New camera and lenses to consider (plus stabilisation?)

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rkuk

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Hi all,

I’m new to the site and new to the world of photography, so please go easy on me!

I currently have an old Canon 400D an 18-55mm kit lens. Over the summer I was lucky enough to loan a Canon 5D with a 24-70mm lens which was amazing (and also an insight into the weight of a good lens!). It was brilliant having a good loan of it.

So I’m looking to make an investment into a new camera and lens/es.

I’ve been doing a bit of reading and boy is there a lot of information out there. At the moment I’ve been looking at a mirrorless body such as the Canon RP or possibly a Sony A7R II, and trying to work out which lenses to look at.

I’m probably favouring the Canon at the moment as I’m more familiar with the menu’s / have a little experience of them as a brand. I like the fact there are converters to put on EF lenses which I’m hoping will open more variety to me and in turn bring down the price, as RF glass is probably well above my need and certainly budget.

I’d like some lenses that cover the majority of popular focal lengths from probably 16mm through to 200 or 300mm. I doubt primes will be for me at the moment, so looking at what combinations I could go for with competitive pricing options. Suggestions and combinations would be completely welcomed! Maybe: 16-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm? Recommendations? :)

The things I like to photograph are mainly landscapes, and wildlife whilst on country walks etc, hence some zoom lens. But also my baby nephew and family (whenever I’m allowed to see them!).

Whilst looking at lenses, I thought I *must* need a stabilised lens if the body isn’t stabilised. Is this the case or can I consider lenses without stabilisation too? I won’t be using the camera for video, just stills to start with.

Look forward to some responses and learning more.

Cheers!
 
What is your budget,without that nobody can help much
 
Hi troutfisher,

I guess I'm looking at around £2,000ish to get started? Probably too ambitious to get a body AND 3 lenses, but I'd like to see what options are good for a beginner, and then I can add to if I get on well with it. I'd consider second hand lenses etc so long as they're in perfectly good working order etc.


As I'm a beginner I know I don't want to go crazy. I also need to look into peripherals such as ND filters, tripods, bags etc at some point. Advice welcomed :)
 
Hi Rob;

I seriously look into the Fuji system (yes, I'm biased). The body I would consider would be the Fuji X-H1, can be had for around £650 new via e-infinity? It has a 5-axis in-body image stabilization etc...

Check out a few YouTube videos on it at your leisure...

Cheers;
Peter
 
Hi all, any further thoughts on this? Should I post in a canon specific thread for more opportunities of feedback? Also very interested for thoughts on the stabilisation? :)
 
Hi if you want to stay with canon then there are upgrade routes. Your 400d is old but. Looking forward you could look at a 850d. Up wards from there is 6d or 5d.
 
And Canon apparently now have a "winter cashback promotion" up to £220 on selected products!
 
Are you looking to buy new or used?

I came from a mainly Canon background to a quick do into nikon then on to Sony.

The Sony bodies are fantastic and easy to adjust to (the menu system isn't as bad as its made out to be, just set up your custom menu). There's also the sigma mc-11 adapter so you can use Canon lenses which I've found to be really good for photo (not great for video though).

Crop wise there's the a6400 (though no in body IS), the a6500 (older but with IS) and the a6600 (a bit pricier).

Then there's the a7iii if your willing to go used. You could probably pick up one for around £1100 to £1200. You won't get three lenses for under the £2000 budget though unless you go budget but something like the tamron 28-75mm would be a good start.
 
Thanks guys. Well initially I was looking at new, but I would also consider used so long as I think the user was respectful and cherished their kit. It would be great for me to see the classified section in here though as I'm new to the site I need to wait for those privilege's.

I've not used a mirrorless camera yet, though can see that's the way the tech is going so I thought it would be good to get involved with it. Especially if I can gain access to older lenses.

I completely hear what you're saying about the 3 lenses. I probably need to be a bit less ambitious and look for 1 or 2 to start with. I was looking through the Canon EOS thread on here last night and nobody really mentions the RP model, mostly the R5 which is out of the budget. I do think second hand would possibly be a good start for me. I just need to work out which body and accompanying lenses could fit / are good to pair up with it. There's so many combinations though.
 
If I were shopping now I would be having a good look at the new Fuji X-S10 from reading up on it it seems to tick a lot of boxes ( for me anyway) I would couple that with the XF 18-55 and the XC 55-200 and probably the XF 27 mm f2.8 pancake as an unobtrusive lens.
 
Very hard to advise what suits one person may not suit another. That goes for camera makes and models . If I were you i would go into a decent camera shop and get to "feel" a camera and how easy it is to use ,even down to the menu. Also check out the cost of lenses which can make a big difference.

Narrow it down to say 3 or 4 for then look for the best price . Grey imports may be one route- used another or brand new. (Grey import is one that isn't sold by an authorised manufacturer retailer. have a look at your conversations i will send you one for grey imports I use. do check out warranty but I never buy from a main dealer and never had any problems with a greay import
 
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Thanks troutfisher and realspeed. I do agree that getting into a shop and having a real feel of the different cameras would be a great idea. See how it fits in the hand and all that. Just more difficult in the current circumstances! That's another vote for a fuji too. I think I initially had my head set on the canon RP, and was perhaps hoping others would help me justify my decision - good old confirmation bias! There's so many combinations available. After loaning the nice canon, I really recognised the differences in quality in the pictures and also the tech. The weight of the lens blew me away, and with that in mind it made me want to purchase decent kit that was also light....I know, I know - all the desirables point towards the expensive stuff!! Very conscious I want something better than my crappy kit lens and I'm sure whatever i buy will be. I was also hoping to have made up my mind before black friday to then look and see if i can bag a bargain!
 
In your position I’d be so tempted to go with a Sony A6500 with 10-18, 16-55 2.8, or 16-70, and then either the 55-210 or if budget allowed the 70-350.

Think you’d notice a huge step up in iq to what you have.

Another option would be A7rii + 16-35 f4 + Tamron 28-200mm to keep the budget down.

Fuji also look good.

Really difficult to say ultimately.
 
Did you try the 24-70 on your 400d?

Because of your budget, you may be better off buying the lenses you want and saving for a new body. The pic quality will def be better with decent glass, as long as the resolution is high enough for what you want to do.

If you can't have it all straight away, you have to pick a path that will give you what you can manage with for a while.

T
 
Sorry everyone it's a 550D camera that I have!

And no, that's a great point - I didn't try putting the 24-70 on this camera!! Though that is an interesting way of looking at my investment - considering lenses to try on this first. hmmm - never thought of that!
 
rkuk said:
Sorry everyone it's a 550D camera that I have!

And no, that's a great point - I didn't try putting the 24-70 on this camera!! Though that is an interesting way of looking at my investment - considering lenses to try on this first. hmmm - never thought of that!
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My backup/second camera is a 77d, it takes a nice pic with the kit lens, a better pic with a sigma 17-50 f2.8, but a REALLY nice pic with my 24-70 f2.8 L ii. May be enough to keep you happy until you save a few more pennies to upgrade the body.

You could get a 24-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 second hand well within your budget. If you do make sure you go for mark 2's of each lens at least. There was a noticeable difference between the 1's and 2's, and only a slight difference between 2's and 3's.

T
 
A 550D can still take great landscape photos. Personally I would consider getting a two zoom set up. Something like a Sigma 17-50 f2.8 and a Canon 55-250mm combined with a landscape set of filters. I don’t know what kind of computer system you have and what editing software but for landscape you want to be able to edit the RAW files. Invest in a good RAW processor and editing suite. Calibrate your screen and watch tutorials on landscape editing etc. Once you reach the limits of your equipment then with more personal experience you know exactly what you want in your next upgrade.
 
Mintchocs said:
A 550D can still take great landscape photos. Personally I would consider getting a two zoom set up. Something like a Sigma 17-50 f2.8 and a Canon 55-250mm combined with a landscape set of filters. I don’t know what kind of computer system you have and what editing software but for landscape you want to be able to edit the RAW files. Invest in a good RAW processor and editing suite. Calibrate your screen and watch tutorials on landscape editing etc. Once you reach the limits of your equipment then with more personal experience you know exactly what you want in your next upgrade.
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This is the mistake I made. If I could tell myself anything when starting out would be to only buy full frame compatible lenses. Then if the body gets upgraded in the future to full frame (as I did) the lenses can still be used (like mine couldn't!).

I think there is always a wider market for second hand full frame lenses, and especially L lenses will hold their value.
 
Thanks again everyone. I'm seriously considering looking into buying the lenses to start with. I have a few questions.

1. The lenses mentioned such as the: sigma 17-50 f2.8, 24-70 f2.8 , 70-200 f2.8, and Canon 55-250 - are these all full frame lenses? Obviously my 550 isn't a full frame, but these lenses will fit the body OK, and then if I do upgrade to a nicer body they will still slot on (with an RF adaptor if needed).

2. I'm quite happy to look at second hand also. Do these lenses come up for sale very often on the forum? I can't access the area yet, but wondered if they were popular. In my head enthusiasts are more likely to look after kit. Any ideas on what sorts of prices would be 'good' i.e. not paying hugely over the odds.

3. I need to learn the coding of the canon lenses to understand the terminology (not a question - something I'm going to look into).

4. Regarding the filters, I also need to learn more about these. Are these ND filters that you refer to?

Again, thank you all for helping - I feel this is a potentially better way to learn.
 
rkuk said:
Thanks again everyone. I'm seriously considering looking into buying the lenses to start with. I have a few questions.

1. The lenses mentioned such as the: sigma 17-50 f2.8, 24-70 f2.8 , 70-200 f2.8, and Canon 55-250 - are these all full frame lenses? Obviously my 550 isn't a full frame, but these lenses will fit the body OK, and then if I do upgrade to a nicer body they will still slot on (with an RF adaptor if needed).

2. I'm quite happy to look at second hand also. Do these lenses come up for sale very often on the forum? I can't access the area yet, but wondered if they were popular. In my head enthusiasts are more likely to look after kit. Any ideas on what sorts of prices would be 'good' i.e. not paying hugely over the odds.

3. I need to learn the coding of the canon lenses to understand the terminology (not a question - something I'm going to look into).

4. Regarding the filters, I also need to learn more about these. Are these ND filters that you refer to?

Again, thank you all for helping - I feel this is a potentially better way to learn.
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EF-S lenses are for crop, EF lenses are for full frame but do fit on crop and with an adapter they fit on r cameras. Canon L lenses are the top level, they are well built and usually have very good glass.

Third party lens makers have different naming for crop and full frame lenses. I'm not 100% sure of them.

My 24-70 f2.8 L ii, 70-200 f2.8 L ii and 2x teleconverter do most of what I need. They are heavy, fine for work but looking for a rf24-105 f4 to go with my rf35mm for holiday and family stuff (when we can eventually have holidays and do family stuff again!).
 
I had a 550d it was a great camera. All I did was upgrade the kit lens to a 17-70os sigma and add a 70-200is f4L. I upgraded my body after about 5 years and I now have the same lenses but a 7D2
 
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