Camera and Lens recommendations for taking baby snaps

[baskars]

[i am new to this forum and yet to catch up with the previous postings.

Apologies if these questions have been asked before.]

 

We are expecting a baby soon and I am shopping for a DSLR body and lens system.

What would be a good lens to take baby portraits? I am leaning towards Canon,

and hence a recommendation for a DSLR body and lens would be helpful. Also, I

would appreciate a clarification to the questions below.

 

a) FPS: I was trying to decide between the XTi and 30D and read several

postings on this site and others about this. It is not clear to me how much of

a difference a 5 fps would make. Any comments?

 

b) Ergonomics: I have large hands and the XTi seems a little small in my hands,

while 30D was more comfortable. Will the battery grip help XTi's ergonomics?

 

c) General purpose fast lens for indoor shots: I was reading many of the posts

here on Canon 50mm f/1.4 and read the mixed reviews about its build quality and

sharpness at f1.4. Is this a good lens for my proposed use?

 

Thanks.

[yakim_peled1]

The 50/1.4 is a very good lens but the 50/1.8 is almost as good and at a fraction of the price. Then again, a 50mm prime may be too long for your requirements so I'd suggest the Tamron 17-50/2.8 instead.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[yakim_peled1]

Forgot to add that I believe that the FPS issue will be irrelevant for your purposes.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[ma_do]

Well, XTi and 30D are two very different cameras.XTi is built as a cheap budget camera for a first-time SLR user, and 30D is in the medium priced class.

 

XTi has a very small grip, and you will hate it if you have big hands.OTOH, the 30D has very nice ergonomics. My last EOS camera was a 30V film camera (same body as the 30D) and it was extremely comfortable with and without the grip. The battery grip on the XTi helps because you can keep all of your fingers on the grip, but the grip is still very thin and it's an uncomfortable position, in my opinion.

 

Anyway, if you care about ergonomics, you should really go to the local shop and hold them both.

 

As for lenses, I'd get the 50mm/1.4 or the 35mm/2 because i am used with primes and they offer much more than any zoom.

[forray]

I personally use a 20D and Sigma 18-135 f3.5/5.6. I find the 5 pfs very usefully to catch the right moment. Our baby's face expression can change in matters of second. First times he got excited about the camera and I was able to take good shots. Now (10 months old) you need to work hard and make a lot of pictures and select the one with right face expression, sharpness etc. Unfortunately the auto focus of this lens is not fast enough. I use manual focusing, as I did for 20 yers and you get the maximum from the lens.

Feri

[yakim_peled1]

For the fastest AF you need ring-USM, IF design and fast aperture. For your requirements I'd recommend the 28/1.8 USM and 85/1.8 USM. The 50/1.8, despite lacking the first two still manages to provide very good AF speeds.

 

That said, I feel that until your baby is at least 1 year old the AF issue will not be a critical one.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

 

P.S. I had all these lenses and many more and I also have 3 kids.

[randall_pukalo]

Dont get the 85 f1.8, it doesnt focus close enough. I got that lens when my daughter was born, and was very disappointed in it for that reason (you wont be able to get tight facial shots, the baby is too small - but otherwise it is a great lens)

I would recommend however an f2.8 macro lens such as a 50 or 60mm. You will be able to get great available light detail shots with that.

Also, as your child gets older, I highly recommend a fast to use and compact pocket cam for priceless grab shots.

[baskars]

Thanks for your recommendations.

 

Is the 50/1.8 plastic body as brittle as people claim it to be?

 

For portraits, the recommendation seems to be 85mm-105mm. Is 50mm or smaller better for baby snaps because you anyway need to get close to the baby to shoot the picture?

[john_downie1]

Baskar

 

On either camera, the 50mm lens will have the field of view equivalence of an 80mm lens, so it will work fine for portraits. getting close to the face, with a wider angle lens, results in "drawing" which distorts the features, enlarging the nose, etc. I do not have children, but I have nephews, and i would go for the higher frame rate and burn some digits. That magic facial expression is what it is all about and a few of these over the life of the camera will make the additional investment worth it.

[hubert_fok]

I use the Canon 30D with EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS for my son's pictures. It has worked well from birth till 2.5 yr old so far. The wider zoom works well for family and friends' gatherings. And the 55 mm works well for portraits. The 5 fps is very useful and capture all the expressions. The f/2.8 and IS have been a great help in taking pics in low light, and I rarely need to use flash (I try not to flash those young eyes too much). I still have to stay close to my 2.5 yr old (who tends to run toward the most dangerous thing in sight), and rarely have a chance to use the 70-200 lens on him, perhaps when he gets older and can play sports. Oh, I always keep a B+W UV filter over my lens to protect it from my son's quick greasy fingers.

[William Michael]

Qa) FPS: I was trying to decide between the XTi and 30D and read several postings on this site and others about this. It is not clear to me how much of a difference a 5 fps would make.

 

 

A: Generally: 5fps can be used if you have it, it can not be used if you do not.

 

 

Technically: If I am correct in assuming the XTi is 3fps, then that should be quick enough to capture facial expression until the child is capable of a secure sitting up and rapid arm movements when you most likely will be capturing more whole body images, and you want the actual point of impact on the face with the Vegemite Sandwich (what a give away!) At this time, and after, the 5fps will assist.

 

 

Qb) Ergonomics: I have large hands and the XTi seems a little small in my hands, while 30D was more comfortable. Will the battery grip help XTi's ergonomics?

 

 

A: This is personal. I have small hands for a man, but I need the battery grip on my 20D to make it feel like a camera, to me. Perhaps that is using larger and heavier cameras.

 

 

 

Yes the battery grip changes the ergonomics considerably: Go to a camera store, you need to hold it yourself, and remember to hold it vertically as well, (very important).

 

 

 

Qc) General purpose fast lens for indoor shots: I was reading many of the posts here on Canon 50mm f/1.4 and read the mixed reviews about its build quality and sharpness at f1.4. Is this a good lens for my proposed use?

 

 

 

A: Both the bodies you are considering have a small sensor which thus renders the angle of view 1.6x that of the FL of the lens (ie the 50mm lens `sees` what an 80mm lens would see on a FF 35mm camera. Another way of stating this is: the `normal` or `standard view` Focal Length for these cameras is about a 28mm lens.

 

 

 

So the 50mm lens is going to be slightly telephoto in angle of view, which is not good nor bad, just a fact meaning, for example to capture a two year old, full shot standing: you will need to be about eight to nine feet from the subject, not five to six feet, or thereabouts. (thinking down-board).

 

 

 

I have a 20D and 50mmF1.4 and 85mmF1.8 and believe that (after 9 months research) these two lenses represent excellent value for money for their output.

 

 

I use them both for portrait use. Yes the 50mmF1.4 is soft at F1.4: but what is soft? To me it performs well. It also is only a few hundred dollars.

 

 

The 50mmF1.8MkII is less expensive again, but for me the extra few hundred dollars was worth the increase in image quality and build quality, but conversely, (when I bought my 50mm) the extra thousands of dollars was not worth getting a used 50mmF1L, which I tried out.

 

 

And although I have not used one, I cannot see me looking at the 50mmF1.2L in the near future.

 

 

There are some many realtivities: the point is one has to sift through reviews and opinions and understand biases and standards, or lack there of.

 

 

My recommendation: You do not say what photographic experience you have, so I assume litte.

 

1. Get the 30D, it is a better long term, system based tool.

 

 

2. Get the kit lens (17 to 55mm F? to ?). Do not laugh.

 

 

Barter hard and you will find you can pick up this lens for a very small amount, especially if you are looking at another items in the initial package: flash, filter, camera bag, CF cards, etc.

 

 

At F7 to F11 the kit lens will give really good results in reasonable light (I know you want to use in low light).

 

 

3. After a few weeks you will get the feel of what FL you might want most, in a fast prime lens.

 

 

4. Search through the archives and you will get a much better mish-mash of ideas and it will all settle for you: do not just read this thread alone. eg this thread is one of many which will have some value for you:

 

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KrEU

 

 

WW

[yakim_peled1]

>> Is the 50/1.8 plastic body as brittle as people claim it to be?

 

Yes, just like the 70-300 IS. Both however, perform admirably well in the optics department.

 

>> For portraits, the recommendation seems to be 85mm-105mm. Is 50mm or smaller better for baby snaps because you anyway need to get close to the baby to shoot the picture?

 

You are forgetting the crop factor. 50mm is the longest comfortable focal length for indoor portraits on a 1.6X camera as it "becomes" 80mm. 85mm and longer lenses are more suitable for outdoor portraits on a 1.6X camera.

 

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[baskars]

Yakim, William, Hubert and John: Thanks for your suggestions.

 

I borrowed a 20D and 50mm/1.4 from a friend of mine and the lens struggles to AF indoors under incandescent lights. I am having to switch to manual focus most of the times. Not sure if this is a quality issue with this particular lens.

 

The 20D felt really comfortable in my hands and so I think I will go for a 30D.

 

I am a beginner when it comes to SLR. I will probably get the kit lens and the 50mm f1.8 to practice, and then make the plunge once I figure out the real FL I need.

 

How sharp is EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS when compared to the 50/1.8?

[james_cope1]

Baskar, I would also suggest that when you get your 30D, also get the BG-E2 verticle grip for it. This will enable you to compose verticle compositions in the same manner as horizontal compositon without your right hand and wrist being on top of the camera and bent. This will also add a little bit of weight which makes for a steadier camera. I am getting the Digital Rebel XT myself, as I am new to digital photography, but have been a film shooter and a Canon man for over 35 years. I would suggest, if you want good lens quality to photograph a newborn baby and not REALLY have to stick the camera in the baby's face, get the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM at minimum. This gives you, with the 1.6X factor, a 136 mm lens. When comparing the EF-S 17-55 and the EF 50 f/1.8, you are looking at a big difference in lens quality. EF 50mm 4/1.8 is $70.00, the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 is $1,000.00. Big difference!

[yakim_peled1]

>> I borrowed a 20D and 50mm/1.4 from a friend of mine and the lens struggles to AF indoors under incandescent lights.

 

Not very surprising as it has no IF and no ring-USM.

 

>> How sharp is EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS when compared to the 50/1.8?

 

Not by much but it has IS and goes much wider. See

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

 

 

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[William Michael]

`I borrowed a 20D and 50mm/1.4 from a friend of mine and the lens struggles to AF indoors under incandescent lights. I am having to switch to manual focus most of the times.`

 

Yes the EV (light value) does play a part, but it seems to me more importantly there needs to be SUBJECT CONTRAST for the auto focus to latch on to.

 

(Some AF critera is listed on PP70 of the 20D manual)

 

 

I shoot a lot of Low Av Light.

 

 

When using Auto Focus in Low Light I select the center focus point and use focus and re compose. with skill, one can get another high contrast point at the same SUBJECT to FILM PLANE Distance and recompose the cropping of the shot before taking the image.

 

Having stated that, Manual Focussing skills will not be a burden to you.

 

I like the idea about the grip: you should try a 30D with and without: the extra trigger does not fuss me all that much because I Have leather camera straps made to fit my wrist, and my index finger sits on the shutter continuously, no matter which of the four Horizontal or verticals I shoot. But the extra mass for the newer light weight bodies is a must for me.

 

WW

[micheleberti]

The 50/1.4 is an excellent piece of glass even wide open. I have it and I am very pleased with it. You will take very nice portraits of your baby w/it

[hubert_fok]

I haven't used the 50/1.8 lens, but the 17-55 f/2.8 IS is quite sharp and IQ is excellent, even in indoor or low light. This focal length works very well for me. Anything longer my 2 year old may have run away, and I'll have a hard time catching him. Babies grow up fast, and become young tods in no time. Infant photos are easy (don't even really need a D-SLR, they're sleeping a lot and not moving much), but young tods don't pose for you and they don't stand there to wait for you to do meticulous manipulations of the settings. You're lucky if they give you several seconds to get your shot. The zoom helps you frame quickly and you basically just use AI servo and keep shooting. The f/2.8 is actually good enough. Wider aperture will have shallower DOF, and you can encounter out of focus problems when taking photos in a rush at high speed. You have to be quick, and the camera and lens need to be fast to capture these spontaneous fleeting precious moments. By the time you sneaker frame your shot with the prime lens and fuss around with manual focus, the moment is long gone.

[phule]

My wife and I use an XT and the Canon 50mm f/1.8 for our baby's portraits. It's a fantastic combination. You cannot go wrong with the XTi and the same lens, especially if you're going to be sharing the camera.

 

The XT or XTi grip may seem small at first blush but after using it for a number of months I have no problem with its size.

[erictomenga]

Just like Ginger snaps, too long in the oven and they get too crisp. ;-)

 

I do recommend the 50/1.4 lens too although the 1.8 will save you some bucks. While the baby is months old and not moving around as much you don't really need to use the zoom but as they start crawling you'll want something that is a bit more versatile and adding some of the recommended solutions above should suit you fine. Don't forget a tripod so you can get in the pictures too.