I'm a VERY young photographer, and I just recently (about 6 months ago) started. I wanted to ask if my gear, for a very low-budget person, is alright; if there are any suggestions what I could add; any comments and so on.
I do know that e.g. the 55-250 is a very cheap lens, but I don't think you could find a better one for that price.
I have a:
Canon EOS 450D
EF-S 18-55mm IS
EF-S 55-250mm IS
20 year old Vivitar Flash (not sure how to use it, sometimes the flash is too strong)
Canon 2400 Gadget Bag
(Cheap, Plastic) Tripod
(Cleaning Kit)
I use it for Landscape, Indoor, Sports, Wildlife and People Photography.
I sure plan to expand my collected, and probably upgrade to a better body (at least 40D).
You have a good set up. I would look at lenses before your upgrade your body. Good glass before bodies. You'll probably need better lens for the indoor sports. And I would be careful, actually not use that old flash, it's a different voltage than what Canon uses for the current bodies.
Really? You serious about the flash? What would be the worst thing to happen? The flash to break or the camera?
Then, do you think a 50mm f/1.8 would be good? Should I looked for low F-stop lenses? Then, did you have problems with primes (missed the shots because couldn't zoom in/out)?
I dunno, maybe slow down on the gear and shoot for a while more and figure it out yourself. You kit is good now and later, you will know what you need the most. Then you just have to find the money.
The questions are: What do you shoot most and what do you feel your missing? Since you shoot indoor sports and people an 85/1.8 may be a relatively cheap addition to your kit. You may also be interested in replacing your 55-250 with a 70-200/2.8 (Canon/Sigma). The 18-55IS is a good lens and should hold you over for a bit, unless the slow variable aperture begins to become a problem. A 580/430EXII may not be a bad idea either, that is if you use flash. Best advice I can give you is to use your existing kit for a while and grow off of it, time and experience will tell you exactly what your missing.
I second the suggestion of shooting a while and than getting what you want. I started out with Sigma 18-50mm and now I shoot Canon 10-22mm and Canon 50mm 1.4 the most.
A basic question though - an external flash pull the power from own batteries, not from the camera? (Or am I wrong)
I don't have the exacts to tell you. I read it in Pop Photography about a year ago. The batteries don't mean anything, both the flash and the camera have electric systems in them. That old flash it not the same voltage as the current bodies. It can damage your body.
Dec 19, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
An external flash uses its own batteries for power, yes. But in a way that someone else could probably explain better than I can, when the flash fires on the hot shoe there's voltage coming back at the camera. Modern DSLR hot shoes and modern flashes operate at a MUCH lower voltage than the old stuff. Film cameras didn't have such delicate electronics that DSLRs have. An old flash has the potential to fry your modern camera with its triggering voltage.
There are adaptors available to allow you to use an old flash and still protect your camera. Ask your local shop.
Cubibubi wrote:
I'm a VERY young photographer, and I just recently (about 6 months ago) started. I wanted to ask if my gear, for a very low-budget person, is alright; if there are any suggestions what I could add; any comments and so on.
I do know that e.g. the 55-250 is a very cheap lens, but I don't think you could find a better one for that price.
I have a:
Canon EOS 450D
EF-S 18-55mm IS
EF-S 55-250mm IS
20 year old Vivitar Flash (not sure how to use it, sometimes the flash is too strong)
Canon 2400 Gadget Bag
(Cheap, Plastic) Tripod
(Cleaning Kit)
I use it for Landscape, Indoor, Sports, Wildlife and People Photography.
I sure plan to expand my collected, and probably upgrade to a better body (at least 40D).
you are good to go. don't worry too much about your gears, go out and take lots of photos. I could only afford a compact film camera when i started (whereas my friends were using SLRs) but it don't stop me from taking good photos.
As you progress (after shooting a lot and reviewing your shots), you'll get to know your preferences in gears.
Cubibubi wrote:
Really? You serious about the flash? What would be the worst thing to happen? The flash to break or the camera?
Then, do you think a 50mm f/1.8 would be good? Should I looked for low F-stop lenses? Then, did you have problems with primes (missed the shots because couldn't zoom in/out)?
DO NOT ATTACH THE FLASH TO THE CAMERA!!! The worse that will happen is that you will FRY the circuit board of the camera! No warranty will cover it and you will need to buy a new body! There is a very short burst of electricity that is given off by the flash when it is triggered. Modern flashes will use very low votage ( i think my alien bees are a 6volt or 9volt). Older flashes can be a couple HUNDRED votls!!! Modern Cameras cant handle that! Even a New Vivitar 285 I think will still be to high of a sync votage!
As for lenses. I personally think learning to use primes lenses help you learn composition better than zooms. By having a fixed focal length it forces you to use your eye more to find your shot. I use mostly zooms and have most of my career and I think I would be better if I used primes to start with. Just my 2 cents.
Those two IS kit lenses, if you have good copies, are quite good when stopped down,
so I think you are fine for the time being when you have plenty of light.
And shooting flash in manual mode is a very good way to work, unless you really
need to shoot rapidly.
I'd say pick up some wide aperture primes when you get the chance.
With that kit, I'd say complement the zooms with these two primes:
Sigma 30/1.4
Canon 85/1.8
That's around $600-$650 total, used.
If you really want to save money, get just the 50/1.8 and start talking shots
at f/2 or f/2.2 and start enjoying the narrow depth of field and low light capabilities.
Your equipment is just fine for starting out. The main thing at this point is to get into the making of photographs and not worry a whole lot about this or that piece of equipment. Keep shooting, and as you do you'll start to identify specific pieces of gear that will fill a need for you in your photography. Until that happens, shoot, shoot, shoot! :-)
Dan Cubibubi wrote:
I'm a VERY young photographer, and I just recently (about 6 months ago) started. I wanted to ask if my gear, for a very low-budget person, is alright; if there are any suggestions what I could add; any comments and so on.
I do know that e.g. the 55-250 is a very cheap lens, but I don't think you could find a better one for that price.
I have a:
Canon EOS 450D
EF-S 18-55mm IS
EF-S 55-250mm IS
20 year old Vivitar Flash (not sure how to use it, sometimes the flash is too strong)
Canon 2400 Gadget Bag
(Cheap, Plastic) Tripod
(Cleaning Kit)
I use it for Landscape, Indoor, Sports, Wildlife and People Photography.
I sure plan to expand my collected, and probably upgrade to a better body (at least 40D).
What you have right now is great. You have the makings of everything a photographer needs in his everyday set, which is perfect.
I would recommend picking up a good flash such as the 430EX to practice your lighting and the nifty fifty 50mm f1.8 so you can get better portraits and low-light shooting.
Once you have all that, you can keep on practicing and shooting until you find out what you're lacking from your equipment and go from there.
I agree. I would upgrade to a new flash. The Canon 430EX would be great with your setup. If you want/need another lens, the 50mm f1.8 or 85mm f1.8 would fit in nicely.
Well, before swapping the flash with another what flash is it? Check http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html and see if its on the list, I had a couple of old metz flashes that worked fine with newer cameras.
Depending on how young very young is, you are fine. Id definitely say take your time to learn the gear you have before getting anything else. Figure out where your money is best spent rather than spending it 'just because'. A better tripod might be nice, but if you never use it... $600 isn't a big deal to someone who makes say 50-60k a year, but it can be a very big deal to someone working part time making min wage (assuming you don't have parental help or something).
