60D lens help!

[bfowler83]

Originally Posted by inkista

Sweet! I do want to warn you, though, that your mom's expertise might be a tad misleading. Not about the 50. Everybody usually ends up with at least one fast 50. But she's used to how those lenses look on 35mm film. With digital cameras, there's an additional wrinkle, which is that the majority of dSLRs out there are "crop bodies"--that is, the sensor in them is slightly smaller than a frame of 35mm film. The effect of this is to "crop off" the outside edge of what you would have gotten, had you been shooting 35mm film, instead.

The upshot is that while the lens is doing exactly what it did before, the scene coverage (or field of view) is narrower, and it feels like a slightly longer lens. With Canon cameras, we refer to a "crop factor" of 1.6x. That is, a 50mm lens is going to have the same field of view on a 600D that a 50x1.6 => 80mm lens would have on a film camera.

This is great for telephoto lenses--they suddenly seem even longer. But wide angle lenses may not be quite so wide. Which is why all these newer 18-whatever lenses popped up as kit lenses for the crop bodies. What was a wide-to-short-telephoto on film (say, a 28-70), becomes a widish/normal-to-telephoto on digital.

Yea I agree with the advise on my mom, that and it has been awhile since she has done her photography she has not kept up on alot of things.


Does anyone know if that Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 XR di II is good? I came across it in looking at the canon 17-55, and with a price difference of almost $600 I wanted to ask.

The other I looked into was another of the suggestions. the 15-85.

And last for now, if I go with either of these, would it still be best to go with the 50mm?

[tomservo51]

The canon 50mm 1.4 is a great lens. Good midpoint between price and quality. I broke mine a few months ago but I digress. Tamron makes a really good 50 i hear.

I agree with your move on getting the 60d over the t3i. The 60D feels less like a toy, it also have a better battery and better auto-focus.

I own the EF-S 17-55 IS. The picture quality is great but the build quality is lacking for a $1k lens.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by bfowler83

Does anyone know if that Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 XR di II is good? I came across it in looking at the canon 17-55, and with a price difference of almost $600 I wanted to ask.

The Tamron has a good reputation, but it's not quite up to the same performance level of the 17-55. Unfortunately, with lenses, you do kind of get what you pay for.

The other I looked into was another of the suggestions. the 15-85.

Also has a very good reputation.

Think of the 17-55 as the EF-S analog to the 24-70 f/2.8L; the 15-85 as the EF-S analog to the 24-105 f/4L.

One thing you should really familiarize yourself with in the maze of lenses and why they cost as much as they do is the concept of maximum aperture. Maximum aperture can have as much effect on the usefulness of a lens as its focal length range, and has just as much effect on the final cost of the lens. Don't ignore it and judge lenses solely on focal length.

And last for now, if I go with either of these, would it still be best to go with the 50mm?

Yes. Because of the afore-mentioned maximum aperture. While those other two lenses can give you 50mm, they can't deliver 50mm at f/1.4. And a prime lens is optimized for performance at its single focal length. Most zoom lenses often have weaker areas in the zoom range somewhere, and are not consistently good across the range.

[bfowler83]

Seriously you guys have been a major help. I am very OCD when I buy anything so I have to research EVERYTHING and compare and research again before I even go try it out. So knowing what to go look for is a huge help.



I will most definatly checking out all the links provided and I am sure I will be back soon with more questions!

[taschrief]

Ditto on the refurbished 60D. I have bought two cameras, XSi and 60D, refurbished, from Canon's website. No complaints here. I will do it again.

[bfowler83]

Originally Posted by taschrief

Ditto on the refurbished 60D. I have bought two cameras, XSi and 60D, refurbished, from Canon's website. No complaints here. I will do it again.

I think I am leaning that way. Save $200 and get a camera I know has been checked out doesnt sound like a bad plan.