3rd Party Flashes? (was a Lens question)

[RKS]

I have a Canon T1i with the following lenses:
EF 50mm f/1.8 II
EF-S 18-55mm (kit lens)
EF-S 55-250mm (kit lens)

I am far from a good photographer and have plenty other hobbies that take up my time and money so I don’t want to spend a lot. Most of my photography is of my kids. I love the 50mm but sometimes the prime lens doesn’t allow me to capture a larger field. The 18-55 is nice too but it isn’t as sharp as the 50mm. So I am looking for a relatively cheap lens (under $300 new or used) that would be my best choice. Am I better off getting another prime or zoom lens or am I SOL at my price range? Is my money better spent toward a quality flash?

Thanks for any help.

 

[angry hampster]

Get a flash and learn how to use your current lenses to their fullest potential.

 

[The Stigenator]

Flash first.. then get some light modifiers for said flash, and remote triggers..

 

[CptObvious]

Used or gray market Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, and sell your kit lens. In fact, unless you shoot the 50mm wide open often, it could probably replace that as well.

I bought several grey market lenses from an eBay seller in Japan, and the items arrived in a few days, brand new. (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-T...76849447?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item35b5696327)

 

[Maximus96]

a flash, or a sigma 30mm 1.4 would be a good choice

 

[BigSmooth]

A flash that you can bounce will give you the best bang for your buck. I'd get a 430EX II if you want to stick with Canon - they cost about $265 refurbished, direct from Canon. If you want to keep it really cheap there are also some 3rd party flashes available like the Yongnuo YN468 that work with Canon's ETTL system. You can find these for around $100 or less and many people get good results from them, but the build quality is generally pretty poor and you never know if it will keep working after a camera firmware upgrade.

The 18-55mm IS is actually not a bad lens optically, and using it with a flash will make it more versatile. If you do end up looking for a normal zoom with a larger aperture, the previously mentioned Tamron 17-50mm is the best "budget" choice IMO. It's sharp and cheap.

The 30mm f/1.4 Sigma and 28mm f/1.8 Canon are commonly recommended affordable wider primes on crop, but with kids, I think fast primes are tough to use in available light, particularly if they are at the age where they are moving around a lot. If motion blur isn't an issue, thin DOF might be. I often end up grabbing a flash anyway, and if I'm doing that I'd rather have the versatility of a zoom.

 

[AkumaX]

1) congrats on obtaining the unholy trinity i hope you put it to good use and use it to realize what limitations you may or may not have in whatever compositions you use the most.
2) what do you want to achieve? do you want another zoom or another prime? would you be willing to sell some (or all) of your lenses to compensate for additional cost?

things you could get for around $300-$400:

zooms:
canon ef-s 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6
canon ef-s 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6
tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0

primes:
canon ef 85mm f/1.8
canon ef 50mm f/1.4
canon ef 28mm f/1.8
canon ef 35mm f/2.0
sigma 30mm f/1.4

THE POWER IS YOURS! (yours.. yours.. yours...)

 

[bobdole369]

A flash is critical for kid photos IMHO. You really need fast shutter and unless posed, not wide-open. The light in your home is a LOT less than you really need to photograph them. The on-cam flash is just a joke. A flash will really give you options.

Recall that the photographer takes the pictures and creates the art, not the camera, its lenses, or any of his equipment. Gear is a tool like paintbrushes and canvas.

I find the 18-55 unusable anymore - (got it originally in I think 2007 with the digital rebel xt). I've completely outgrown it. Its fine for snapshots but for any really sharp or impressive shots I move straight to the primes. Even the 55-250 is too slow to be of much use without high iso. IMO the 50mm f/1.8 II is excellent for studies or stuff like flowers and textures. I find it too narrow for people inside and anything that isn't right up close loses its awesome sharpness.

Of the ones in this thread, I find the 85mm prime my favorite, but I'm not a people person. My wife loves it for portraits but folks usually find it odd that shes on the other side of the room to get a 3/4 shot.

One of these day's she'll pick up the 28 or 35mm prime that I keep telling her she needs...

 

[RKS]

So after reading these responses I've decided to get a 430EX II flash since the 580EX II is probably overkill for me. Are there comparable off-brands or is the $270 worth it for the Canon Speedlite. I see a bunch of cheap knock-offs on DealExtreme.

 

[iGas]

So after reading these responses I've decided to get a 430EX II flash since the 580EX II is probably overkill for me. Are there comparable off-brands or is the $270 worth it for the Canon Speedlite. I see a bunch of cheap knock-offs on DealExtreme.

Most off brand flashes are not TTL and/or have slow cycling time.You have to manually adjust the camera fstop to the flash fstop which itn't that big of a deal even if it doesn't have TTL. And, some off-brand flashes are even more powerful that Canon flashes, and they tend to be much cheaper as well.

My 2 Vivitar 285HV flashes (more than 20 year old, great for outdoor fill flash, macro work, and studio) combine cost is roughly 1/2 of my 430EX, and they work perfectly even for fill flash.

 

[elitejp]

i would get a yongnuo flash first. The YongNuo YN-565EX is the current top of line flash but you can also look for cheaper models in the yongnuo line.

 

[Lotheron]

I echo the Yongnuo suggestion. They get rave reviews for the price. I have a YN-468 and I love it.

You can check out http://speedlights.net/ for reviews.

 

[RKS]

Most off brand flashes are not TTL and/or have slow cycling time.You have to manually adjust the camera fstop to the flash fstop which itn't that big of a deal even if it doesn't have TTL. And, some off-brand flashes are even more powerful that Canon flashes, and they tend to be much cheaper as well.

My 2 Vivitar 285HV flashes (more than 20 year old, great for outdoor fill flash, macro work, and studio) combine cost is roughly 1/2 of my 430EX, and they work perfectly even for fill flash.

i would get a yongnuo flash first. The YongNuo YN-565EX is the current top of line flash but you can also look for cheaper models in the yongnuo line.

I echo the Yongnuo suggestion. They get rave reviews for the price. I have a YN-468 and I love it.

You can check out http://speedlights.net/ for reviews.

Thanks for the suggestions. I found the 565 for $150. Hopefully it's here for the holidays.

 

[RobDickinson]

I have a Nissin Di866 fully , and wirelessly ettl II, cost me less than a 430ex and is equivelant to a 580

 

[elitejp]

also a very good flash
To the op: ive been eying the 565 for a while now. Just waiting for some extra funds before I buy.