Hi, I am looking at buying a Canon 50 D. There is a kit that includes a Canon EF 17-85mm f4.0-5.6 USM IS and a Canon EF USM IS 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 telephoto zoom lense. Are these good lenses? Would they be slower than a lense with f2.8 ie? If you could buy only ONE lense for start up photo business (portraits, weddings, pets, horses)What would be a great choice at budget price? If these lenses aren't up to snuff with the above types of photography? Please give me all suggestions and thought, much appreciated
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Canon 50D lense recommendations
- Thread starter HGPhotos
- Start date
There is no "single" lens that would work for a wedding/portrait professional. Three of the most common lenses they use are:
1) 70-200mm fast-aperture telephoto zoom; Canon has a few good options, the less expensive 70-200mm f/4L (w and w/o IS), and the more expensive 70-200mm f/2.8L (w and w/o IS).
2) 85mm or 135mm fast-aperture telephoto prime; the 85mm f/1.2L is a favorite, but the 85mm f/1.8 is good if you're on a tighter budget. The 135mm f/2L is another favorite. Lots of glowing reviews for the 100mm f/2.8 Macro as well.
3) Wide standard fast-aperture zoom; something like a 24-70mm f/2.8L or 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Tamron has less expensive alternatives with similar focal lengths and f/2.8 fixed apertures if you're on a tighter budget.
If you're starting a wedding/portrait photography business, don't cut corners on the lenses or lighting.
1) 70-200mm fast-aperture telephoto zoom; Canon has a few good options, the less expensive 70-200mm f/4L (w and w/o IS), and the more expensive 70-200mm f/2.8L (w and w/o IS).
2) 85mm or 135mm fast-aperture telephoto prime; the 85mm f/1.2L is a favorite, but the 85mm f/1.8 is good if you're on a tighter budget. The 135mm f/2L is another favorite. Lots of glowing reviews for the 100mm f/2.8 Macro as well.
3) Wide standard fast-aperture zoom; something like a 24-70mm f/2.8L or 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Tamron has less expensive alternatives with similar focal lengths and f/2.8 fixed apertures if you're on a tighter budget.
If you're starting a wedding/portrait photography business, don't cut corners on the lenses or lighting.
twistedlogic
Senior member
Or experience, 🙂.
Since it's obvious you havn't been in photography for too long, start with a 50 1.8 (!$90)and the 85 1.8 ($?) The 70-200 2.8 is around $1400, 24-70 2.8 $1200.
For weddings, you don't want anything slower than 2.8, plus it may be better for you to look into getting the 5D instead of the 50D.
randomlinh
Lifer
if you want to start a business, you really need to get your footing on technique. But the most versatile on a budget for that kind of work would likely be a tamron 17-50/2.8. The canon 17-55/2.8 IS is excellent, but quite expensive.
for the long end, I'd say sacrifice 2.8 and get an 70-200/F4 non-IS. Or a sigma 50-150/2.8. The tokina 50-135/2.8 is great too, but a little slow on AF. at least all to start... the ideal lens of course is the 70-200/2.8 IS. if you absolutely need IS, the F4 IS is excellent, but pricey.
The money you save, throw in a 430EX, you'll need it before the IS IMO.
for the long end, I'd say sacrifice 2.8 and get an 70-200/F4 non-IS. Or a sigma 50-150/2.8. The tokina 50-135/2.8 is great too, but a little slow on AF. at least all to start... the ideal lens of course is the 70-200/2.8 IS. if you absolutely need IS, the F4 IS is excellent, but pricey.
The money you save, throw in a 430EX, you'll need it before the IS IMO.
Here's the deal:
For weddings: Flash during the ceremony is usually a distraction. So to shoot ambient you'll need a really fast lens 2.8 should be the slowest, as at my church I can shoot 2.8 @ 3200 and pull off only about a 1/300-1/400 shutter speed.
You listed (Canon EF 17-85mm f4.0-5.6 USM IS and a Canon EF USM IS 70-300mm f4.5-5.6); Those are generally very consumer grade lenses and the image quality will show that. You will probably use both lenses for the focal lengths, but with the speed of those lenses you will have to use flash.
For portraits: The 2 lenses listed will be ok, but you will have issues with bokeh which helps separate the subject from the background. You will also have problems with sharpness.
Pets/Horses/Sports: I'm not sure how fast the focus is on those lenses, but since they are USM, they should be ok. You will have the same problems listed above with portraits (bokeh and sharpness)
If you are serious about starting a business, then you will need more than a body and 1-2 lenses. Take weddings for example, suppose you have a contract for $2k to cover the whole day. In the middle of the ceremony the shutter on your 50D breaks, well you have no backup body, so you are completely screwed, not only do the bride and groom not get pictures of special moments that cannot be recreated, but you have tarnished you reputation.
I was at a friend's wedding (not shooting) and the DJ's computer crashed (all music gone), so for 2 hours we sat there with no music until they found another computer. Not only did they look like idiots for not having a backup (not even a CD player/IPOD) but they did not get paid for that whole time they were there.
I'm not trying to scare you off, but there are things to consider. While it can be done with the equipment listed, you have to think about the "what-if's"
One more story...
I've done a few weddings (kind of like you) where I just showed up at weddings going on at my church. I spoke to the parents of the bride before hand and introduced myself to the photographer. One weddig I did, the photographer showed up with a Sony Cybershot (P&S) and used the on-camera popup flash. I had a 30D and a 24-70 2.8L at the time, the photographer hid from me the whole time. I stayed in the back during the ceremony shooting and let the b&g's parent's buy print on my site at my cost. They said the pictures they got from the other photog was pure crap.
Thank you. As you have gathered I will just be starting out, I am looking at costs, equipment, lenses, etc. I am not going to start with weddings right off of the bat as I want to gather more experience with the entire spectrum of the business.
Now another question/s I am going to list exact type of photography and ask for recommendation on lense/lenses for that particular.
1. Portraits,(family, baby,senior)
2. Horses ( horse shows, events etc, mostly arena)
3. Pets (Indoor/Outdoor)
4. Weddings (for future).
I appreciate any and ALL time you take to answer my questions.
Thank you,
Hannah
Now another question/s I am going to list exact type of photography and ask for recommendation on lense/lenses for that particular.
1. Portraits,(family, baby,senior)
2. Horses ( horse shows, events etc, mostly arena)
3. Pets (Indoor/Outdoor)
4. Weddings (for future).
I appreciate any and ALL time you take to answer my questions.
Thank you,
Hannah
I disagree with xchangx's list. Not that those aren't excellent recommendations, but those are top-of-the-line choices which would render you bankrupt before your beginner's business was even started. Here are my list of lenses for the more budget-conscious:
1. Portraits,(family, baby,senior)
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (or Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8, if you need wider shots), Canon 70-200mm F4L, Canon 50mm 1.4 (for taking photos of babies without flash).
2. Horses ( horse shows, events etc, mostly arena)
Canon 70-200mm F4L or it's more expensive variants. Or Sigma's 70-200mm f/2.8. I take it most of these are outdoor shots, so f/4 should suffice.
3. Pets (Indoor/Outdoor)
same as portraits.
4. Weddings (for future).
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L, Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L
Canon 35L, 85L, 135L
Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime moments. You generally need the best lenses to ensure you don't miss the shot.
But cameras and lenses are far from all that's necessary for a photo business. You need back-ups of all your cameras and lenses, in case one goes bad (I doubt the excuse "Sorry I can't take photos of your son's graduation tomorrow. My camera broke." will go over very well). And maybe more importantly, especially for the portraits, you need artificial light. I recommend a Canon 430EX if budget is tight, but a Canon 550EX/580EX/580EXII is more appropriate for a business. And you'll likely need more than one. For studios, you'll want studio lights (AlienBees, FlashPoint, etc. are good beginner's lights). You'll need umbrellas, softboxes, light stands, wireless flash triggers, etc.
Most importantly, you have to understand your camera. If you're on the auto/program modes of your camera, you're not ready. You need to understand when your shutter speed is too low and what effects different apertures create. If you're not familiar with ISO/shutter/aperture and how it effects your exposure, you need more practice. For starters, read the book "Understanding Exposure".
This is not to discourage you, but to get you familiar with what you need to understand.
1. Portraits,(family, baby,senior)
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (or Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8, if you need wider shots), Canon 70-200mm F4L, Canon 50mm 1.4 (for taking photos of babies without flash).
2. Horses ( horse shows, events etc, mostly arena)
Canon 70-200mm F4L or it's more expensive variants. Or Sigma's 70-200mm f/2.8. I take it most of these are outdoor shots, so f/4 should suffice.
3. Pets (Indoor/Outdoor)
same as portraits.
4. Weddings (for future).
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L, Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L
Canon 35L, 85L, 135L
Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime moments. You generally need the best lenses to ensure you don't miss the shot.
But cameras and lenses are far from all that's necessary for a photo business. You need back-ups of all your cameras and lenses, in case one goes bad (I doubt the excuse "Sorry I can't take photos of your son's graduation tomorrow. My camera broke." will go over very well). And maybe more importantly, especially for the portraits, you need artificial light. I recommend a Canon 430EX if budget is tight, but a Canon 550EX/580EX/580EXII is more appropriate for a business. And you'll likely need more than one. For studios, you'll want studio lights (AlienBees, FlashPoint, etc. are good beginner's lights). You'll need umbrellas, softboxes, light stands, wireless flash triggers, etc.
Most importantly, you have to understand your camera. If you're on the auto/program modes of your camera, you're not ready. You need to understand when your shutter speed is too low and what effects different apertures create. If you're not familiar with ISO/shutter/aperture and how it effects your exposure, you need more practice. For starters, read the book "Understanding Exposure".
This is not to discourage you, but to get you familiar with what you need to understand.
Yeah, it was kind of a rush posts, however if you are shooting horses in an arena, I'm not so sure if a 70-200 f4 will give you a fast enough sutter speed.
You can find off-brand lenses (forgot to mention that) but they might not be sealed.
If I were you, I would start off with a 50mm 1.8 and 85 1.8 prime to get your technique down. it'll be much cheaper.
If you are a beginner to photography, a 50D is a complete overkill for your needs. It is a prosumer camera, which means it's features (and price) is aim towards the experienced enthusiast market. A beginner SLR would be more reasonably priced, and would have more than enough features to keep you learning for a while. That said, if you have plenty of money to throw around, then by all means go for it, the 50D is a great camera.
Once again, if you are just starting out, I would recommending purchasing a single lens and camera. Keep it simple, and keep it cheap. You will need to improve your skill first. A poor photographer blames his equipment. After you gain experience, then you can expand. That way, if a career in photography doesn't pan out, you are not that much in the red.
GTaudiophile
Lifer
The first thing I need to know is your budget 🙂
The 17-85 never lived up to its full potential. Meaning, it's a versatile but so-so lens.
I personally use the EFS 10-22, EFS 17-55 2.8 IS, and 70-200 F4L IS. So, I am pretty much covered with quality glass from 10 to 200mm (16-320mm crop factor). For arena work, you might need something even longer.
Otherwise, I am missing a good low-light prime. I am hoping Canon releases a EF 35 1.4L MkII in the near future.
The 17-85 never lived up to its full potential. Meaning, it's a versatile but so-so lens.
I personally use the EFS 10-22, EFS 17-55 2.8 IS, and 70-200 F4L IS. So, I am pretty much covered with quality glass from 10 to 200mm (16-320mm crop factor). For arena work, you might need something even longer.
Otherwise, I am missing a good low-light prime. I am hoping Canon releases a EF 35 1.4L MkII in the near future.
idiotekniQues
Platinum Member
the 50D is noisy. id stick with a 40D if i was going that segment of canon's dslr line. i really hope the 60d or whatever is the successor to the 50d does not attempt to cram more megapixels on that tiny sensor. they should focus on higher ISO performance.
to cover all my shooting situations i use the following with my 30D:
17-55 EFS, Sigma 10-20mm, 70-300IS, canon 100mm macro
the 17-55EFS sits on my camera for general walking about. great lens.
i also am looking to get a good low-light prime. a great weapon to have in your arsenal, just a matter of choosing your range.
a great thing to do is if you have a history of shooting is open up all your photos in software and sort by focusing range. you will then see where you shoot at most.
when i had my canon 17-85IS i sorted all the images shot with it. i found that i was either at 17mm or 85mm like 80% of the time. since i was at 17mm a decent amount more than 85mm, i realized the 17-55IS was the best upgrade for me for a walkabout lens since when i wanted zoom, i could just swap on the 70-300IS and usually id want more range anyways.
to cover all my shooting situations i use the following with my 30D:
17-55 EFS, Sigma 10-20mm, 70-300IS, canon 100mm macro
the 17-55EFS sits on my camera for general walking about. great lens.
i also am looking to get a good low-light prime. a great weapon to have in your arsenal, just a matter of choosing your range.
a great thing to do is if you have a history of shooting is open up all your photos in software and sort by focusing range. you will then see where you shoot at most.
when i had my canon 17-85IS i sorted all the images shot with it. i found that i was either at 17mm or 85mm like 80% of the time. since i was at 17mm a decent amount more than 85mm, i realized the 17-55IS was the best upgrade for me for a walkabout lens since when i wanted zoom, i could just swap on the 70-300IS and usually id want more range anyways.
to learn i'd recommend something much less expensive than a 50D. like an XTi for $500. that'll free up money for glass. glass holds its value much better than bodies do, so when it comes time to step up in glass you won't take much of a loss on it. and the XTi can't possibly depreciate that much because it's inexpensive to begin with. the 50 f/1.8 is a decent little portrait lens. also get the 85 f/1.8 and you'll have the standard portrait lengths for crop bodies. you can get those two lenses and that body for less than the cost of the 50D body alone. going used you can get an EX condition XTi from KEH.com for $364. throw in a (often not) used 18-55IS lens from the FS/FT section here or photography-on-the.net or KEH and you'll have a good setup to learn with for about $1000.
bobdole369
Diamond Member
The lenses described by the OP are one of the kit lenses (the 17-85 IS f/4-5.6), the other kit being a 28-135 IS f/4-5.6. We have the 50d with the 28-135. You get exactly what you paid for. It works well enough for a beginner, and produces decent shots. If you want to start making money - look at the L line. the 70-200L (f/2.8 non-IS) is a nice starting point. The 50mm/1.8 is excellent and quite cheap, but still no L lens.
Also I think the 50d is way overkill for a beginner. I would pick up a used 350d/400d/450d, or even the new T1I and start there. Spend your money on glass, it works for most of the canon line and if you end up going to the pro series you can use them there too, except the EF-S lenses.
Such a thing doesn't exist. Zoom lenses are by design compromise devices. You do NOT want a very large range of focal length on a single lens. Ideally you have a prime lens for each segment of the range,
17mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm, 200mm, 300mm, 600mm, etc. But thats WAY expensive.
Ghostman's post is excellent advice.
Also I think the 50d is way overkill for a beginner. I would pick up a used 350d/400d/450d, or even the new T1I and start there. Spend your money on glass, it works for most of the canon line and if you end up going to the pro series you can use them there too, except the EF-S lenses.
Such a thing doesn't exist. Zoom lenses are by design compromise devices. You do NOT want a very large range of focal length on a single lens. Ideally you have a prime lens for each segment of the range,
17mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm, 200mm, 300mm, 600mm, etc. But thats WAY expensive.
Ghostman's post is excellent advice.
idiotekniQues
Platinum Member
i looked at review images from dpreview. it was noticeable.
idiotekniQues
Platinum Member
and id still say get a 40d for 800 bucks vs a new rebel.
the interface of the rebel sucks to say the least and it is not nearly as good build quality.
the interface of the rebel sucks to say the least and it is not nearly as good build quality.
randomlinh
Lifer
blown up at 100% maybe, but overall, it's just a little more cropping room. It just isn't worth it to start out. used 40D's are far cheaper to start with, or hell, a 30D. then when you've made progress, buy a 60/70D or whatever when it's out, and keep the 30/40D as your backup.
idiotekniQues
Platinum Member
we are on the same page. i say 40D over a 50d.
There are features other than the MP count that some people may find important.
http://www.butterflyphoto.com/...mac=18&zmap=CAN50DBODY
http://www.butterflyphoto.com/...mac=18&zmap=CAN40DBODY
Those are the two best prices I could find. So we're talking about a $200 difference. For that $200 you get the obvious MP increase, HDMI output, a more usuable live view, peripheral illumination correction, AF microfocus adjustment(lots of people find this feature is VERY useful), VGA screen, and expanded ISO modes(the usefulness of this depends on how much the user cares about IQ for the shot he's taking).
I could get into small differences such as better customization of noise reduction but that's not a big deal. The point is, for $200 some will find these features, even those besides the MP increase worth the price difference. I know I do.
randomlinh
Lifer
I'm talking used. I can get a decent 40D for $700. That extra money is WELL worth it for a better lens.. or muliple lenses, lighting equipment, maybe a backup rebel... but my main point is to start off w/ the 40D so you can have a backup body by the time you do events. Because you really do want to have something.
idiotekniQues
Platinum Member
so you think that price is from a legitimate retailer?
getting prices from a potential rip-off merchant doesnt count at all. give me a break here. butterflyphoto has enough of the kinds of negative reviews that would give any smart consumer question of their reliability.
the fact is a new 40d vs a new 50d is closer to $400 difference from reputable stores. thats a lot of money to better glass.
i could get into some small differences as well such as that an 'obvious' MP increase is not necessarily a benefit when 10.1 MP is just fine for a huge majority of uses, and cleaner images are better anyways, especially with wedding photography and events like the OP mentioned.
randomlinh
Lifer
eh, it's always a risk, but the butterflyphoto folks seemed relatively stable. I've had a few people order from them.
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