Lens- a few general questions

dinneenp

1. Just to confirm-50mm is 1:1?
2. Kit lens tend to have all reach, 55mm generally. Why is this-because it's the kit lens and leavevit up to the photographer to buy what lens suits him?
3. When would I use 18mm? For landscapes or what scenario?
4. For out and about/town etc what lens would you use- kit, slightly longer or 200mm? Middle Id guess.?
5. Do kit lenses have advantages (over say a 18-80 lens)?
6. If body doesn't have IS at what lenght would picture suffer/shake if lens doesn't have IS?
7. For children what lenses would be best? Nifty fifty for indoor, but besides that?
8. How good are kit lens at very close up/not quiet macro? What would min distance be in general?
9. Anything else worth noting?


Cheers,
Pa

sasar

dinneenp wrote: »

7. For children what lenses would be best? Nifty fifty for indoor, but besides that?

Children shouldn't be playing with lenses

5uspect

dinneenp wrote: »

1. Just to confirm-50mm is 1:1?

On a full frame camera. The sensor is smaller on most dSLRs. the 500/50D etc is a "cropped" sensor. This means that a 50mm lens is actually an 85mm lens on such a camera. To get 1:1 you need a 35mm lens. (1.6 scaling factor)

2. Kit lens tend to have all reach, 55mm generally. Why is this-because it's the kit lens and leavevit up to the photographer to buy what lens suits him?

Pretty much. They're also cheap, slow and not very sharp. They do let you do a lot with low cost. They will suffer in low light and won't let you "zoom in" a lot.

3. When would I use 18mm? For landscapes or what scenario?

Counter intuitively you could use a telephoto for landscapes for better results. Wide angle lenses let you squeeze more it but a telephoto landscape lets you populate a distant background with an interesting foreground. Wide angle landscapes are usually all sky (which can be awesome with a polariser). Also architecture shots work well with wide angle and fisheye lenses.

4. For out and about/town etc what lens would you use- kit, slightly longer or 200mm? Middle Id guess.?

It all depends on what you're shooting. A long lens (telephoto) is great for candid street photography of people. As above a wide angle is great for architecture. There are 18-200mm lenses about that cover all bases but these aren't as optically refined as say a 24-70 and a 70-200 as the lens has to be designed work over a wider range.

5. Do kit lenses have advantages (over say a 18-80 lens)?

Cheap, light, small and decent enough in good light. Great for learning to basics and decide what focal length you'll invest your cash in when you get a better lens.

6. If body doesn't have IS at what lenght would picture suffer/shake if lens doesn't have IS?

There is a rule of thumb where you take the reciprocal of the focal length.
So if you have a 200mm telephoto you should keep your exposure no slower than 1/200s to prevent hand shake. So clearly this only becomes a major issue with longer lenses.
iirc only Sony do on sensor IS.

7. For children what lenses would be best? Nifty fifty for indoor, but besides that?

To take picture of them or for them to use?
The nifty fifty is a must have lens for anyone regardless of kids. If anything a camera with a quick accurate autofocus is a good start! Lenses like the 50mm f1.8 of 1.4 give great depth of field which generally suits children's photography, if a little clichéd.

8. How good are kit lens at very close up/not quiet macro? What would min distance be in general?

About a foot. As above, it's usable but not great. You get what you pay for.
In terms of macro have a look at extension tubes with the fifty fifty. There's also a Canon EF-S 60mm Macro lens what is a good alternative for close up.

9. Anything else worth noting?

You'll need to give us more info on what you want from a camera.

DaireQuinlan

dinneenp wrote: »

1. Just to confirm-50mm is 1:1?
-snip-

Dude, you're thinking too much about this.
You probably don't want to hear this, but the last thing that'll make any difference whatsoever to the quality of your photography is the camera you're using.
Just buy a camera already !

charybdis

Is this really the sixteenth thread you've recently started that somehow relates to buying a camera?

melekalikimaka

charybdis wrote: »

Is this really the sixteenth thread you've recently started that somehow relates to buying a camera?

lol

dinneenp

Cheers for the info. Just trying to understand the bits fully.
A lot of cameras on eBay come with different lens so just wanted to understan fully.
I've been wrecking my head with analysis paralysis.
Thoughts have gone from waiting a bit and getting Pentax k-x with kit and 18 ir 55-200 (€470 from Amazon in USA!),k-m, Canon 400d, Nikon D40,D3000, Sony alphas etc.

I'm going to just make a decision tomorrow and be done with it.

Have a Panasonic FZ28 and Canon S90. Was going to sell both and get T7 and slr but not 100% sure

Effects

dinneenp wrote: »

7. For children what lenses would be best? Nifty fifty for indoor, but besides that?
Cheers,
Pa

I'd say a you need a 400mm these days at least.
And you'll need something like this, to blend in overall. Parents are more vigilant these days. As Cardinal Brady said himself, "thirty-five years ago we were in a different world. Now we have higher standards thankfully and certainly I wouldn't act in the same way now as I did then".

Effects

dinneenp wrote: »

Cheers for the info. Just trying to understand the bits fully.
A lot of cameras on eBay come with different lens so just wanted to understan fully.
I've been wrecking my head with analysis paralysis.
Thoughts have gone from waiting a bit and getting Pentax k-x with kit and 18 ir 55-200 (€470 from Amazon in USA!),k-m, Canon 400d, Nikon D40,D3000, Sony alphas etc.

I'm going to just make a decision tomorrow and be done with it.

Have a Panasonic FZ28 and Canon S90. Was going to sell both and get T7 and slr but not 100% sure

From Amazon USA you will have to pay import duty and tax. You don't seem to know exactly what you want. I'd advise going to Gunns on Wexford street and buying your camera there, they will give you decent advice and won't sell you something you don't need just cause they know you don't know what you're talking about.

dinneenp

Effects wrote: »

From Amazon USA you will have to pay import duty and tax. You don't seem to know exactly what you want. I'd advise going to Gunns on Wexford street and buying your camera there, they will give you decent advice and won't sell you something you don't need just cause they know you don't know what you're talking about.

A friend lives in the US and will be home soon.
Cheers re advice on Gunns but I'm living in Galway.

stabo

Go into to a shop in Galway and get your hands on different cams,and see what feels right and your budget.

baby and crumble

You know, it's when I read threads like this that I'm glad I'm an impulse buyer... first DSLR I bought was bought on adverts because it was cheap and looked good. Minolta 5D, and I wish I still had it (stupid thing got stolen a month later. Grrrr)

Then I was camera-less until my Dad upgraded and I got his old beast of a camera for next to nothing off him.

Bottom line- just buy something, and figure the rest out later. You'll really only know what you like and what you'll need once you start taking photos!!!

kumate_champ07

alot of kit lenses ARE sharp, when you get past f5.6 or 2 full aperture stops

olympus kit lenses are great, even with contrast and colors too. the worst thing about kit lenses is that they arent as useful in low light.

5uspect

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

alot of kit lenses ARE sharp, when you get past f5.6 or 2 full aperture stops

olympus kit lenses are great, even with contrast and colors too. the worst thing about kit lenses is that they arent as useful in low light.

Or Ireland!

captain_boycott

I purchased a Sony A100 some years back with the dual lens kit - a 3.5-5.6/18-70 and a 4.5-5.6/75-300. Seemed good value and covered all the bases. And it has worked out great as my first DSLR for a novice photographer.

However I always feel my pictures lack sharpness and punch. I know at lot of that effect can come from post processing, but am tempted to upgrade to some better glass. In particular, a f1.8 50mm lens. In the opinion of the experts who frequent here - would I see a dramatic improvement in image quality (thinking here about family photos/potraits) using a wide fixed lens or should I save my money and continue to hone my skills with the 18-70 lens. No right answer I guess but your thoughts?

5uspect

The low light performance and narrow depth of field of the 50mm f1.8 is worth it. Prime lenses are also super sharp. All these things make it a great portrait lens.

I had Canon kit lenses for years. They're grand but nothing special.
I found I tended to shoot wide open a lot of the time or at higher ISOs as there was never enough available light except in very bright sunny conditions. The result was soft images. As mentioned above kit lenses tend to sharpen up when stopped down a bit.

I've moved on to newer and better lenses and while I'm still a rubbish photographer the results are more satisfying.

CabanSail

Not all Kit Lenses are the same. The quality can vary between different lenses & brands.

Generally the Nikon Kit Lenses are quite good quality but the Canon one's tend to be of a lower build quality. The 18-70mm Kit Lens I got with my D70S was good. I also recently bought an 18-55 VR Kit lens for the same body to allow it to be used as a loan camera. It's a perfectly acceptable lens. I know that many Canon users find their Kit Lenses to be a bit of a problem.

WOOHOO 3000 posts!

Nisio

Sounds like you're sweating the last 2% Pa; I reckon very very few photographers are held back by their gear.

Take a look through the random thread and you'll see fantastic pictures from all kinds of cameras and lenses; great pictures taken on small film compacts from the 80's! (or home made cameras in Daires case!)

Buy a camera and a lens and go take pictures!!

streetshooter

CabanSail wrote: »

Not all Kit Lenses are the same. The quality can vary between different lenses & brands.

Generally the Nikon Kit Lenses are quite good quality but the Canon one's tend to be of a lower build quality. The 18-70mm Kit Lens I got with my D70S was good. I also recently bought an 18-55 VR Kit lens for the same body to allow it to be used as a loan camera. It's a perfectly acceptable lens. I know that many Canon users find their Kit Lenses to be a bit of a problem.

WOOHOO 3000 posts!

CONGRATS!

kmick

I can recommend the 50mm 1.8 - its a nice little all rounder. I have the 50m 1.4 and its an awesome lens but it is costly. I use it indoors a lot and it can take excellent shots in very low light.