new here

i have been reading on this forum for a week or so... and first I must say

everyone here is awesome... you guys answer all questions and are not jerks to

the new people.. thank you...

 

so to my question.. I have a canon rebel xti as a gift with lens 50mm 1.8 II and

the EFS 18-55mm kit lens... I want to get some good lens for it... I shoot some

family portraits and landscape I would love to get into wedding photography.. I

have about $3000 to spend..

 

or should I sell my rebel and just get a better body and get ok lens

 

thanks for all your help guys again this forum is awesome

Hi Jeret,

 

there'll be an expert along in a moment, but I'll quickly chip in with an observation that the 5mm f/1.8 you've got is a *great* little lens, widely considered to be a wonder of sharpness for the price (and indeed way beyond its price).

"50mm f/1.8", obviously!

Nice gift you got from Santa, Jeret! :-)

For $3,000 you can build a pretty good lens collection. Though to be in wedding photoraphy you might need to think about another camera body (5D may be). If you are on a learning curve then XTi is a good one to start with. If you do a search here you will find a lot of postings about what lens to buy, but most people probably would tell you - buy best lenses you can afford and then think about upgrading the camera body :-)

Good luck and happy shooting!

 

Serguei

If you haven't had time to use your present equipment extensively, perhaps you will enjoy learning by using it to try make all the kinds of photographs that interest you. In the process, you are likely to learn the limits of your present equipment and, therefore, what other equipment might be helpful. (Generally, the saying is that the photographer makes the image good, not the equipment.) If you are an experienced photographer, please ignore.

Wow! You had 3K to use? That is great... and a helluva xmas gift. Are you new to photographer or just digital photography. Only you know what will suit your needs but this is what I can tell you...

 

There is a big difference b/w the Rebel bodies and the 20/30/40D bodies. The XTi is really much more of a consumer body where the XXD line is much more of a prosumer... meaning you'll get most importantly the back control wheel and spot metering. You'll also get a more ergonomic body, better AF and faster frame rate.

 

The 50 f/1.8 is a nice little cheap lens. The 50 f/1.4 is much nicer.

 

Best advice if you are a beginner and don't really know what you are looking for is to use your current very compentent setup and shoot a bit until your needs change or demand more.

 

The more fun answer and what this thread is really all about... how would you spend $3K :)

 

Sell everything you have

 

Used 5D/New 40D - $1200-$1800

 

zoom kit: 17-40L for 5D, 10-22 for 40D, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 70-200L f4 IS or 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS

 

prime kit: 24mmL, 50 f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 70-200 f4 non-IS

Keep the Rebel and get the best lenses possible!

 

Your camera body will be replaced every few years or so but your lenses are what will stick around and be your best friend ;)

 

If you are new to DSLR gear and just starting out then I would not recommend spending alot of money on lenses until you know FOR CERTAIN what you intend to shoot.

 

The 18-55mm and 50mm 1.8 lenses will suit you fine and you will realize soon whether you need faster lenses (f/2.8, f/2, f/1.8 ...), wider lenses (10-24mm range) or maybe you want telephoto lenses in the range of 70-xxx mm for that longer reach.

 

If it were someone I knew and they were just starting out I owuld advise them to hold off on spending alot and just be happy with what they had and shoot alot of photos to see what they enjoy and what they do miss and then make some purchases.

 

HOWEVER, based on what you said I'd recommend the following lenses.

 

Family portraits - your 50mm 1.8 will work fine! Some will say if you have money to spend then get the 50mm 1.4 instead but honestly you will not notice a huge difference in your images so why not save $200 for other gear?

 

Landscapes - your 18-55mm will also work well here but you may wish to go wider and in that case I'd recommend the Canon 10-22mm lens and if you wished to go to third party lenses there are others as well (Sigma 10-20, Tokina 12-24). I'd choose the Canon first, the Tokina second if it were myself.

 

Weddings? There are alot of lenses to recommend but wedding photography is more complex in that if you are shooting weddings for pay and on your own its always good to have a backup camera body, flashes, appropriate lenses, batteries, memory cards and so on.

Like I said I would start slow and not rush into anything if you are new.

 

Weddings lenses for a cropped sensor body like your XTi - 17-55mm 2.8IS, 70-200mm 2.8IS, primes like the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 30mm 1.4 (Sigma) would probably be the most recommended but again for each person and their needs any of this could change drastically.

 

Stick with your 50mm 1.8, I'd replace the 18-55mm with the NEW 18-55mm with IS if possible or better yet the 17-55mm 2.8IS (which I own) if you can afford it. And shoot with these for awhile and THEN decide what you would like to have added to your collection.

 

I know this is a long post but I hope it helped in some way. Good luck and enjoy your new gift!

WOW thank you... I am a full time gfx designer and I have always worked with photos..so I want to shoot my own instead of using other people photos... I have been messing around with my camera and lens.. I think I will upgrade my 18-55 and keep my other one... anymore comments... thank you guys your great

It seems that all I ever get given is someone else's worn out cast offs! Never mind, I would suggest that you are lacking something in the way of a longer lens. If you don't use one now, you will in the future. Possibly a zoom will give you most flexibility until you find out exactly which longer sizes you use most often. I stick with zooms as my photography is mostly constantly varying lengths and without the opportunity to move around. Also I don't want to carry around a bagfull of lenses.

 

Unless you are thinking about wildlife, you don't need anything over long. The 28-135 IS has been discussed in some detail in several earlier questions and could suit you, although you may regard it as a budget zoom. I find it a useful lens. The 70-200 2.8 which Jay recommends would also be useful and faster. Unless you are going to use a tripod I would recommend IS. You don't need it all the time but it is worth having for those special shots.

 

The main advantage with a slightly bigger zoom is that it will give you plenty of opportunity for those precious non-posed family photos.

 

You may as well keep your camera for now then upgrade later after you have built up a selection of good quality lenses.

Along with most folks, I would advise using what you have for now and banking your bundle. Six to twelve months down the line, after you've soaked up more of our cumulative wisdom (:-), you'll be better positioned to know how you want to spend that money, which in the meantime will have grown a bit if you've parked in an interest bearing account. Or maybe the US will be the the throes of a recession and that bundle will be worth even more to you than it is now.

Jere4t, In my never humble opinion don't get lenses, get lessons. Use the camera and lens you have to learn exposure, light, composition, color and post processing. If you must get another lens be aware that any other zoom is going to be a big honking, heavy lens compared to your 18-55mm. I recently saw some outstanding landscape photos taken with your camera and lens. Obviously the camera was used by someone with a good artistic sense and skilled technique. If you 'want' another lens look at getting a telephoto zoom for extra reach that your current lens doesn't give you. There are any number of current and previous Canon zooms that would fill that bill. I like the 70-200mm 4.0 IS zoom for size and weight, image quality and reach. The 70-300mm IS lens is also a nice unit. Good luck!

To actually add to Gil comments.. beyond lessons... take them or not... SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT. Digital has helped my photography so much because of the instant feedback and the minimal costs after the buy in. You won't learn any more or faster than going out and taking pictures. When you don't get the results you want... ask. Have fun.

There is, indeed, no substitute for experience. Tempting as the $3K is, burning away in your pocket, resist the temptation, buy a Certificate of Deposit for 6 months or a year so you won't blow it on pizzas and beer, and wait until you see what you really need. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to take a couple of hundred and buy the 18-55 IS new kit lens--by all accounts it is a big improvement over the original kit. It is hard to find right now, but worth looking for.

 

 

You may be able to get $50 or even more by selling the old kit lens. That's not too much less than you paid for it in a kit.

Yeah, and just for your information, some of us ARE jerks to the new people. However, it's usually to a newbie who asks some FAQ that really gets somebody's goat.

I am with Jay. The Rebel Xti is a very good camera. I have it and lately I have bought an EOS 40D. The pictures are similar in both cameras. Only in extreme situations of high ISO the experts may notice some differences. Of course you have other things as higher speed, liveview, a second dial, etc.. not very important for IQ unless you shoot with tele lenses manual focus. Try using the Rebel it and wait to see what you need, that will be probably lenses, according with what you do. Try not to buy expensive EF-S lenses because in a future you'll probably change to full frame. The only EF-S lenses I have is the old 18-55 and the new one, not only IS but optically improved. Read the review, specially the Verdict.

 

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_1855_3556is/index.htm

Some excellent advice above. Here is what I would buy for my Rebel Xt, if I had $3000. I have the Rebel Xt, I would not buy a new body, spend it on lenses instead:

 

 

Canon 17-55 IS USM f/2.8= $900

Canon 70-200 IS USM f/2.8 =$1600

 

Sigma 10-20mm =$450 (or Canon 10-22 for a little more=$650)

 

For weddings, you might want to skip the wide zoom (10-22mm) and instead buy at least one 580EX II flash, maybe two (about $350 each).

JDM von W summed up my view.

 

1. Put the $3,000 somewhere to accumulate for 6 months.

 

2. Use what you have: extensively.

 

3. Ask the same question in 6 months, but note it will be far more detailed and specific about your needs are and the limitations the kit has to fulfil them

 

4. Points 1 to 3 are very difficult, but a most worthwhile investment.

 

WW

Try to get a part time job as an apprentice to a wedding photographer.

Do it for nothing if he/she will teach you the trade. Learning how to be a good wedding photographer is more important now.

One option would be to get a 70-200/2.8 IS tele zoom lens and a 580 EX flash. Stick the rest of the money in the bank. The 70-200 will teach you a lot about photography, and as a graphic designer I'm sure you'll catch on pretty quick. In the future, when you're getting ready for weddings, I'd use that extra money to get a new body with a quality standard zoom and I'd keep the xti as a backup body.

I agree with the majority of posters above - hold on spending more on lenses until you really know what you will need. This will depend on what you shoot, and as you take pictures - lots and lots - you might also end up moving into different creative areas than you originally thought you might.<p>

I would highly recommend getting Adobe Lightroom, though (download the trial version first) as it is a software package that makes sorting, archiving and developing your digital pictures easy - and getting into a digital workflow you find comfortable is also essential in your development as a photographer, and you will have easy access to the digital controls that can make you get the optimum from your shots. The camera capture is just a starting point.<p>

And then you take pictures, lots and lots. Try out different controls, different developing procedures, angles, compositions - and always evaluate your own work. Think about what works, what doesn't and what you can do to improve upon it. When you shoot, consider whether you feel you're getting close enough, far enough, whether you have enough or too little light, and whether an image stabiliser will give you more usable shots.<p>

If you keep those things in focus, you will gradually get a feel for whether and which lenses might make a good addition to your starting outfit. If you for instance find that you feel that you get the framing and perspective you want almost all the time with your current lens setup, then you know that it will be worth it getting a better quality lens with the same focal range. if, for instance, you find yourself shooting a lot at 55mm and wanting a bit more reach, then you should consider a zoom with a bigger range upwards. And, if you find yourself wanting to go wider, then you know you should invest in a wider-angle zoom or prime that will cover your needs.<p>

Just getting lenses on the off-chance that you might need them, however, might find yourself having lenses that don't see any use, which doesn't feel right, regardless of how well you can afford it. <p>

Good luck and happy shooting!

Plenty of options to take your money. I'd agree with the 'take photos, take lessons, don't buy until you know exactly WHY you need it and you are sure that your current setup is limiting you.' school.

 

If you are a gfx designer then you are way ahead of the game and probably have access to CS3(?). That's one half of the current equation solved.

 

I recently did a survey (here) on what would be the best books for an intro to photography. Here's what was recommended:

 

The Complete Guide to Digital Photography by Michael Freeman

 

Scott Kelby's book, "The Digital Photography Book."

 

and a little bit more:

Tom Ang's Advanced Digital Photography

 

Skin by Lee Varis, (with CD-ROM)

 

Read, learn, take photos, examine photos, put them up for critique.

 

Read and learn everything you can about light. Light is everything for a wedding photographer (unless you count the 85% business skills)

My little contribution is "don't even think about shooting weddings professionally" at this stage. Along with manned space flight, they're they only two things that immediately come to mind where "failure is not an option". They're fast-moving, high-pressure events where St. Murphy is always the master of ceremonies!

If you are a designer, you probably have a Mac, so get Aperture instead of Lightroom. However, if you already have Photoshop, it and Bridge will work well on a simpler level.

For a good walk-around (near) normal lens on your camera (comparable to the 50mm on full frame), try the Canon 35mm f2.0. Very light, compact, sharp. Focus-type a little dated, but a decent lens, fairly inexpensive, very unobtrusive and easy to carry.

"<i>I would love to get into wedding photography</i>"<br>

 

Weddings are (supposed to be) once in a lifetime events.<br>

Two bodies are a MUST for shooting weddings.<p>

 

A quality tripod for landscapes would be helpful.<p>

Accessories can add up to a significant amount.<br>

Don't get hung up on spending all your $$ at once.<p>

 

Used gear can offer very good value.