I was hoping to get some advice on my next lense purchase. I have a Canon 60D which I just bought and LOVE. The camera came with a 18-135 which I also really like and hardly ever use anything else. I wanted something with a little more range but am undecided on which lense. Id LOVE L series but I am just not ready for that expense yet. I do have the following lenses already....
18-55
35-70
18-135
50mm f1.8
wide angle lense
I dont shoot one particular area just yet, Im kind of fly by night and shoot whatever catches my eye. I dont know if looking at my pictures will help determine the lense size, but if it does, feel free to critique.
I have been here 2 weeks and absolutely love it. Wish I had found this project sooner!
I personally think that everyone that has a DSLR should have two lens, 1 for close up and a longer lens. That is why I always recommend a dual lens kit when someone askes me what they should buy.
Some of the lenses came with my first DSLR a Canon XTI, so I had those already. I said above, that I wanted one for better distance shots like you mentioned. For example, the shot I took of the moon etc. So I coudnt decide between the 70-300 or the 50-250. I probably dont need any of them, but when you start out you really dont know what you need I guess. Thanks for the advice and the link.
Here is a photo I took of the moon with the 250mm that I linked to:
I have a few different lens and I must admit that my 100-400mm is my favorite. I love the compression you get from a long lens and it really fills the frame with the subject.
Here is a photo I took with that lens.
The background you see is some, 300 meters away from the subject, but it gives the appearance that it is only 20 meters away.
You can really have a great deal of fun with a long lens. :)
Definitely figure out what type of photography intrigues you the most before shelling out money on a new lens. If you really want to get into landscape types of lenses, you need a wide range lens and your 18 - 135 will certainly cover this. The 70-300 is a decent lens as well and really not all that expensive. I have an 18-250 Tamron and a Canon 70-300. I use my 18-250 Tamron WAY more than the 70-300, because I find it's a little more tack sharp than the Canon when I zoom all the way out to 250 handheld. But with the 70-300 on a tripod, such as the moon shot that Brandon posted, i do well with. But I can get the same result with my 250.
You've got the 50mm and that is EXCELLENT for portrait shots. I love prime lenses and have a few of them. Right now, my favorite is the 85mm. But I love the 50mm too.
In all honesty, figure out what you are shooting before buying a new one. It took me a few years and a lot of wasted money before I finally figured out which lenses i really needed and for what. I wish that I had forgone all of those other lenses that I have (and I won't bother to list them all) but all of that money should have gone to a L glass lens for myself for my landscape stuff.
Anyway - play some more, see where your photography takes you, save up the money while you discover your photography style and you will thank yourself later and buy a better piece of glass.
Thank you so much for the honest response Jennifer! I really do love landscaping and being outside. I wanted a longer focal length, so I can get close but not too close to a moose etc lol. A friend of mine had an experience with a buffalo that i NEVER want to have. I love the 135 alot bc I dont have to switch lenses to often. I do love the 50mm and doing portraits as well but find I like portraits better outside. I really want to buy an L series myself. I have a friend who is a photographer and he was one of the people chosen for the Canon Imagination Project and his photo was in Ron Howards film. He swears by L glass but hes worked his way up to that, I havent. Some day. Thank you again!
@jenp Hi, Jen. I wanted to bug you with a similar question if you don't mind. I have never owned anything more than a $100 camera, but this project has inspired me to upgrade. My dad suggests the 18-135 (or 18-200) lens b/c of versatility and the convenience of not changing lenses (and he is a huge Nikon fan). That does sound like a huge plus to me as someone who is a beginner, hobbyist and mom of three young boys without much time to stop and change lenses. But, the thing I really want the ability to do is (1) capture awesome portraits/closeups with DOF and bokeh; and (2) have something quick enough to capture portraits of my always-on-the-move kids. Would you recommend a 35mm or 50 mm alongside the larger-range 18-200 or 18-135 lens (I have read the 18-200 is better than the 18-135, at least for Nikon). Any insight from your own experiences would be appreciated.
@rockinrobyn - Well, those are two completely different sets of lenses. The 35mm & 50mm are Primes and they do VERY well for low light and portraits with great depth of field and wide open aperture (like 1.8 or 2.4). With the 50mm, you'll need a little bit of elbow room if you are shooting in the house, the 35mm is a little bit wider so you have a little more room to work with. They are great for fast moving children.
But the other lens, the zooms, it's just a different type of lens. I've used those for portraits but they aren't as tack sharp & quick as a prime lens would be. But the 18-135 is nice and it's got a wide angle on it, so you'll be able to get more "Scene" in it.
I shoot with Canon too, so I don't know from experiences on the Nikon lenses, but I don't think you can go wrong with either the 35mm or the 50mm. It depends on how much room you have to use it, if you are short on space, go with the 35mm. If you have plenty of space to use it, go with the 50mm.
I would probably go with the 18-200 or 250. But that's just me and what I prefer. If you use a tripod a lot then you can get some good use out of the extra range.
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However, I wouldn't get any of the lens that you have mentioned. You already have the 18-135 distance covered so I would get 55-250. I have one of these and they are great lens and cheap.
http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=4096
I personally think that everyone that has a DSLR should have two lens, 1 for close up and a longer lens. That is why I always recommend a dual lens kit when someone askes me what they should buy.
Do you have a link to the 300mm lens?
Here is a photo I took of the moon with the 250mm that I linked to:
I have a few different lens and I must admit that my 100-400mm is my favorite. I love the compression you get from a long lens and it really fills the frame with the subject.
Here is a photo I took with that lens.
The background you see is some, 300 meters away from the subject, but it gives the appearance that it is only 20 meters away.
You can really have a great deal of fun with a long lens. :)
That's the only sentence you need to take away from the responses.
You've got the 50mm and that is EXCELLENT for portrait shots. I love prime lenses and have a few of them. Right now, my favorite is the 85mm. But I love the 50mm too.
In all honesty, figure out what you are shooting before buying a new one. It took me a few years and a lot of wasted money before I finally figured out which lenses i really needed and for what. I wish that I had forgone all of those other lenses that I have (and I won't bother to list them all) but all of that money should have gone to a L glass lens for myself for my landscape stuff.
Anyway - play some more, see where your photography takes you, save up the money while you discover your photography style and you will thank yourself later and buy a better piece of glass.
But the other lens, the zooms, it's just a different type of lens. I've used those for portraits but they aren't as tack sharp & quick as a prime lens would be. But the 18-135 is nice and it's got a wide angle on it, so you'll be able to get more "Scene" in it.
I shoot with Canon too, so I don't know from experiences on the Nikon lenses, but I don't think you can go wrong with either the 35mm or the 50mm. It depends on how much room you have to use it, if you are short on space, go with the 35mm. If you have plenty of space to use it, go with the 50mm.
I would probably go with the 18-200 or 250. But that's just me and what I prefer. If you use a tripod a lot then you can get some good use out of the extra range.
Hope that helps! I know it's all confusing! :o)