What essentails should we look at

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mintydave

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Dave
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Hello from a big noob.
Santa very kindly brought me a canon eos450d for xmas (cue for nikkon users to make a smart comment like how i must of been on the naughty list) with the standard efs 18-55 lens kit.

Photography is something i have always admired and its a new interest for me and mrs mintydave. we have discovered we like differing styles. Mrs md is a big fan of macro and im a low light enthusiast, in particular related to my job (DJ)

However we both also like general natural photography, wildlife, landscape including the more dramatic things like sunsets etc, opportunist shooting, capturing holidays etc. We are not fans of staged shots or heavy post processing. We like what we see on occasions and hope to capture just that.

considering this we would appreciate some advice on essentials. I already have in mind a tripod, remote and a dedicated macro lens for the mrs but what else would you recommend. I have seen polarizers but dont know what they are for.

long term i think i would like a longer lens (doesn't every man) depending on how our interest deveops, but thats not important right now.

Any useful little things we can pick up?

cheers
Dave
 
First of all, your 18-55 IS kit lens will be ok for now for your landscapes etc. Then get a 55-250 IS for your nature/wildlife etc. Maybe a nifty fifty for low light stuff without a flash, and a 380ex/430ex for when you do need flash.
Until you find your niche in the world of togging, these will see you off to great start.
But I warn you now, you wont stop there!
 
Sounds like the remote and a macro lens would be a good starting point. Getting a 100mm macro lens can also aid with landscapes as you can often make the best out of some landscapes by isolating certain parts with a telephoto.

Tripod, now this is the bit that I would recommend you do some research on. It is the area I truly believe buy cheap = buy twice. The most common beginner mistake buying a tripod is to buy something that is cheap to see if you will use one, using it, getting shots that are not as sharp as expected and wondering why. Budget minimum of £100 for a worthwhile tripod & head.

Macro lens, you can pick up a 100mm macro for approx £200. However you can buy a close up filter for your 18-55 lens for much less and still have a lot of fun. For macro I do recommend an external flashgun though, it makes a whole world of difference.
edit A close up filter on the 55-250 lens would be a very good combo - nice idea re that lens Baz

If you get a tripod, spend a couple of quid on a hotshoe spirit level...
 
Ignore the ditch the kitlens advice, because your lens on the 450D is hopefully the IS version. If so, itll say on it!
 
vibrantcolour said:
Ignore the ditch the kitlens advice, because your lens on the 450D is hopefully the IS version. If so, itll say on it!
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Ah, of course! BUT he didn't say that!!:thinking:
 
Dave

You seem to have your intial requirements reasonably well thought out. I would suggest that you see what transpires in the next few months. See how many "If I only had..." situations arise. That will point you in the direction you need to look at. Maybe a longer zoom lens with a Macro facility. Keeps both you and Mrs MD happy.


The kit lens on the 450 is not great, but is probably OK(ish) for you at the moment. Are you unhappy with the image quality you are currently getting. If not stay with it for a while.

Maybe a trip to focus for you and Mrs MD may be agood idea. You can see what's available. Better leave the credit card behind though
 
wontolla said:
Ah, of course! BUT he didn't say that!!:thinking:
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sorry but did you miss the noob bit:shrug:
I assume IS is image stabilizing and if so yes it does/is


Chappers said:
Dave

The kit lens on the 450 is not great, but is probably OK(ish) for you at the moment. Are you unhappy with the image quality you are currently getting. If not stay with it for a while.
Click to expand...

To our untrained eyes its ok but obviously we dont expect ferrari performance from a peugeot 106.

Thanks for the heads up but i do have to ask what the hell is a 'nifty fifty'

cheers
Dave
 
Some good advice already. I'm a Nikon user, but don't worry, I'm a pretty unbiased one :lol:. The 450 is a great wee camera, a friend of mine owns one. My initial advice would be similar to a lot of the above, and don't be afraid to stick with the kit lens for a while to figure out where you're lacking. (e.g. you'll probably find you need a bit more zoom for wildlife in time)

Also, a nifty 50 is a 50mm prime lens with an abiltiy to go to 1.8 aperture. All very technical I know, in laymans terms: It doesn't have zoom. It does 50mm very very well though. 1.8 means you get a really big aperture (not sure how much you know, but that's how big the hole in the lens can be made). Big hole means loads more light, means faster shutter speeds.
 
i have been studying the terminology and from memory (trying not to pick the book up) high f value = small apperature opening = sharper pictures (wide DOF) Yes?

what i would like to achieve in the short term is capturing some decent work pictures. Im a dj and i need some decent quality pictures for my new website and want to be able to take action shots without flash. I have control on venue lighting on occasions so i can set it to my liking also i use colour wash lighting thats dimable.

please keep it coming with other essential bits and bobs and still no mention of polarizers
 
mintydave said:
i have been studying the terminology and from memory (trying not to pick the book up) high f value = small apperature opening = sharper pictures (wide DOF) Yes?
Click to expand...

Thats it, the downside being with the higher appature that the shutter speed will be slower, so you would get motion blur in dark areas, a lower appature (say 1.8 on the fifty) would speed up the shutter and reduce blur, but you lose the depth of feild on it.
 
You are correct on aperture, conversely wide aperture (low number) = more light gets in, this means you can keep ISO and shutter speed down, in other words pretty handy for dark clubs etc. The disadvantage of the 50mm prime is it is fixed - no zoom at all.. so you have to think about composition a bit more.

Do a search on here for nightclub photography, there are quite a few who do it.

A polariser (you want a circular one, so you'll see it called a CPL) is a filter that screws on the front of the lens, it does exactly what it says - polarises light, just like your ray bans etc. Useful to get rid of reflections in car paintwork or to tone down bright skies etc.

Theres nothing wrong with the kit lens, so stick with that for a bit..
For the macro lens a friend uses a 100mm f2.8 canon, its a nice lens.

I do see some people doing macro with a 50mm and extension tubes, but I don't know the ins and outs to advise.. maybe someone else can help with that ?
 
mintydave said:
please keep it coming with other essential bits and bobs and still no mention of polarizers
Click to expand...

The CPL or polarizing filter.
First of all it can darken blue skies turning them a deep, rich blue. Polarizing filters are also great for removing reflections in water, so if you're shooting a river scene and you want to see detail in the water or on the river bottom, a polarizer will reduce the reflections. (ever worn polaroid sunglasses?) They're also good with foliage, making leaves and such less shiny (again, cutting down on reflections). Color saturation is enhanced with almost any subject. No other filter can provide this.
 
As you have landscape and sunsets in your list I would look at getting a set of graduated neutral density filters and a filter holder. These will allow you to even the exposure out between the sky and the foreground which will stop either the sky being blown out or the foreground being to dark. There are several makes with Cokin being the cheapest upto lee and above. I paid approx £250 for my lee filters and filter holder iirc, Cokin sets can be had from approx £70 inc filter holder., I also use a CPL with these to help with deeper blues in the sky.
 
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