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View Full Version : Help me choose a body and lens', plz.



Shay
13th November 2010, 12:24 PM
Hi guys.

I'm in the market for a DSLR.

Looking at either a 500D or a 550D body.
I'd of course prefer the 550, but cost might come into it.
would you guys suggest getting the twin IS lens' that come with it (18-55 and 55-200)
or just get a single 18-200 F3.5-5.6 IS lens?

Also what is the most useful lens you have.

Or suggest anything else, my budget is around 1500.

Thanks guys.

poita
13th November 2010, 12:53 PM
for the extra's that you get with the 550d body, i would stick with the 500d

then throw that extra few hundred towards better lenses.

the only diff worth nothing

500d 15mp, 550d 18mp. tbh though 15mp is enough as it is, and bigger megaxpixel is like saying you have a higher post count :lol:/
sensor is exactly the same on the two of them

exposure compensation
500d -2 to +2, 550d -5 to +5

the 550d does movie at 30fps, as opposed to 20fps on the 500d
if your not using the movie mode, then no biggie

Shay
13th November 2010, 01:13 PM
550 also videos in full hd, not just 1080p.
im more interesyed in hearing about lens.
as you say, theres not much between the 2 bodys.

poita
13th November 2010, 01:19 PM
hence my last point :p

they both do 1080p, just the 550d does it at 30fps


as for lenses, thats a massive can of worms.

what are you going to be shooting?

some of the lenses with the bigger ranges lack in the middle, so when zoomed right in/out are great.
but lack in the middle.

Shay
13th November 2010, 02:43 PM
i would say most of my targets will be 5 to 20m away. with occasional macro and landscape shots.
probably shooting a lot of low light. basically be using it as an extension to the sort of photography i usually do...

nuggz
13th November 2010, 03:52 PM
I would go a 24-70 F2.8
or around that range of lense, as the only lens you'll have its the most useful imo

lee
13th November 2010, 05:27 PM
i reckon go for the twin lens kit. None of the lenses available to you are particularly great, but they'll allow you to experiment with range. Having two separate lenses will force you to make a decision about what focal range you'll be needing for the particular shoot.

When you get used to composing shots, you'll find yourself snapping the lenses to certain focal lengths (24mm, 50mm, 70mm, 135mm, etc). From this, you'll be able to make a more informed decision when upgrading your lenses.

Also, have a look at B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/). Their prices are way lower than Canon Australia, and I've never heard a bad word about them.

kabel
14th November 2010, 01:47 PM
Shay I have a Sigma 24-70 F2.8 and find it quite good.
There are a few other lens I use constantly,one being a 10-20 for architectural photography.
Also a 50mm F1.8 and I bought a Tamron 18-200 to use when/if I travel,it was on special at Camera house.
If I was going to chose one the 24-70 F2.8 would be it.

Shay
14th November 2010, 08:20 PM
would you mind bringing some along on friday, so i can see/you can explain their strengths and weaknesses?

kabel
14th November 2010, 08:23 PM
Done.

Shay
14th November 2010, 08:24 PM
legend!

PaulyJ
19th November 2010, 11:34 AM
Shay, get the twin lens kit, and LEARN the camera.
As Poit said, not much diff between 500D and 550D. Both great to learn on.
Lenses, the kit ones will do for now. As I said, use them to learn and build your skills. You will be suprised at what you can take with these.

My opinion, save $$ and get the 500D, and put money towards better glass, extra batteries, flash, camera mounts etc.

dub_sri
2nd December 2010, 10:21 AM
I got the 550D with the twin lens kit, beautiful camera. I am looking to do more on the video side so that really influenced my choice.
I will be selling the kit lenses early next year in favour of a Tamron or Sigma 18-270 or 18-250mm respectively. I get annoyed at having to change lenses personally.

One lens I can thoroughly recommend is the canon 50mm f1.8 for beautiful shots with great depth of focus effects.

Shadow110
2nd December 2010, 11:30 AM
I have the older 400d with standard twin lens kit.
I'm looking to get a fish eye lens and a macro lens for now then I'll go for a newer one in about a year or so.
No movies at all on mine!!! Lol.

PS88
2nd December 2010, 06:43 PM
Bought a Canon 500D Last week and very impressed with the photos.

Shay
2nd December 2010, 09:32 PM
I got the 550D with the twin lens kit, beautiful camera. I am looking to do more on the video side so that really influenced my choice.
I will be selling the kit lenses early next year in favour of a Tamron or Sigma 18-270 or 18-250mm respectively. I get annoyed at having to change lenses personally.

One lens I can thoroughly recommend is the canon 50mm f1.8 for beautiful shots with great depth of focus effects.

was talking to one of the camera enthusiasts i work with today, said he has a tamron 18-250, and its useful in its range, but seriously lacking quality in the actual picture produced.
think he is using a 5D body.

dub_sri
12th December 2010, 01:52 PM
was talking to one of the camera enthusiasts i work with today, said he has a tamron 18-250, and its useful in its range, but seriously lacking quality in the actual picture produced.
think he is using a 5D body.

I have a good mate that does a lot of pro video work with the 7D and 5D. He uses the sigma and says that it's as good as you could expect. It has a few issues with top end sharpness, but is comparable to using the standard canon kit lenses.

Shay
12th December 2010, 07:44 PM
thats what i was referring to, the top end sharpness, but if your using it for video its prob not gonna be a huge issue

dub_sri
13th December 2010, 02:22 PM
Yeah I am a bit of a sucker for the whole 'Not changing lenses every hour' deal. I suppose if you want the best quality across the zoom range then you pony up for L series glass, but deeper pockets are needed.
You're exactly right, with the video work the top end is not going to be a real issue. I doubt I would be shooting at the 270mm end very often.

cdti
15th December 2010, 11:28 AM
i bought a 500D in September, and absolutely love it. I'm up to over 3500 photos already!

I was suggested not to go for the twin lens kit, as the lens qualities aren't that fantastic, and the mounts are actually plastic on them. I went for the Canon 18-200 kit lens, and it wasn't that much more expensive than the twin in the end. To go to the 550D at that stage would have been an extra $450 which I couldn't justify.

The idea of changing lenses regularly just didn't interest me at all, especially if they have plastic mounts. Worst thing I found was I had borrowed a camera from work with a big zoom lens (70-300 I think), then took it to my son's soccer game. Took great shots of the kids on the field, however they all returned after the game and I couldn't take a team photo as I needed to be 30m away. That made up my mind for me.

Shay
15th December 2010, 07:23 PM
So Richard, apart from the convenience, how do you find the quality of the lens, both build and pictures produced. Are the pictures nice and sharp at both ends? Do you ever find yourself wanting a little bit more or a little bit less range?

Also, just what sort of pics and conditions do you usually shoot?

Thanks for everyones responses.

cdti
18th December 2010, 06:16 PM
I haven't had any troubles with any part of the lens range. All the zoom measurements on these lenses is x1.6, so the 200 is actually 320mm which is really plenty far enough. The image stabilisation must do a pretty good job, as I can easily hand hold a 200mm zoom photo at 1/30 sec.

I have shot in full daylight down to night, and mainly of people, and I find the lens fantastic. Pictures are always sharp, but I am comparing to point and shoot cameras in general. We have an Olympus 7MP 18x optical zoom that was our 'big' camera before the SLR, and I liked the photo quality of that, but the SLR is awesome! We also have a Canon A2000 10MP, 6x optical that my wife keeps in her handbag, but it is ridiculously slow when a flash photo is taken before it is ready to take another. The SLR is quick at focussing and being able to take multiple images, which I do have the camera always set on.

The lens takes fantastic macro shots, set the camera on AV, set the aperture to 5.6, and full zoom, and it will give a really shallow depth of field for photos of flowers etc. If I had some photos uploaded, I'd link them for you but I don't.

nuggz
24th December 2010, 02:11 PM
You can see the IS working
look into the eye piece, then half press and IS will turn on

dub_sri
7th January 2011, 08:14 AM
Got my new 18-200mm yesterday. I decided to go with the canon after chatting to a photographer friend of mine. The reality is that you should always go for better glass as you can always keep it when you upgrade your camera.
The lens itself is really quite beautiful, it has a nice wide shot at the 18mm end and is still sharp at full zoom. The only thing I am finding is that at 440g it is almost as heavy as the 550D itself.
It is quick to focus and snaps off shots pretty fast. The build quality feels a million times better than the standard kit lenses, and I think I am in love.

Unfortunately it is a birthday present so it has gone into the GFs hiding spot till the end of feb for our NZ trip, but I can honestly say that if I had the money initially I would have gotten the 550D body and this lens. No question.

cdti
7th January 2011, 11:44 AM
The only thing I am finding is that at 440g it is almost as heavy as the 550D itself.
Yeah, it's not something you would put in your pocket!

Shadow110
7th January 2011, 12:32 PM
That was one of the highest lens I used to sell

dub_sri
10th January 2011, 08:09 AM
Yeah, it's not something you would put in your pocket!

I looked and it's actually 595g...

PaulyJ
11th January 2011, 08:14 AM
hahahaha don't worry about weight.
Once you start buying top end lenses, weight doesn't matter.
50D - 730g
24-70 2.8L - 950g
Do the maths :D

dub_sri
12th January 2011, 02:02 PM
hahahaha don't worry about weight.
Once you start buying top end lenses, weight doesn't matter.
50D - 730g
24-70 2.8L - 950g
Do the maths :D

Much easier to say 'heavy as shit'.

PaulyJ
12th January 2011, 02:11 PM
Add to that the battery pack and 430 flash... over 2kg there...

[OPCSRi]
18th January 2011, 02:29 PM
hehehehe. Try having 15-20 on your back of Camera gear!!! Start off with the basics. As pauly said grab your self a twin lens kit and work from there. Learn how to use it first before getting technical with.