what lense should i buy?

[mahesh.alanthat]

I use a canon 500 D , and i have in my kit a 55 mm prime and another 18-55 lense.. was thinking of picking up a 55-250 lense. is that the right decision?

[RichardTaylor]

What do you want to shoot with your new lens, thst you can't do with your existing lenses?

[dcclark]

Here are some questions you need to be able to answer:

- What kinds of photography are you interested in? (Landscape, portrait, sports, etc.)
- What do you want to do which you can't do with your current equipment?
- Have you fully explored the limitations of your current equipment?
- Do you have the basics of composition down? Are you trying to replace the basics with equipment?
- Why do you want a new lens in the first place?

[inkista]

If you want more reach for outdoor daytime subjects, then the 55-250 IS is a good, low-cost beginner telephoto zoom. It is not, however, a great choice for indoors low-light photography, fast action, or wildlife/birds. And it's unlikely to be a "permanent" purchase--it's a good basic beginner lens, like the 18-55 kit, but is a lens you'll probably upgrade from if you seriously continue on with photography.

You may also want to consider the question of whether you really need a telephoto zoom lens, or if you could just work at getting closer to your subject.

I'd also recommend reading this basic guide on lenses.

[mahesh.alanthat]

Originally Posted by dcclark

Here are some questions you need to be able to answer:

- What kinds of photography are you interested in? (Landscape, portrait, sports, etc.)
- What do you want to do which you can't do with your current equipment?
- Have you fully explored the limitations of your current equipment?
- Do you have the basics of composition down? Are you trying to replace the basics with equipment?
- Why do you want a new lens in the first place?

I find myself wanting a better zoom when i do landscapes. For prtraits m wuite happy with the reults of 50 mm prime, in fact it suits me best .
i also find myself quite stuck when it comes to shooting at night, though im not sure if thats about the lense though, in my last travel trip all the snaps that took or most of it didnt really come out the way i would have wanted, especially while shooting moving subjects, if any of you could help me with that too.

[dcclark]

Yeah, the 55-200 will let you get closer -- but it won't do anything in dark light. The 55-200 is a "slow" lens, meaning that its maximum aperture is pretty small (f/3.5 at the wide end, f/5.6 at the small). The VR will help you get sharper shots at slower shutter speeds, but if you're doing landscape, you should probably be on a tripod anyhow. For action shots, VR won't do anything for you. In that case, you want a fast lens -- one with a wider maximum aperture. For zooms, these are expensive -- look up the cost of the f/2.8 70-200mm lens! For primes (like your 50mm), they're relatively cheap.

[greenroompt]

first off, shooting at night requires a tripod, or a sensor capable of high ISO. your camera is an entry level dSLR, so don't count on it performing like a $5000 mark IV. Any camera is capable of great shots at night, it just requires a steady tripod. a quick tip: set your camera up (at night) only to shoot subjects that do not move (ie. landscapes). second, probably the most over looked aspect, take the shot using the timer mode. if you click the camera with your finger, you will inevitably end up with camera shake that will make any shot look horrible. set the timer to the lowest setting - probably 2 sec. that will allow the camera to stay still throughout the entire time the shutter is open. set your ISO to 100 (for less noise and ultamite picture quality) only up your ISO if you need to shoot a moving subject. set your camera to manual exposer and try the lowest aperture on the 50 prime - probably 1.8, or if you have a more expensive prime(1.4 or 1.2). next set your shutter to 30 secs. finally, take a test shot! if it is too bright, bump up the aperture until you get the desired look.

contact me if you have any questions by clicking here.

as for your blurred, or undesired shots, when shooting moving subjects, you need to keep this in mind: to stop action, it takes a minimum shutter speed of 250, but 500 or 1000 is more preferred. if there is not enough ambient light to shoot at least 250, then bump up ISO until it is possible. with your camera, i would not want to go more than 800. even then, you will probably have some undesired noise. try not to go higher than 400 ISO.

any camera is capable of getting a great shot, it is the photographer that determines the outcome. i good photographer can get amazing photos from a hand made camera that cost no more that $20 in parts to make. the key is knowing the principles of photography. nowadays, anyone can pick up a camera, set it to auto mode, snap the shutter, and presto! a beautiful shot! but it is know why the shot worked and how you got it that determines your adaptation to new, unexplored territories.

one more key thing to keep in mind is that you never want to shoot your camera hand held when you are less than 1/60th of a sec, or 60 on the camera display, it is very difficult to keep the camera steady enough to get a good shot. The longer the shutter is open, the steadier the camera needs to be.

if you have to shoot action, or moving subject at 250 or less, you will need to "pan". panning is best achieved at around 1/30th, or 30 on the display, because you will need to be shooting slow enough to get a blurred background. you can pan at any speed, and the pros even pan at 1250. this allows for anything moving in the image to appear perfectly still. see example here:


camera - Nikon d200
Lens - nikon 17-55mm 2.8 @ 17mm
fstop - 2.8
manual exposure
auto white balance

the key is to always have your camera pointed at your subject as you follow it throughout the entire time the shutter is open. just like peoples heads tend to do when watching a live tennis match.

finally, as for your lens, you have a good range to work with for now. i would practice getting you technique down with the lenses you do have first, then think about experimenting with other ones.

hope this helps some! Contact me anytime and please check out my site here.

[mahesh.alanthat]

Originally Posted by greenroompt

first off, shooting at night requires a tripod, or a sensor capable of high ISO. your camera is an entry level dSLR, so don't count on it performing like a $5000 mark IV. Any camera is capable of great shots at night, it just requires a steady tripod. a quick tip: set your camera up (at night) only to shoot subjects that do not move (ie. landscapes). second, probably the most over looked aspect, take the shot using the timer mode. if you click the camera with your finger, you will inevitably end up with camera shake that will make any shot look horrible. set the timer to the lowest setting - probably 2 sec. that will allow the camera to stay still throughout the entire time the shutter is open. set your ISO to 100 (for less noise and ultamite picture quality) only up your ISO if you need to shoot a moving subject. set your camera to manual exposer and try the lowest aperture on the 50 prime - probably 1.8, or if you have a more expensive prime(1.4 or 1.2). next set your shutter to 30 secs. finally, take a test shot! if it is too bright, bump up the aperture until you get the desired look.

contact me if you have any questions by clicking here.

as for your blurred, or undesired shots, when shooting moving subjects, you need to keep this in mind: to stop action, it takes a minimum shutter speed of 250, but 500 or 1000 is more preferred. if there is not enough ambient light to shoot at least 250, then bump up ISO until it is possible. with your camera, i would not want to go more than 800. even then, you will probably have some undesired noise. try not to go higher than 400 ISO.

any camera is capable of getting a great shot, it is the photographer that determines the outcome. i good photographer can get amazing photos from a hand made camera that cost no more that $20 in parts to make. the key is knowing the principles of photography. nowadays, anyone can pick up a camera, set it to auto mode, snap the shutter, and presto! a beautiful shot! but it is know why the shot worked and how you got it that determines your adaptation to new, unexplored territories.

one more key thing to keep in mind is that you never want to shoot your camera hand held when you are less than 1/60th of a sec, or 60 on the camera display, it is very difficult to keep the camera steady enough to get a good shot. The longer the shutter is open, the steadier the camera needs to be.

if you have to shoot action, or moving subject at 250 or less, you will need to "pan". panning is best achieved at around 1/30th, or 30 on the display, because you will need to be shooting slow enough to get a blurred background. you can pan at any speed, and the pros even pan at 1250. this allows for anything moving in the image to appear perfectly still. see example here:


camera - Nikon d200
Lens - nikon 17-55mm 2.8 @ 17mm
fstop - 2.8
manual exposure
auto white balance

the key is to always have your camera pointed at your subject as you follow it throughout the entire time the shutter is open. just like peoples heads tend to do when watching a live tennis match.

finally, as for your lens, you have a good range to work with for now. i would practice getting you technique down with the lenses you do have first, then think about experimenting with other ones.

hope this helps some! Contact me anytime and please check out my site here.

Thanks a Million for takingtime to explain these to me. I will surely take the liberty to get intouch again to clear all my doubts and learn!

One of the reasons I find DPS a great platform is this

[mahesh.alanthat]

Originally Posted by dcclark

Yeah, the 55-200 will let you get closer -- but it won't do anything in dark light. The 55-200 is a "slow" lens, meaning that its maximum aperture is pretty small (f/3.5 at the wide end, f/5.6 at the small). The VR will help you get sharper shots at slower shutter speeds, but if you're doing landscape, you should probably be on a tripod anyhow. For action shots, VR won't do anything for you. In that case, you want a fast lens -- one with a wider maximum aperture. For zooms, these are expensive -- look up the cost of the f/2.8 70-200mm lens! For primes (like your 50mm), they're relatively cheap.

Thank you so Much for your valuable suggestions . For the moment as adviced by everyone I have decided to exploe the lenses that I have, for asistence will keep uploading my work to take feedback