HELP!!! Question on Bodies, Lenses, Filters and Flashes

[raivo_vanags]

My current equipment: Canon EOS 300 (Rebel 2000?), EF 28-105 f/3.5-

5.6 IS and UV filter and Manfrotto (was it Bogen in US?) tripod

055PRO/3021BPRO and ballhead 468RC/3435QR. I have a thourt of an

upgrade plan for future but have some doubts on some issues.

Photography is just my hobby but one thing I hate is to buy something

cheap at first and then buy the same item of a higher quality later.

I better wait and save some money and then go for good quality. So my

ideal current plan for a �complete set� is to go for Canon EF 100-400

f/4.5-5.6IS; Extender EF 1.4X (I have read 2.0X wouldn�t be such a

good idea on zoom lens); EF 100 f/2.8 Macro; EF 17-35 f/2.8L; EF 50

(don�t know which one); flash Canon 550EX; filters, home studio

equipment and Canon EOS D60 body. Prety costly, eh?

 

Here comes the question � which way to go step by step and where cuts

can be made to save on bucks and not loose much of a quality. I like

to shoot landscapes, portraits, candids and Macro. I like to do both

B+W and colour and that means that I need a second body. Question on

bodies � I think that my ideal camera would be Canon D60 and that

would be enough for me for many,many years but..$2000

currently..ouch! So while waitg the price to drop or wage to rise

what is the best way to go � take one more Canon EOS 300V (a new

version with a cool LCD display on back) or go for something better?

 

Lenses � I have heard and read that EF 50 f/1.8 II is quite good (and

cheap!) so it seems it could be my next buy. But what about other

lenses? On macro photography � I�m currently tending towards Canon

Macro filter 250D for my 28-105 � any thoughts on this? Does B&W have

it? Is it better?

 

On filters: which are the essential ones? For Black and white �

yellow 8, 81B and yellow-green 11 (enough? too much?) For colour �

ND, polaraizer??? What to do in bright sunny days when skys seem

white on prints?

 

What kind of flash should I buy? It seems that 550X is a good one but

costly as well. But I know that I woun�t be able to afoord much of a

lightning for my �home studio� work. What�s the best way there?

 

Thnx

[NK Guy]

My suggestion would be to start with:

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<A HREF="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/"> http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/</A>

<P>

Not that I'm biased or anything.

[jimstrutz]

<I>"Here comes the question"</I>

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Is it just me, or is there more than one question here?

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<I>"...that means that I need a second body"</I>

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I'm not sure I agree with you that you need a second body, but on the other hand I think I need a new body. The one I got is fifty years old and quite flabby, the eyeballs don't work as well as they used to & cuts & scrapes take a lot longer to heal. - Oh. Never mind. I guess you were talking about camera bodies weren't you. In that case, get a Canon Elan 7e. The D60 has been discontinued.

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<I>"...I�m currently tending towards Canon Macro filter 250D for my 28-105 � any thoughts on this? Does B&W have it? Is it better?"</I>

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The Canon 250D is made by Canon. B&W doesn't have one. Nikon has some of these double element close-up lenses that are nearly the same for less money. T6 & T5 I think. They fit the Canon lenses with step up rings.

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<I>"On filters: which are the essential ones?</I>

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There are no essential filters in my opinion, but I seldom shoot black & white, so what do I know.

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<I>"What to do in bright sunny days when sky seem white on prints?"</I>

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You can try graduated ND filters or a polarizer, depending on the situation.

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<I>"What kind of flash should I buy?"</I>

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Canon 550EX for starters. Considering the money you're going to drop on the rest of this, why skimp on lighting?

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<I>"Thnx"</I>

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You're welcome.

[chuck]

"Photography is just my hobby but one thing I hate is to buy something cheap at first and then buy the same item of a higher quality later."<p>

 

Ignore that preference. Let your progress in photographic skill and technique drive your equipment acquisition plans. Heed this advise, I paid $11000 for it. I still have many Nikon AF-S ED lenses sitting in my drawer laughing at me.

[chris_fisher1]

Think your list of wants is more than most of the people on this forum own!

 

Don't see any point in buying a EOS 300v when you already have a EOS 300. Main differences between the two that I can see is that the 300v is uglier than the 300. Wouldn't put a 100-400 IS lens on either of them. Not because I don't think they would be able to take the weight, just don't think it would feel very nice having such a heavy lens on such a small body.

 

I moved up from a EOS 300 to EOS 30 as I felt I needed more control, dispite the manual modes on the 300 I wanted more control. Mirror lock up, second curtain sync, single shot or continuous shooting.

 

Unless you feel you have out grown the 300 there is no point moving on, and mine still sees a lot of use as it is so light to carry. Certainly no point in getting the 300v.

 

If you have to buy something else get the 50mm 1.8 lens. Take the advice above and read the beginners section. Go to the library, or buy a couple of books. Look at the photos and see what filters have been used and decide if they suit the kind of results you want.

 

Chris

[Brian]

For all of your preferred subjects except candids you don't need autofocus, so you could go for an old manual body in say Pentax K or Minolta MD mount and get a couple of Pentax or Minolta primes. These old prime lenses are stellar performers and will reward a disciplined approach. Also cost a load less money than all that new Canon stuff. You could still use the Canon Rebel and the zoom for your candids.

[al_kaplan1]

I agree with Brian. Get a used Minolta like the X-700 and or a Pentax K-1000. Get some prime lenses. A 50 will likely as not come with the body. Get a 35mm and something in the 85 to 105mm range. Before buying anything else shoot pictures for a few months. For a flash get a Vivitar 283. With a bit of luck you'll have spent less than $500. Spend the rest on film. That sort of equipment took great pictures 20 years ago and still takes great pictures. You won't be spending a fortune on batteries. You won't have to worry about the auto focus focussing on the wrong place or the auto exposure exposing for the wrong thing. You have one thing the camera lacks ~ a brain. Use it.

[michael_bradigan]

Chuck, I'd be happy to take away those pesky laughing lenses for you :) I'll even pay for you to ship them to me for "punishment". Just thought I'd check :)

[pc1]

i enjoyed reading this thread,oh don't get me wrong pls. i learned a lot too.i have some carl zeiss lenses laughing at me too,chuck. i'm not blaming anyone but myself of course,for being a real equipment freak.today, isn't my day,didn't start the day right,was really depressed,(i'm not a drug addict)but when i started reading this thread,man ! did it wake me up,this guy reminded me of me in my younger days.my advice Raivo , make do with what you got for now,read books and check in this forum whenever you got time,oh and don't forget to buy that 50mm 1.8,it's cheap,and you will begin to see the world in a diffrent perspective with this lens,compared to your zoom. and stay cool,this digital stuff can wait,watch the prices come down ,then buy what your $$ permits.it's true, you got more than what some if not most of the pros have here. happy shooting ! pc

[the_macman]

>>>>>>>>> I think that my ideal camera would be Canon D60 and that would

be enough for me for many,many years but..$2000 currently..ouch!

 

The D60 ideal while a 17-35L WA is on your wish list? :) :)

 

>>>>>>>>> What kind of flash should I buy?

 

Well, nobody knows. What do you normally shoot? The 550EX is a few

hundreds bucks, not a lot if necessary... On the other hand, I have a friend

who owns about $15K in Canon equip and who's very happy with his $30

flash from ebay :) It is what you call a "good" flash, and for many people

certainly not "worse" than a 550EX :-) because many people don't need and

don't know how to use all the features. Besides, when wanting advice for a

flash one should explain the results obtained with built-in. I'm rather

fascinated how often people shop for a flash while they never used the built-in

flash. I hope it's not your case. I believe one should be fluent with built-in flash

and hit its limits before shopping for a flash... some of them will never hit the

limits :)

[wind.dk]

I like your portfolio.

 

Also I agree with you about getting good quality equipment from the start. So here's what I would do, calm down and take one step at a time :)

 

Judging from your portfolio, I think you'd like a polarizer for your landscapes. I don't have an ND grad, so I don't know how much that would do for you.

 

Regarding lenses, a 50mm is something I think everybody should have, and it's dirt cheap, so get that one. I think you'd make good use of a macro lens so the 100mm should come in early as well, maybe before the 50.

 

The two zoom lenses on the other hand, I'd wait with. at the very long end, 400mm is fun, but not something I think you'd use often. At the short end, it should be easier for you to determine wether 17-24mm is something you're going to use - do you often feel restricted by 28mm?

Incidentally, I know nothing about the quality of the particular lenses you mention, so I can't say wether they actually fit your demands for the best from the start.

 

Regarding B&W filters, after reading the filter section here on Photo.net or maybe B+W's web pages, I think you'll only get wiser by actually trying some.

 

Flash photography I don't know about. But for serious home studio work I guess photo lamps are the proper route to go.

 

And finally the digital camera body. Unless you need it now, I would wait. And by need it, I mean *really* need it, to meet deadlines on assignments and such. If you just can't bear having only one kind of film in the camera at any given time, I suppose you'd better get a second body, but at least wait until you're sure what you'll like.

[ed_olson]

Your list sound similar to the items I keep considering. The advice to purchase the D60 only if you need is very sound. I just recently realized I could purchase a G3, 550 EX Flash, and a EOS 3 for the same price as a D60. I just purchased the G3 and 550 EX.

 

I based this on my present needs and wants. I want to explore using the flash and the G3 will allow me to get instant feed back.

 

My current SLR body is the Rebel 2000. I will hold out for an EOS3 as it has the upgrade features "I" desire. I intend to become proficient with the equipment I have now. I will then make my next purchase based on my needs at that time.

[raivo_vanags]

Thank you everyone who replied for your good suggestions and ideas. I have been reading a lot many threads on Photo.net and usually I try not to post a lot of questions myself, as indeed there are a lot of answers already. This time I though I will post a question because 1)I will give information about my current equipment and needs 2)a lot of answers on previous threads aren�t of very recent times and while generally nothing changes in photo technique (I don�t mean equipment so much here) things tend to change � there are new posters, somebody hasn�t answered such questions before, etc.

 

And while I do think that there are stupid questions I generally try to ask question with a tendency to look dumber than smarter. I guess you can get more out what you need. So apologies if something seemed as a �stupid thing to ask�.

 

To back-comment on your responses and ask some more questions, here it goes:

NK Guy � Thanks so much � Your site is wonderful! Recommend to check it! I have printed a ton and it has kept me busy for several evenings (and I was so close to the end of the book I was/am reading�). On beginners section - there was a lot I new already and a lot I didn�t and a lot I thought I new but didn�t understand. When reading some materials I often think would I understand it also if I hadn�t new this and that before? Anyway NK your paper provided me with a lot of help and of course with an even more confusions. Ehh�why can�t it always be easy � A is better than B and B is better than C and period. And if one doesn�t have so much time/possibilities/money to test a lot of equipment then it becomes very hard to buy this magical universal thing just for you.

 

Your article on Elan 7e disappointed/confused me a little as your well made arguments doesn�t show this body as good as I though it is (I haven�t read any other threads or materials on it yet though).

 

Jim � thanks for some nitpicking and advice. Considering the money I�m going to spend�.but it�s not so that I�m going to buy it this month or even year. It�s a sort of long-term plan/dream � so some tradeoff has to be made. Do you really think 550EX is for starters or was it just a bit of sarcasm from your side?

 

Chuck � I guess that�s a good advice from your experience it�s just to find what path to go. Ok, I guess I sort of know about my filters but there are a lot of time I can�t make some photos I want because I lack something (is it skill or some equipment?).

 

Chris � yeah, that�s why it�s a �dream list� based on real needs. Like why did I mentioned pricey EF 100-400 lens � it has everything up to 400 (and more so with an extender) and I guess that would be limit I can afford/justify to own someday. In the country I live it�s impossible to rent a lens and go on vocations to shoot. Photo shops don�t even have most of the stuff in inventory and everything must be order with some up-front payments. So what more do I have than Internet forums to rely on?

 

What do you think about NK Guy�s paper on EOS 30???

 

Brian and Al � that�s sort of cost wise but on the other hand is it? If I have Canon EOS system I guess it�s cheaper to stick to it in order to have compatible bodies and lenses or isn�t it? How does Vivitar 283 works with Canon?

 

Michael � I was first in line as I started this thread :)

 

Paul � thanks, that�s what I intend to do. But actually a digital body would help in a lot of situation and reduce operating expenses so to say and also allow to see the correct image on the spot and not to rely much on those photo labs. You can do a lot of mistakes while learning and it won�t cost you a film�

 

what do you mean �it�s true, you got more than what some if not most of the pros have here.� you mean pros have even less that Canon EOS 300 and EF28-105??? Really?

 

Macman � you see when I think about choosing flash I also have in mind some �home studio� settings. I want to do some photos with people and still life but of course I can�t spend a fortune on some fancy light-kit. So my question would rather be like whether a good flash would substitute a sort of studio light as well. Like 2-in-1? Then the idea would be to go for a better flash. Not that I need the flash for some party/event photography.

 

Ivar Wind Skovgaard � Thanks for comment. Yeah, you have got my problems (not that I mean dirty scanner on some of my photos..) I guess 50mm would be my next buy together with some filters. Do you thing Macro 100mm would be good also for portraiture?

 

17-24 � I don�t know about that also may be the wide angle isn�t the most needed lens for me yet. But I have felt I would like to go more than 105mm quite a times. Of course I don�t have any deadlines, etc. It�s just sometimes feels that sometimes people with �ordinary� digital cameras taking sharper pictures than me with film. At least on PC screen (e.g. here on Phot.net).

 

Ed Olson � you to be in my shoes indeed. With G3 you mean Contax G3 right? What about it's 'compatibility' with Canon lenses, etc.? What kind of lenses do you own currently? I'm intrigued with your proposal�

 

[raivo_vanags]

Oh, Ed, I see - you mean Canon Powershot G3. How do you find your new combo G3+EX550 - can you use the Ex550 features on ths point and shoot camera? How's G3 performance, etc?

[ed_olson]

I like the Canon Powershot G3 very much. (Since I was answering a questoin about Canon equipment I didn't think to clarify which G3). With and without the 550Ex the g3 works very well. The G3 supports most of the 550's functions. The 550's focus assist lamp does not work with the G3. The focus assist lamp does work with the Rebel 2000.

 

I find the size of the G3 to be an advantage in some situations. Also the instant feedback of a digital camera is helpful with experimenting.

 

Photographs taken with the G3 appear to be of high quality. Good contrast, sharpness and color.