I agree: Great post. Sometimes, the obvious can't be over-stated enough.
This is like someone asking, "What car should I buy?"
I'd quickly reply - in a similar vein - "Well, if you're going for speed, style and comfort, I'd think I'd avoid the used Yugos if I was in your shoes ......."
Likewise, wanna avoid being barbecued alive? I'd pass on an old Pinto, too ....
Generalizations abound but I'd still suggest that a newbie get used to a camera withOUT a display. Otherwise known as .... a film camera. A Pentax K1000 or a Nikon FM100 or something he or she would have to THINK to use.
I always like to see the brain booted up and engaged before much of anything gets put into motion.
I'd recommend a 50mm to get the ball rolling, then a ~~0.5 X wide angle, then a ~~2X telephoto. All fixed-length lenses.
Then we'd move on up the evolutionary scale of technology (a.k.a. digital). And variable focal length lenses.
Despite having learned them myself - and some student-teachings in dark places - I'm not entirely sure I'd say the "wet processes" are ABSOLUTELY necessary. Not anymore ................
5 years ago and I'd have balked at even imagining that.
But the first LENS - IMO - should reveal the same perspective as the eye sees. No wider, no closer. Don't just look AT the scene, get used to looking INTO the scene just as your unaided eye would - and does.
(Turn over. Learn to crawl. Stand up with help. Then, "Look, Ma! No hands!" Then take a step. Fall. Get back up. Hey, this walking thing is a hoot once you learn HOW! Then a faster walk. Then run. Running. Running is good! Stairs? Hmmmm ....... back to that walking thing .... And now we have MOVING stairs (An escalator)
One can be well advised not to get ahead of him / herself. (Seen it all, done it all, know it all - or so I thought)
Start from scratch and build upon success: Works like a charm .......
This is my first post as I am a TOTAL newooby.....
But I find the orginal post very helpful. I was asking around about which lens I should buy and blah blah blah... Now I'm just going to start with the basics and go from there as we do anything else. I was looking for instant gratification and I realize that I really need to learn a lot more before I do anything. And I suppose experience is key. I only hope that one day, I may be able to offer advice to people as some of more experienced people here.
Go to your local camera shop and stick some lenses on the camera and take a few test pictures. There are lots of zooms with different zoom lengths. You will probably fine one or two that you are happy with.
ashers right if you dont know what lens to get than asking a bunch of strangers will help little, good advice is to go into a camera store and try different focal lengths out on different bodys, now asking questions on the boards about sharpness and af speed ect is totally understandable, im a pro but i occasionally ask on this board about certain things about certain lenses such as sharpness. its always best to see for yourself through your own eyes what a given focal length might look like
Another option is to find someone willing to lend you their lens for the weekend for you to play with. Recently, I was able to borrow from a friend a 16-35mm (yes, an L lens, he's a really good friend). It was a good way for me to find out that I preferred a lens with a longer zoom that wasn't so wide, like a 24-70 or 24-105.
If you really want to learn composition, skip the zoom lenses and buy a few single focal length prime lenses. This way, you will be forced to step in closer, or perhaps, move farther back...or in many cases, you will be forced into making the composition work in a different way than you first wanted because the focal length can't be quickly made "right". After a while, you will begin to foresee and know your composition for that lens, even before you raise the camera to your eye.
It's not "convenient", but you will learn good composition faster because you can't just just "zoom" into a comfortable compostion (that you've perhaps used a zillion times...). You'll also find what focal length "sees" like you do.
Thanks Todd I'm exactly in this situation. I currently have a G6. I spent my last month learning your technical language, because in fact guys, you're are not so easy to understand.
Then found my upgrade, the 350D Rebel.
Now as you said the difficult choice of the lens.
And for that I've have 5000 pictures with my G6, but I didn' find any tool to give me statistics on the properties of my pictures. I went through and realized that a lot of pictures are over 100 mm, it means that event if the 24-105 is one of the best, I should be maybe fustrated to not be able to take this specific picture and then I looked at the 17-85 that give with the rebel a equivalent to 28-135.
So is that is mean than I'm going to enjoy more with the 17-85 ? I'm going to the Yellowstone , and for me I need the 70-200 F4.
But I'm even not sure I can't aford switching the lens as you do because I'm a novice.
I'm still lost and don't know which one to buy.
Eric
1. Buy the one that has the best resale value. And that is usually by the same manufacturer as your camera body.
2. Buy it USED. The resale value should be roughly the same as what you pay for it or a little lower... there are exceptions of course... this is just a general rule...
I love your post Mckenzy. Just to add my own personal feelings to the mix: We all have very different ideas and needs on what photograpy should be, such as, family, art and commercial photos but I feel we on FM are almost to the point of a mental condition, in that we over scrutinize a product to the point of unreal expectations and forget about, can this product do the job. Honestly I think 99% of lenses out on the market (cheap and expensive) can do a respectable job. I do know the amount of money spent on a given lens doesn't mean you'll get great results in your over all skills. I feel Mckenzy was correct in saying, in my interprutation, that there is no lens that can take over the experience of the photographer.
So what if this "X" lens is 2 pixels sharper than the "Y" lens. In the final output ones work is graded pretty much on composition and creativity. Your only as good as your creativity and the mastery of your equipment. If your starting out there is absolutely no point in getting "L" glass. Actually, when you become skilled there might still be no point in getting "L"glass. One of my favorite lenses is my Tamron 24-78 cheapo.
The worst people who blame their glass or other glass are the hobbyists. They try to hide their lack of skill with sharpness.
I kinda think that buying the cheapest lens/camera/tripod you can get is throwing away the money because you're going to have to upgrade. I'd rather practise on the best equipment I can afford.
Given how well quality glass holds it's value, wouldn't it seem more logical when first starting out to buy the best lens you can afford, either a normal prime or moderate mid-length zoom (with the emphasis being on 'can afford')??
(An escalator)
I still own my "beginners kit": an Exakta 1b with a 1.4 50 mm Zeiss lens from 1984. Well, not used in ages ...