Dude, it's the lens, not the camera !
Canon lens EF 50 1.4 USM by Canon
By Olivier Staiger
3 April 2007
Top quality lens at affordable cost is way more important than the camera body.
There is lots of discussion going on about what camera to buy, what body to use. Nikon vs Canon seems to be the ultimate duel. Here's my opinion .
I am Canon.
My dad used Canon, then I used my dad's cam, later I bought my own cam and stayed with what I was used to .
I'm not saying Canon is the best. Well, maybe.
Back in the 1990s I used to have the EOS 5 film camera.
Then digital arrived. So I bought a 300D ( Rebell ) , later the 350D ( Rebell XT ). Of course I would love to be rich enough to get me the 5D or even the 1D. And then again, the 1D is so big and heavy. I would probably settle for the 5D even if I had the money for a 1D.
Actually I could buy the 5D, but then there would be no money left to travel.
But what's much more important , is the choice of lens.
Therefor when I bought my digital Canon cameras, I never took the kit-lens. Too bad quality.
When I bought the 300D, I bought the "body only" option. No lens. Got lenses from pre-digital time, from my EOS 5.
Later when I got me the 350D, my favourite shop only had the kit available. So I took it but first thing I did was get rid of the kit lens.
Get a good lens instead.
If there's only one lens , get the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 !
Very affordable, top end quality and crisp and very very fast . You can shoot in low light.
Plus, used on a 350D there's that x 1.6 thingy, thus you end up with a marvellous 80mm / 1.4 lens , without having to pay for that red ring and L - series logo.
As you can see, the camera market is so competitive and dynamic. You buy a new body and 2 years later another model shows up to replace it. Another reason to invest in the lens.
You may buy a new camera every few years, but your good lens will live on.
The lens makes over 70 % of the image quality.
The camera makes probably 10 or 20 %. The rest is for the photographer. ( Sorry, Annie !)
If you are on a limited budget, do get the Canon digital Rebell XTi ( 400 D ) but without that cheap plastic kit lens.
Instead, get these great and not too expensive lenses :
the ultrawide angle EF-S 10-22mm ( = 16 - 35 mm) zoom
the ultrasharp 50mm / 1.4
and as a tele of great value, the EF-L 200mm f/2.8
( that 200mm results as 320mm !)
Allright, if you don't want to get the EF-S 10-22 because you might not be able to use it on a later purchase 5D , stay with EF.
Generally speaking I don't like zoom. Quality is so much top of the line with non-zoom lenses.
So for a wide-angle lens that gives you still quite some wide angle on x1.6 chipfactor, you may want to look into Canon or Sigma or Tokina.
Non-zoom lenses also have the advantage of being fast, capable to shoot in low light.
I chase tornadoes in the Great Plains. These storms often darken the skies so much, and there's not always time to stop and set up a tripod, so I often shoot handheld , at 400 or 800 ISO and that's when a fast lens is really great. Also, there's often lots of lightning involved and it may be safer to stay in the car than to put up a tripod in the fields as it may become a gathering point for Mr. Sparky !
I also travel worldwide to see solar eclipses . I have travelled on all continents to 23 eclipses so far. So I like to travel with not too heavy equipment. I once owned me the great white tubes, Canon's 200/1.8 and 400/2.8 bazookas, but they were so heavy I never took them on travel and later when I needed cash for another eclipse trip to Malaysia and Australia I finally sold them again. Instead I got me the lighter choices , Sigma 400/5.6 and Canon 200/2.8 L. Good , affordable lenses but much easier to carry. I have been to Easter Island, Ascension Island, and Possession, Kerguelen, Heard , Baffin, Kangaroo Islands. Been to Mongolia, Zambia, Costa Rica, etc etc. Even went to Antarctica ! And next year I plan a journey to the North Pole. So it is important to put my lens weight on a diet.
Whatever. Just remember, if you upgrade your camera in a few years, you will still be able to use that lens.
And if that lens is a good lens, you will still use it. Trust me !
Klipsi, Paparazzo Del Cielo
lenses/cams used for these images :
Lips : 50mm on 350D
Birds in Storm : 200mm on 350D
phonecall : 10-22mm @ 10mm on 300D
lightning : 28mm on 300D
1 Response
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On 3 November 2008 Burak BAYINDIRLI gave props:
Interesting...
