next lens??

Discussion in 'Beginner Questions' started by Amy Walters, Jan 16, 2019.

  1. Amy Walters

    Amy Walters Member

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    I am a photography student and doing an apprenticeship with a newborn photographer- babies and pets (to be my bread and butter work) , but I want to continue in my spare time to do wildlife photography in particular but also maybe some portraits/art photography in my spare time. I own a L series macro lens which is brilliant, a 'nifty fifty' (F/1.4) both which were recommended by my mentor for my job, and a 75-300 zoom. What lens would people recommend I start saving for next? Maybe something more for my hobbyist pursuits.......budget middling but I have some savings and am prepared to save and invest for something worthwhile............
     

  2. Phil

    Phil Administrator Staff Member Site Supporter

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    What about a general walk-around lens? I use a 17-70 Sigma that is on my camera most of the time.
     
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  3. johnsey

    johnsey Site Moderator Staff Member Site Supporter

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    Well its hard to say what the best lens for any specific person is since everyone's opinions a bit different,

    From a portrait perspective I like you jumped the Nifty Fifty 1.8 and got the 1.4 which is a huge upgrade in my opinion. Additionally the 1.8 85mm would be a good portrait lens to add.

    You could consider a a number of options for a zoom for walking around be it 17-70, 24-70, 24-105 etc..
    I personally am a fan of investment upfront, so you will notice my zooms are L series, but there are also good options from sigma or Tamron. Either way investing in the extra cash in faster sharper zoom upfront saves money in the long run. I do see a opening for wide angle glass but it also seems like its not a huge rush given what you shoot. Some of the thoughts I had when I got my 17-40 ( which was one of my first lenses), I figured I would use it more for landscape shots so I didn't see the reason to spend extra on a 2.8 if most images would be stopped down. I also didn't see the need to have longer zoom if I had a 50, and planned on the 85mm. But the convenience of shooting without changing lenses is a good argument, if you shoot a lot of street photography or weddings I can see where a 24-70 would be an ideal choice.

    From what i have read the 70-300 4-5.6 is rather soft wide open, and also soft on the edges stopped down. I think long run upgrading to a faster, sharper long zoom is something you will want to do for wildlife photos. There are more options for this at the 70-200 range, but you get a fixed focal length, and you can always ad a teleconverter when you need the extra reach.

    After that it really comes down to specialty needs, like your macro, or a fisheye lens. I wish I had the L version of the 100mm Macro, it was not an option when i got my 100mm.
     
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  4. Craig Sherriff

    Craig Sherriff Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    Amy, I thought about your question and I asked myself two questions, one what would be the best lens that would aid me in my professional use later on, two what would lens I could use that would be fun, something that would not be expensive and something that was not very heavy to use. Question one I would refer you to the suggestions made by Phil and Johnsey as they are two very well informed gentlemen so I shall make a suggestion for question two. Looking at what you have said about hobbyist pursuits, this would include landscape, street and wildlife. Your nifty fifty F1.4 will cover them rather nicely, so let us look at wildlife. Since animals and bird don't like us getting close you need a longer lens. Anything over 300mms is expensive and the longer it gets the amount of money increases. and so does the weight of the lens. So may I suggest what I use. A 500mm mirror lens. My lens is a Tamron SP with a Canon FD mount. (This is an old film camera lens) I mount it to my camera with a Adptall 2 to EOS adapter ( this cost 12 dollars off of EBAY) now let us look at the good and bad things about it. Positive side, it weights a little bit more than your 75 to 300mm lens. ( you don't need to carry a huge tripod around with you to use it) size is about 7/8 ths the length of the 75 to 300mm lens ( without the lens hood on it. Focal distances are 6 foot or a bit over 1.7 m to infinity. They are very cheap ( Cheap doesn't always mean bad, I think of these issues as Quirks. Things you work around to get the best out of your lens) compared to regular lenses ( I volunteer at St. Vincent De Paul and handle all the photography gear that comes in. This is where I purchased my lens. The down side is you only have one F stop and that is F8, no auto focus, you have to do this manually , ( the most accurate way to do this ( since you do not have a focusing screen like on the old film cameras ) is put your camera in live view and use the magnify + button a few time to zoom in and then focus, then use the - button to go back to normal focus. now compose your shot. ( this is a bit of mucking around but after a while it becomes second nature and you will not worry about it ) The shots will be about the same quality as your 75 to 300 mm lens. I know this suggestion is a bit out there but it works for me. Also I have used this lens for street shots and some portrait shots ( this was at a outdoor wedding and I was standing at the rear) the lens at this distance worked out fine, even at it's F8 aperture setting. My next suggestion is go to the photography store with your camera and request to try out different lenses on your camera ( a good store will let you do this). This should give you a idea of what these lenses do and what the resulting shots look like. This will save you getting a lens that later on you find doesn't suit you. All the best with your hunt for a new lens. Gary's suggestion of renting a possible lens is also a good thought as you can trial it to see how it performs with heavy use in a variety of situations and if you don't like it the costs are minimal and all you have to do is return it at no extra cost.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2019
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  5. GDN

    GDN Well-Known Member

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    If I were you. I would pick up a cheap used wide angle sort of lens, a 28-80 sort of thing, and then go out and play with what you have got. That would give you 28mm to 300mm on your 5D. Give it a while, get out and shot what you like, and get a feel for what sort of focal lengths work for you the best. You may find that 28mm is not wide enough, or 300mm is too short. At least you will have an idea.Then upgrade to better quality glass when you know what you want. Also, once you have made up your mind on what focal lengths works for you, go and hire that lens and give it a try out before you do the big expensive outlay.

    Gary
     
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  6. Amy Walters

    Amy Walters Member

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    all good replies! Lots to consider........will have a nose around and maybe rent a couple of lenses and have a play around and see what I gel with......but now I have some places to start. Thanks to all :)
     
  7. Amy Walters

    Amy Walters Member

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    Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm F/1.4 USM, Canon 100mm L IS Macro, Canon EF 16- 35mm f/1.4, Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L, Canon 85mm f1.8 USM, Yongnuo wireless trigger system, Amazon basic speedlites, Elinchrom D lite1 , various softboxes, Canon support ring for Macro lens, all lens covers etc, etc
     
  8. Amy Walters

    Amy Walters Member

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    Location:
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    Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm F/1.4 USM, Canon 100mm L IS Macro, Canon EF 16- 35mm f/1.4, Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L, Canon 85mm f1.8 USM, Yongnuo wireless trigger system, Amazon basic speedlites, Elinchrom D lite1 , various softboxes, Canon support ring for Macro lens, all lens covers etc, etc
    and yes I LOVE my F/1.4......such a good purchase!!
     
  9. Craig Sherriff

    Craig Sherriff Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    Amy this is one of the photos taken with a 500mm mirror lens, hand held. wallaby.jpg 5 minutes away from my home. It is of a wallaby in one of areas bordering the houses near Mt. Wellington Reserve.
     
  10. Amy Walters

    Amy Walters Member

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    Wow! That's incredible- you are so lucky to live near to so much wilderness and wildlife. And great pic, I'll def check out renting one of those lenses, see if it fits with me. Amazing that it was handheld :)
     
  11. Craig Sherriff

    Craig Sherriff Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    Amy, it is not really that amazing. I had the ISO up very high and therefore was able to use a very high shutter speed making it easy to hand hold. If it was at a lower shutter speed then I would have needed a tripod, still wallabies are pretty cool. It is a pity there was none with joeys ( baby wallabies) they are marsupials so carry there young in a pouch.
    One of the drawbacks of this lens is there is no stabilization so you have to work around the problem.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2019

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