# New lens for Canon



## tko187 (14 Aug 2008)

Hi i was wondering if anyone can advise me on a second lense for my canon eos 450d. I would like a wide angle lense and also something i could focus into a lot maybe a telephoto. If anyone knows model  no's and prices would be good, also as im new to dslr's would a sigma lens fit to a canon? Thanks

Oh the current lens is 18-55mm, i want something that i can use all the time in different conditions, for lanscapes , portraits, i am not too fussy about macro shots just yet, i want to try my hand at landscapes, portraits and street photography as right now its the festival In Edinburgh and a lot of good shots to be had, i think my standard lens is goog but maybe a bit under equipped for what i want to do, would i be right in saying this?


----------



## Tom (14 Aug 2008)

Have a look here for lenses and prices. Probably the best around. It all depends on what you want to spend... lenses are definitely not cheap 

For wide angle, I'd recommend a Canon 10-22 http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ku=1005844

I love my 70-200L http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12848 
It's only the entry level L lens, but it's as sharp as anything, and not a bad mid range telephoto. Great for the price. 

Other than that, I'd have the 100-400, but then your starting to look at silly money
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12857

Of course there are cheaper alternatives, but they're what I'd recommend for price vs. quality. Have a look around that site, there's some bargains to be had there!

As for the Sigma lenses, you'd just have to get one with a Canon mount. 

The 18-55 isn't a bad lens, but if you wanted a better replacement, I'd say the 24-70 is a good bet, but you are again looking at a lot of Â£Â£Â£
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12835

Having said all that, there are others on the site that would make good alternatives on a lower budget. Have a look around, and try some out in shops.

Tom


----------



## Joecoral (14 Aug 2008)

For portraits / macro / aquarium photography the Canon 50mm f/1.8 http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12814 is a good entry level lens, or if you're feeling a bit more flush, the canon 100mm f/2.8 USM http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12862 which I hear is a fantastic lens
a reasonable priced telephoto is the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12851, which I have and personally am very pleased with (although I'm still somewhat of a beginner, these all work fine for me and arent too expensive)

JC


----------



## oldwhitewood (14 Aug 2008)

I would go for the 50mm f1.8. I have the nikkor equivalent and it's fantastic, I love it. And great price too.


----------



## Tom (14 Aug 2008)

I'd agree the 50 1.8 is great for the price. Got mine for Â£40ish on eBay


----------



## Mark Evans (14 Aug 2008)

Tom said:
			
		

> I'd agree the 50 1.8 is great for the price.



or better still the 1.4?



			
				Tom said:
			
		

> The 18-55 isn't a bad lens,



try sigmas version, same optic quality, half the price.  ive used both BTW



			
				Tom said:
			
		

> I love my 70-200L



great lens for the money.

ultimate portrait lens? canon 135mmf2 L.... without doubt truly awesome.

mark


----------



## tko187 (14 Aug 2008)

Thanks so much for the advice, im truly still not understanding what all these number mean though,.

So is the 70-200 (large lens) is that for focusing on stuff thats quite far away?? 

And the cheap lens the 50-f1.8 is for blurring the background and portrait shots, i take it the smaller the f number the more blurred the background, am i right?? 

Also when the number become smaller on the lens ie 10-22 does that mean it is a wide angle ? Please forgive for the stupid question. 

I like the look of the big massive telephoto lens , what are these mostly used for?

Thanks guys ill be back


----------



## Tom (14 Aug 2008)

> So is the 70-200 (large lens) is that for focusing on stuff thats quite far away??



The higher the number, the further the "zoom". 200 is a medium length, 400 being long and 10 being wide angle.



> And the cheap lens the 50-f1.8 is for blurring the background and portrait shots, i take it the smaller the f number the more blurred the background, am i right??



Yep, the lower the F# (or wider the aperture), the smaller the range of focus, and the more blurred the background will be. A lower F# (wider aperture) such as 1.8 will also be better in low light, as it lets more light into the lens, providing a faster shutter speed.



> Also when the number become smaller on the lens ie 10-22 does that mean it is a wide angle



Yep, that's a pretty wide angle lens



> I like the look of the big massive telephoto lens , what are these mostly used for



Stuff like wildlife photography. Say you want to get a picture of an animal or something you can't get close to, thats when you need a longer lens. 

Tom


----------



## tko187 (14 Aug 2008)

Thanks so much to clear that up for me Tom, it really helped. Will have a look on that website also. Thanks.


----------



## tko187 (14 Aug 2008)

The 70-200mm looks like a good lens. Can anyone advise on this, i would love to do some sports photography also, would this be any good, does anyone have any shots focused in all the way at 200mm?? Also for street photography, would it be useful, although a little large, but i dont mind that. Thanks


----------



## Tom (14 Aug 2008)

I've used it for street photography and it's good, although a little obvious    For sports you might want to consider getting either the IS model or the 2.8 IS, as it will get you a better capture on fast moving objects. I'll try and find some shots with the 70-200 and post them in a sec...


----------



## Tom (14 Aug 2008)

OK, these were all with the 70-200 F4L






































Enough???    You get the idea...


----------



## Joecoral (14 Aug 2008)

I've just been looking at your Flickr Tom, and your work is incredible! How did you get to be so good?! and at only 17 too!
Teach me how! LOL


----------



## tko187 (14 Aug 2008)

Yup youre shots are damn good mate, How long you been doing this and did you learn yourself over time or have you done a course of some sort, i take it over time it becomes like anything really? Also do you sell your pics anywhere at all, its just ive heard that a lot of people sell there copyright pics on for good money, was just wondering where ??? Once again good shots!!

Are you really only 17??   

Seems like a good lens , think i might go for it, is it heavy??


----------



## Tom (15 Aug 2008)

Hehe thanks, and I'm 18 now but most of the shots were taken last year in France and London. I've just taken lots of photos and seen what comes out. At the time of those shots I'd been doing it for about a year I suppose. Had the camera a year before that. Photography forums like photography-on-the.net (for Canon) really help too. There's a ton of info on there. Never really sold any pictures. I'd like to, but it would take a fair amount of investing before anyone really gets to see the photos (prints, frames, displays etc)

For being in the L range, it's not really heavy at all. Probably one of the lightest L's. 

Tom


----------



## tko187 (15 Aug 2008)

Just back from Jessops, had to check out this lens 70-200 f4l, looks very good, just never had enough time to mess about with it, i think i will probably go for this lens, im going to try and see if i can get one cheaper on the net as Jessops were selling at Â£599, im sure i seen it somewhere for Â£399 yesterday. Just wondering, do you use this as an everyday lens i mean when travelling and stuff? What would it perform like with sports? Also did  you use a tripod for any of these shots? Thanks for any help and also any other stuff you might want to advise on would be great. Thanks


----------



## Joecoral (15 Aug 2008)

Shop around on the net, Jessops is insanely expensive, you'll find it much cheaper. I think I saw one for approx Â£360 on ebay including p+p


----------



## Mark Evans (15 Aug 2008)

great pics tom, would i be right in saying there's some great PS techniques going off there too? loving the colour toning in your images. how do you do it? ive been playing around in photoshop trying to produce similar effects, but not as good as what you've done.

mark


----------



## Tom (15 Aug 2008)

> I think I saw one for approx Â£360 on ebay including p+p



Watch you don't get slapped on VAT/Import tax like I did with my one though



> would i be right in saying there's some great PS techniques going off there too? loving the colour toning in your images. how do you do it?



Just keep playing   I shoot in raw, and upload into Canon's Digital Photo Professional software. Depending on the "mood" of the pic you can adjust colour balance, brightness, sharpness, etc etc there before importing to Photoshop. When in photoshop, play with the contrast/brightness, and also the colour balance. Pretty basic stuff, I haven't got involved in any of the technical editing stuff yet. 

Tom


----------



## Mark Evans (15 Aug 2008)

Tom said:
			
		

> Pretty basic stuff, I haven't got involved in any of the technical editing stuff yet.



the kid pics? thats edited...no? 

mark


----------



## tko187 (15 Aug 2008)

Does the IS system make a difference, i notice its a lot more expensive if you take it with IS? Is it worth it?


----------



## Joecoral (15 Aug 2008)

Tom said:
			
		

> > I think I saw one for approx Â£360 on ebay including p+p
> 
> 
> 
> Watch you don't get slapped on VAT/Import tax like I did with my one though



I wasnt aware of this, just ordered some stuff from china. How much did it sting you for?


----------



## Tom (15 Aug 2008)

Bout Â£45-50 extra, got a letter from DHL about 2 weeks later saying I owed them money for it lol. Still less than shop proce at the time. 

Tom


----------



## Mark Evans (15 Aug 2008)

tko187 said:
			
		

> oes the IS system make a difference,



it will gain you about 2 stops i think, thats why the extra cash. IS image stabalising


----------



## LondonDragon (16 Aug 2008)

For new camera lenses its worth having a look here, they usually have some nice deals going on:

http://www.7dayshop.com/

And they have a clearance sale now on too:

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/clearance.php

Worth a look for Canon users, I usually buy filters here, printer ink, memory cards, etc...


----------



## tko187 (18 Aug 2008)

Whats the most i should pay for a second hand one off ebay?? Good condition, my current bid is at Â£225, whats the max? Also is there anything particular i should ask the seller? Thanks.


----------



## Joecoral (18 Aug 2008)

what lens you bidding on? the 70-200 L ?


----------



## tko187 (18 Aug 2008)

Joecoral said:
			
		

> what lens you bidding on? the 70-200 L ?



yup!


----------



## tko187 (3 Sep 2008)

Does anybody know if the 50mm f1.8. is also known as the Nifty Fifty?? I take it this lens is good for low light portraits, what else is it good for, quite a good price!


----------



## Joecoral (3 Sep 2008)

Yup, the 50mm f/1.8 is what they call the nifty-fifty. Good for portraits, also good for aquarium photography


----------



## oldwhitewood (4 Sep 2008)

If it's the nikkor one the f1.8 I have heard that called the nifty fifty, the canon one I have seen too and seems very cheap, you should certainly get one!

I'm after a nikkor 50mm f1.4 at the moment that is meant to be really nice but is around Â£180


----------

