This is my first ever post, and i completely agree with the message. I spent six months with nothing but the kit lens that came with my 20D, i spent those six months learning as much as i could, about what i liked and what i'd need in order to enable me to the results that i wanted. So after those six months i sold the kit lens and bought my first ever primes, the 50 1.4 and 85.1.8. I spent a further six months with just those two lenses. Those two lenses taught me many things, one of them being that i loved primes. So i added my two final lenses to my collection. The 35mm F/1.4L and the 135 F/2.0L
I never asked the question "what lens should i get?" It's too subjective a question for me.
Sean-mcr wrote:
This is my first ever post, and i completely agree with the message. I spent six months with nothing but the kit lens that came with my 20D, i spent those six months learning as much as i could, about what i liked and what i'd need in order to enable me to the results that i wanted. So after those six months i sold the kit lens and bought my first ever primes, the 50 1.4 and 85.1.8. I spent a further six months with just those two lenses. Those two lenses taught me many things, one of them being that i loved primes. So i added my two final lenses to my collection. The 35mm F/1.4L and the 135 F/2.0L
I never asked the question "what lens should i get?" It's too subjective a question for me. ...Show more →
and you certainly got some great lenses!!! I'm awaiting the receipt of the 35L1.4 .. unfortunately I'm also waiting for the money to pay for it first :-)
I am very happy with my lenses, they suit my style, They may well not suit another's . I try to avoid telling people what they should get, their style of shooting and shots (or the shots of those they admire ect) should tell them that.
I got my 35 from the states by the way for about £720
" he who has stones better throw them.."? Personally, I don't think people ask questions just to bug me, but because they don't know the answer. What might be clear as my sensor to me, might not for somebody else. I'm pretty certain there's 1+ people out there who think of my questions "silly as a parallel port on a camera". =) Just because someones new, doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to make well informed mistakes...
Well, I must say it's been an interesting experience having a post made into a sticky.
The responses have been interesting too. Either I'm an ass or I'm a hero. No middle ground.
I have to say that judging by the volume of email and PM's I've received the overall response has been very positive and the message has been received in the spirit it was intended, and that is to help.
I try and say it like it is and not pull punches. I think that's a mistake when people are trying to learn. In school, critique sessions were harsh, often painful. You learn a lot from that process and learn in a hurry. Blowing sunshine up someone's shorts is not helping them in the long run.
There's simply no substitute for time spent practicing the craft.
An excellent post and very thought provoking. Well worth the time to read.
I also like the post by elader on how to choose the "next" lens. Makes a whole lot of sense to look at the history of where you've been shooting with a zoom.
Prior to "going digital," I was a film shooter for 18 years. The only two lenses I had and really needed were the 50mm f/1.8 and the 80-200 zoom. And the 50 stayed on my camera 90% of the time. It met my needs then and the EF version of it meets my needs now. I purchased many of my lenses before acquiring a DSLR, so I knew enough to bypass the dreaded kit lens. The best advice I can give to newbies is to thoroughly research lenses before you buy and don't buy crap. And learn a little about photography itself before loading up on a ridiculous amount of gear. That has an effect on the outcome as well.
elader wrote:
I like the idea of telling the new guys (who have no idea wha tto buy) to look at their first 2000 pictures, analyze the focal length distribution, and choose their next lens based on that.
That don't work so well if they only have one (esp. non-zoom) lens...
I want to shoot some close up pictures of wild tigers in their natural habitat. I have only a 20mm prime. I'll just shoot some pictures with that and see how it goes.
I started with the kit lens keep on shooting while reading here and try to understand the features of the camera as well the lens kit capability for indoor and outdoors shots. After learning then ask question to this forum to understand a bit more about which lens should I purchase next if I want to shoot Indoor Basketball,
A bunch of expert recommended me the Canon 85mm 1.8 capable of shooting in low light which I'm happy with the result. Thanks to all those expert Idea which leads me to correct path of my purpose of shooting. After that decided to get the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L non IS tack sharp. Again by reading information here give me good idea which lens should I get. After awhile because of short of money I decided to buy Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 used for my wide all purpose lens turns out soft. A big mistake! Now I'm looking for that one to be replaced and waiting for Canon EF-S 17-55mm f 2.8 IS and hopefully to cover my shooting style.
What do you think about my next purhase? Hopefully no regret intead of getting Canon 24-70mm f 2.8
I dont really find the "get the cheapest lens" advice work for everyone. Some people get into photography as a hobby, something to do and mess around for fun. Others want to take it more seriously and dedicate more time and effort into it. For the former, I say, get the cheapest lens to do the job. For the Latter, I tell them the benefits of better gear (17-40L vs 18-55 EFS) and tell them if they know they are going to get the better gear in the future, might as well get the best they can afford so they have more time to use and learn it.
The other piece of advice i can give is to be patient in your learning of your craft. Get just 1 lens and shoot it for a few months and resist the urge to buy new lens. Trust me, when you start out in photography and buy 3, 4 lenses in your bag, you will be overwhelmed. You spend more time guessing which lens is best for your current shooting situation and that is not the way to learn photography. The best way to get to each lens in your camera as well as you can so when you get to a shooting location, you can envision the shot and know which tool to use. The thing about photography is training the eye not about getting the more lens.
