CANON 50D lenses

Paddy Samurai

Hi all,need some advice. I am amatuer photographer and i am planning to buy a 50d body.My last camera a Olympus c8080 came with its own lens so did'nt have to worry about it.Never got around to buying more lenses.

As this is my first venture into the confusing world of lenses:D
i could do with some help

I have been looking at lenses online for the last week or so and have picked up alot of different info.lol at least now i understand what IS and USM relates to.Not sure what the diff between ef and efs,something to do with short mount but not sure.I know i can't afford "L" lens as these are the big money ones.Prime lens not sure about this,maybe the one you use most?.

I can get a EF-S 18-55 IS lens for €100.00 extra with the body,as a package.Some web advice is not to buy the kit package,but to carefully pick 3 lens that will cover all options.

I hope depending on price to get 1 maybe 2 lenses.The two i was looking at based on reviews were EF 70-300MM IS USM
and EF 50MM F1.4 USM (Don't understand focal ratio f1.4 but it seems to affect price)
The second lens the reviewer said its a good travel lens to have on your camera.

Any and all advice welcome,as i am flying blind here.
Sorry if post is all over the place,but these bloody lenses have driven me mad.

Ps:type of shots i take are scenery , architecture detail , family snaps/portraits , I want to take more action shots,as my kids are involved in sports.

Blazer

Basically the lower the F stop eg f1.4 the more expensive the lenses.
One I'd definitely recommend is the nifty fifty...a Canon 50mm f1.8 lenses.
You can get some really nice shots with it and it's only about €80-100.

Another nice one is the EFS- 17-85mm...again an excellent lense..they go 2nd hand for about 270-300. New is about €500 or so I think.

For Sports..you definitely need an L lense or an equivalent one from Sigma etc..
I use a Canon L USM 70-200mm F4 and find it really excellent during the day and in the evenings as long as it's not very dark.
You can pick a second hand one up for about €450 here on boards.. New they're about €900 or so..
Basically there's a nice F stop on it, it focuses fast and the image quality is excellent.
There's a f2.8 IS version but it's about twice the price (1400 thereabouts) so I'd definitely recommend the F4 one if money is scarce.


Welcome to the SLR world it's gonna cost you once you get hooked

In the thread below they're actually discussing the F4 70-200mm lenses...it comes highly recommended

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055959663

pullandbang

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

Not sure what the diff between ef and efs,something to do with short mount but not sure.

Both EF & EFS lenses will fit your 50D. However, if you go full frame in the future (5DII) then the EFS lenses won't fit.

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

I know i can't afford "L" lens as these are the big money ones.Prime lens not sure about this,maybe the one you use most?.

Don't be too sure. Keep an eye on adverts.ie, they pop up fairly regularly and you can get them starting @ €420'ish depending on what you buy.

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

I can get a EF-S 18-55 IS lens for €100.00 extra with the body,as a package.Some web advice is not to buy the kit package,

Take the advice and don't bother, especially if you can afford something better.

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

I hope depending on price to get 1 maybe 2 lenses.The two i was looking at based on reviews were EF 70-300MM IS USM
and EF 50MM F1.4 USM (Don't understand focal ratio f1.4 but it seems to affect price)
The second lens the reviewer said its a good travel lens to have on your camera.

The 50mm f1.4 is a pricey enough lens and unless you plan on shooting a lot of indoor low light stuff, then it can be a waste of money. Better to buy the cheaper (and equally good) f1.8 and use the cash you saved to buy that L lens. In fact for the price of the 70-300 and the spare cash from the nifty fifty, you could easily afford a second hand 70-200 f4 L, one of Canon's best lenses.

AnimalRights

pullandbang wrote: »

The 50mm f1.4 is a pricey enough lens and unless you plan on shooting a lot of indoor low light stuff, then it can be a waste of money. Better to buy the cheaper (and equally good) f1.8

Have you used both of these side by side?
The build quality of the 1.8 is far inferior to the 1.4 and you have a proper focusing ring on the 1.4.

The 1.8 is great value I agree if money is an issue.

mrboswell

I think the short answer is that you are not going to get a lens of high quality that covers everything you want.

The idea of 3 lenses is much better. Wide angle eg. 17-35mm, something mid range like 50mm 1.8 is really good, and something like the 70-200mm should cover what you need as said previously.

Prime lenses are fixed (ie can't zoom like the 50mm). They are generally expensive and are L-series (in the case of Canon).

When I started off I bought 2 cheap lenses that covered the range I wanted. I learned a lot with them but in the end I was sorry I wasted money on them.
I wished I spent the money on one good lens at the start.

My advice would be to get a 28-135mm f3.5-5.6. Its very versatile, reasonably priced and good quality. It covers a good range so you can get good use from it.

pullandbang

AnimalRights wrote: »

Have you used both of these side by side?
The build quality of the 1.8 is far inferior to the 1.4 and you have a proper focusing ring on the 1.4.

I did and yes, the f1.4 is way ahead of 1.8.
However, given the choice of say a 50mm 1.4 and a 70-300 IS USM or a 1.8 and a 70-200 f4 L (both totalling roughly the same second hand) I'd go for option 2.