph places- a lot of the time churches, old benches, abandoned things.
Sometimes I do some portraits.
Nothing really specific. I'm sorry it's not more helpful!
 
Well from that, a low light capable wide angle zoom sounds about perfect, so my reccomendation of the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS stands.
It also focusus pretty close so is good for flowers. Great for building shots, and not bad for portraits zoomed in at 50mm.

Shot taken handheld with said lens on a Canon 50D



flyberry by TCR4x4, on Flickr​
 
Do you know anywhere particularly good to purchase one?
And also, I'm really struggling to upload pictures on here :/ I don't understand why my files won't upload.
 
I got mine off ebay when I had it, there may be one in the classifieds here every now and then.
Other than that, check out here. http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod66.html

That will tell you the cheapest price at the moment. Although I'd advise you sit down before clicking that link, the price might shock you. Worth every penny though.

As for pictures, upload to somewhere like flickr or photobucket and link them is easiest.
 
I would also say that Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is a worthy contender to consider particularly when it's less than half the price of the Canon 17-55 f/2.8.
 
neoboy said:
I would also say that Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is a worthy contender to consider particularly when it's less than half the price of the Canon 17-55 f/2.8.
Click to expand...


+1 it also focuses nice and close for flower shots (around 8")
 
You can also get good shots with your current kit, this was with my 350D and the kit lens. Don't be overawed by gear lust, when 90% of results is the photographer.

Img_3049c.jpg
 
artyman said:
You can also get good shots with your current kit, this was with my 350D and the kit lens. Don't be overawed by gear lust, when 90% of results is the photographer.
Click to expand...

:agree:

If you've identified your equipment as being what's holding you back and you're asking for us to spend your money for you then you're in the right place ;) Otherwise, it might be worthwhile taking your hands off your hard-earned for a moment and seeing if there's any improvements you can make to your technique without spending money on new kit.

Quality is a subjective thing. Tell us more about what it means to you and how you think your current kit is lacking.
 
Well, I don't think what I have is holding me back.
I enjoy the shots I get with my camera. And I will admit my knowledge of photography isn't bounteous. Rather limited really, as it is a hobby really.
But with all types of art, I just love experimenting with new things and trying out new media. I guess I want more lenses/filters just to generally play around and shoot different things? If that makes sense.
 
Last edited:
The cheapest option then would be a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. This will open up lower light shots, smaller DOF and also force you to think about what you are taking more, as you have a fixed focal length and cant zoom in and out.
At below £100, its a worthwhile investment.
 
Maybe try the 55-250mm IS. This is fairly cheap and complements the kit lens quite well
 
TCR4x4 said:
The cheapest option then would be a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. This will open up lower light shots, smaller DOF and also force you to think about what you are taking more, as you have a fixed focal length and cant zoom in and out.
At below £100, its a worthwhile investment.
Click to expand...

+1 on this :thumbs: Having just a 50mm 1.8 prime attached to your 350D will make you think more about your composition. Of course there are lenses out there that are favoured more for specific styles of shooting, wide angle for landscapes, short telephoto for portraits etc. But I once spent 2-3 months shooting all of those subjects, "restricting" myself to just a 50mm prime and it gave me a whole different perspective on things. Is Kerso still selling these for £75 to TP members? :)
 
Katherine- said:
Well, I don't think what I have is holding me back.
I enjoy the shots I get with my camera. And I will admit my knowledge of photography isn't bounteous. Rather limited really, as it is a hobby really.
But with all types of art, I just love experimenting with new things and trying out new media. I guess I want more lenses/filters just to generally play around and shoot different things? If that makes sense.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with wanting to experiment with new kit especially if you're not on a tight budget, but having an idea of the types of things you may want to try to achieve might help you make the most of your money. It could be that a lot of what you want to achieve can be done through software which you already have access to, for example, or perhaps you might find investing in training media to be more effective or maybe joining a local photography group that would provide you with access to a wider variety of equipment.

Just throwing money at kit without knowing what you want to achieve might not be the best approach. What is it you want to achieve?
 
Last edited:
artyman said:
You can also get good shots with your current kit, this was with my 350D and the kit lens. Don't be overawed by gear lust, when 90% of results is the photographer.
Click to expand...

Absolutely 100% agree !!!!
(and with everyone else who has said similar things)

I just happen to have a very similar shot to the one that Tom put up for illustrative purposes. Again shot hand held, but this time with the 450D and the 18-55mm kit lens that you already have.
IMO the quality is certainly comparable.



And while I'm also a fan of the 50mm 1.8 prime (it's ideal for the aquarium photography that I enjoy) I only ever use it in very specific circumstances - low light or if I want a very narrow DoF. For general use, if I want to shoot at around the 50mm mark I normally revert back to the additional flexibility of the kit lens.

You may find this thread useful for creative inspiration and ideas for what you can do with your basic starter kit.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top