I have been gifted with a bit of christmas money and am wondering what piece of equipment would make the most sense for me at the moment. As you all have been a huge help in improving my photography skills, I'd be glad to hear any advice that you are willing to give.
I would call myself a "bloody amateur". I bought a Rebel XS (1000D) last christmas. The urge to take more than snapshots was quite recent to me at that time, so I didn't want to invest a lot of money in case the enthusiasm was just temporary. I am still with it though, with even more motivation than before.
Equipment I am considering are a new universal lens (a 17-70 for example), a tele (18-200), a tripod or a flash. Do you have any advice on what piece of equipment would give me the most additional possibilities? Do you remember a piece of equipment that allowed a stepchange in your photographs?
A flash that can work off or on camera with a tilt-able head... hands down... I am all for the other items... new lens... tri-pod(second choice/mono-pod if you do nature).. but an off camera flash opens up a world of possibilities...
we need to know what type of photography you're interested in to know what to suggest really. New lenses are always a good place to start, and the 50mm f/1.8 is so cheap and sharp it's always a good one to purchase first. A new flash is really useful for portraiture and some other types of photography too.
I don't really have a focus on special fields at the moment. I enjoy catching the mood or details of a place, rather than creating sophisticated setups. I really like Yoori's pictures in that regard (for example). I like street, city and landscape photography and would like to pursue portraits and high speed shots a bit more.
I thought about the purchase of a flash because I often tried to photograph people indoors, where the on-camera flash produced hideous pictures and without flash everything was blurry. On the other hand, I really liked some of the night shots of streets, architecture and landscape I saw which would point to a tripod. Why is there never enough budget for all the toys out there?
off camera flash by far. The first time i used mine it was AWESOME!!!!! There is such a quality difference in my pictures from when i used my on camera flash. i have the 580 ex2 speedlite but the 430ex2 is another good one and half the cost of mine. MUST GET FLASH. Get the flash first then if you really want a tripod walmart sells them for twenty bucks and even though the quality of those suck at least you will have one till you can afford a better one.
I'd say the 580 EX2 as well. and if you like street photography at night, consider getting a remote shutter release., and at least some kind of tripod.
What advantages does a 50mm f/1.8 have in comparison to a zoom lens? Better picture quality in general and higher light sensitivity? Do you think that I am able to discern the difference between a zoom and a prime lens?
Tripod made quite a large difference to me... but then so did my remote trigger... but then so did my macro lens... but then so did my 50mm f/1.8 lens... but then so did my wide angle... it's hard to say! Depends what you like most. If you're already rocking the stock 18-55 then I'd not bother with the 17-70 you cite, as the 18-200 will give you much better range. What's your budget?
The budget is around 500-600€. I'm getting the impression that none of the options would be a bad investment. I guess the main problem is that I could essentially use everything of it and don't know my own focus yet.
But based on your feedback I think can cross the 17-70 lens off the list.
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
A tripod isn't really necessary unless you're taking long-exposure pictures.
I don't really have a focus on special fields at the moment. I enjoy catching the mood or details of a place, rather than creating sophisticated setups. I really like Yoori's pictures in that regard (for example). I like street, city and landscape photography and would like to pursue portraits and high speed shots a bit more.
I thought about the purchase of a flash because I often tried to photograph people indoors, where the on-camera flash produced hideous pictures and without flash everything was blurry. On the other hand, I really liked some of the night shots of streets, architecture and landscape I saw which would point to a tripod. Why is there never enough budget for all the toys out there?
Looks like I'll be investigating an off camera flash then...
But based on your feedback I think can cross the 17-70 lens off the list.