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Lens advice


schultz

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<p>Hi there. Just an everyday amateur photographer here. Looking to by a lens. This is what I have.<br>

Canon t2i<br>

Canon 50mm f/1.8<br>

sigma 50mm f/1.4<br>

canon 55-250mm is<br>

canon kit lens 18-55mm is<br>

tamron 90mm macro<br>

What I am thinking is getting the canon 17-55mm f/2.8. To do that I would need to sell something. I love the sigma but my canon 50mm is not so bad either. If I buy the lens above I would definitely not need to kit lens. But hard to sell those for any money. I don't need both 50mm but can't decide which one to keep. I think the 17-55mm will help me out with indoor pics and that is where I need the improvement with the ability to zoom. I am still learning so I know I do some things wrong. The sigma seems great when I have one subject but I get some blur if its like a family photo indoors. ( maybe I need a flash as well?) It boils down to this, I am not happy with the kit lens indoors and i can sell one 50 and keep the other and if I get rid of the kit lens i will need something to get the wider angle shots.<br>

Thanks for you advice<br>

Jeremy</p>

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<p>Jeremy - I'm sort of in the same boat as you, not particularly happy with the kit lens, and bought the 50 f/1.8 to get those indoor shots on my T1i. But the 50 is often too long, so I was thinking about a better zoom lens to replace the kit lens. Instead, I asked Santa for an external flash which I hope will give me better bang for the buck and I can use it with all lenses. If you haven't read the Strobist website, it's worth reading while contemplating what to do. </p>
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<p>Bueh +1. I'd add: get a diffuser (a stofen omnibounce is fine) and a bounce card (I recommend the Demb Flip-It--google it.) If you then decide that you really need something faster indoors (I'll bet you won't, with flash, for most shots), there are cheaper options than the canon 17-55mm f/2.8.</p>
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<p>The 430 will be fine; you can get a 580 next to use as a master if you decide to use multiple speedlites, but if you have the extra money, there's nothing wrong with going right for the 580...it has more power and a variety of other features that the 430 lacks. Flash will make a huge difference in your indoor shots...you won't have to shoot wide open to get a reasonable shutter speed.</p>
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<blockquote>

<p>"So what do you guys think of a third party brand like the one mentioned above or zeikos. i see they sell for 60-110 on ebay"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Do a search on Strobist.com or a Canon site like http://photography-on-the.net/forum</p>

<p>The Yongnuo flashes, YN465, YN468, etc. are reliable and inexpensive however you will be supporting Chinese manufacturers and not buying American</p>

<p> </p>

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<p> </p>

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<p>Jeremy, the advice you've received to get a flash is salient, but I'm wondering why your need to zoom indoors is so great.</p>

<p>I use only full frame bodies, and tend to use fast wide angle, normal, and short telephoto primes indoors, and slower zooms outdoors. One exception is the 24-70/2.8 L, which I do use indoors. So if I were you, and was really bent on getting a standard zoom for my T2i, it would be the EF-S 17-55/2.8.</p>

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<p>Mark. For instance, yesterday at church i was taking pics of kids on santas lap. The Sigma 50mm 1.4 was working great for that with no flash. But when some of the larger families wanted pics done. i had a time backing up to fit all them in and the kit lens just didn't have the quality of course that the sigma did. Looks like i should experiment with a flash and the kit lens before i make a big purchase like that. Do any of the 3rd party lens that are similar to the canon17-55 have a better quality to cost ratio.</p>
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If it's wider angle coverage you need, then you won't be gaining much with a 17-xx (whether Tamron or Canon), when compared to your kit lens. Also, f/2.8 is not necessarily fast enough for indoors work. It therefore seems to me that you need a flash and you need to learn how to use one properly. Neil van Niekerk has great tutorials on that. Perhaps you are also a candidate for a Sigma 10-20, Canon 10-22mm or some other lens in that focal length.
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<blockquote>

<p>So what do you guys think of a third party brand like the one mentioned above</p>

</blockquote>

<p>All third party flashes do not have all the features of Canon Speedlites. Their AF assist does not cover more than the center spot, they have no automatic WB adjust and flash exposure may not be as consistent.</p>

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Consider the Tokina 11-16/2.8 if its the wide angle that is of importance. It will complement your kit lens well, is built

like a tank, and has great IQ. I find I use it a lot - often I bring only that, a 35/1.4, and a 50 of some type (sometimes a

LensBaby) for my 7D. It's a light kit that's perfect for 90% of what I shoot.

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<p>

<p>The 17-55/2.8 is such a great lens that I've sold my Sigma 50/1.4 and Canon 35/1.4 as they became redundant. I just found myself always reaching for the zoom. I thus think that you can sell Sigma 50/1.4. The 18-55 IS and 50/1.8 will also likely be redundant as well but they will only bring you small amount of cash.</p>

<p>Flash? I do have the 580EX but am using it rarely as I mostly rather use natural light. I would hesitate to recommend you to buy any flash for the sole reason that I think a person must first feel he needs something before purchasing.</p>

<p>Happy shooting,<br>

Yakim.</p>

 

<p> </p>

</p>

 

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<p>Jeremy,<br>

You mentioned that your Sigma gets some blur on indoor family photos. That might happen if you are shooting the aperture wide open (f/1.4 - 2.8). It will have such a thin depth of focus that only the person you focused on will be sharp. If that is the problem, you will need to increase your aperture number to maybe 5.8. That will force you to increase your exposure time, and movement could cause blur. A good flash technique really helps. Sometimes I think people who brag about only using natural light just don't want to master their flash technique.<br>

As far as lenses go, ALWAYS get the fastest glass you can afford. The Sigma 50 is a superb lens, so I would ditch the Canon 50 even though it's not worth much. The Canon 17-55mm is a great lens, but someday you might want a full frame camera, and the EF-S won't work. I think you have a great selection of lenses. Try a flash unit</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>The Canon 17-55mm is a great lens, but someday you might want a full frame camera, and the EF-S won't work.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>True. I was thinking the same When I bought the 40D and started trading EF for EF-S lenses (17-40, 24-105 and 100 macro for 10-22, 17-55 and 60 macro respectively). However, as I didn't know what the future will hold for me (and who does?) I was happy that I have my current kit is perfectly tailored to my current needs.</p>

<p>And what happened in the FF as far as I was concerned? The 5D2 does not interest me and the 1Ds3 is too expensive. So, I bought the 7D and lo and behold, all my lenses work fine with the new body. :-)</p>

<p>And as prices of DSLRs decline so rapidly it is not an impossible scenario that I will buy a used 1Ds3 <strong>in addition</strong> to my 7D. And if that happens, I'd still have no problems. But these are just thoughts. In the mean time I am exactly where I want to be, and content.</p>

<p>Happy shooting,<br>

Yakim.</p>

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<p>Thanks all. Thats what i love about this site, all the great advice. From my limited past experience it seems i can't really go wrong with any canon lens I buy. This is my second dslr(XSI was 1st) and have been through a few lenses. What i love is i can buy a lens, use it for a year, take good care of it, and sell it for almost what I paid for it. I used my XSI fo a year and sold it for 5 dollars less than what I paid for it. I will probably sell the canon 50mm and then buy a flash and try to learn some of its techniques. Thanks again everybody. Yes i am also contemplating get one of those wide 10-20, 11-16mm lens as well, but for now I will take some time and learn the flash. Waiting for the Tamron 90mm to be delivered this week and will play around with that for a while.<br>

Jeremy</p>

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