I finally got a DSLR - but need to get a lens now :P - some advice

[episodic]

Ok. . . pretend you are a cash starved person (I know - why do you mess with photography then?). . .

I've always wanted a DSLR - but just could never justify it.

A friend gave me his old digital rebel. It is the original rebel digital.

No lens though. Other than that about 15,000 clicks and in good shape. I'm really grateful for it.

However, I have to get the lens.


Here is what I'm thinking. The lens I get will probably be the only lens for a while. I have a nice point and shoot to grab telephoto and wide angle stuff (a tz3).

I'm thinking I'm going to get the famous thrifty 50. . . the 1.8 50mm lens.

It has all of the characteristics of the reasons I've always wanted a dslr. Good bokeh, low light performance. I'll have to zoom with my feet, etc. I won't be able to take scenic panoramics, etc - (the tz3 does nicely there), but I'll have a great piece of glass for cheap.

My maximum budget would be around 150$


What do you think about my choice?



Question#2

He said the sensor needed cleaning.

Do it myself - or send it to canon and pay? Which would you do? What is the easiest way to do it myself?

I thought about this as they seem to have a good reputation?

http://www.lenspen.com/?cPath=...ducts_id=SK-1&tpid=146

 

[punchkin]

Originally posted by: episodic
Ok. . . pretend you are a cash starved person (I know - why do you mess with photography then?). . .

I've always wanted a DSLR - but just could never justify it.

A friend gave me his old digital rebel. It is the original rebel digital.

No lens though. Other than that about 15,000 clicks and in good shape. I'm really grateful for it.

However, I have to get the lens.


Here is what I'm thinking. The lens I get will probably be the only lens for a while. I have a nice point and shoot to grab telephoto and wide angle stuff (a tz3).

I'm thinking I'm going to get the famous thrifty 50. . . the 1.8 50mm lens.

It has all of the characteristics of the reasons I've always wanted a dslr. Good bokeh, low light performance. I'll have to zoom with my feet, etc. I won't be able to take scenic panoramics, etc - (the tz3 does nicely there), but I'll have a great piece of glass for cheap.

My maximum budget would be around 150$


What do you think about my choice?



Question#2

He said the sensor needed cleaning.

Do it myself - or send it to canon and pay? Which would you do? What is the easiest way to do it myself?

I thought about this as they seem to have a good reputation?

http://www.lenspen.com/?cPath=...ducts_id=SK-1&tpid=146

It's a great lens choice to begin with, or else the ~$170 18-55 IS. If I were starting out on a budget and a crop camera here are the lenses I'd buy as I could afford them, personally:

50mm f/1.8 (a good learning lens) $80
18-55mm IS $170
100mm f/2 (a great portrait and indoor/outdoor sports lens) $320
55-250mm IS

 

[punchkin]

double post

 

[jpeyton]

Yes, get the 50mm EF II (aka the plastic fantastic). Should be $70-$80 used; a little more new. Well under your budget. It's something you'll keep even when you upgrade to bigger/better bodies and lenses. The Canon kit lens (18-55mm EF-S) is a good budget buy too, but play around with your DSLR first before you start going on a lens buying spree.

Check the sensor first, before trying to clean it. Once you get the lens, set it to the largest aperture number (in Ap mode), focus it to infinity and shoot a white wall. Check the photo to see if you can notice any dirt on the sensor.

If you can, I suggest non-invasive methods of cleaning first. Get a good rocket blower and give the sensor a few strong direct blasts of air. Don't use compressed air cans to do this! Use a blower. If this doesn't fix it, then try dry cleaning using a very fine soft bristle brush. The last resort is wet cleaning, which is risky but the most effective method for hard to clean sensors.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: punchkin
50mm f/1.8 (a good learning lens) $80
18-55mm IS $170
100mm f/2 (a great portrait and indoor/outdoor sports lens) $320
55-250mm IS

out of curiosity, why the 100 f/2 over the 85 f/1.8? Just the extra range for the sports use?

 

[soydios]

for checking dust, set the aperture at minimum (largest f/number), then do as jpeyton described.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: soydios
for checking dust, set the aperture at minimum (largest f/number), then do as jpeyton described.

I have found that plain, open sky (straight up) is often better than a white wall. It hard to find an untextured, pristine white wall.

 

[Krioni]

I agree with all of the other posts... the 50mm lens is the way to go for a first lens since you have a point and shoot that will keep you going on the long end.

I bought an old film manual focus 50mm lens for my Nikon D50 and it has been a joy to learn with. I wish I had the auto-focus version, but I couldn't pass up the deal I got on the manual focus $20 shipped. Don't expect to get any kind of deal like that.. the guy just had it listed horribly (you couldn't tell WTF it was unless you looked closely at the picture). My point is, you might want to see which older film lenses will work with your Rebel and look at those as well.... you might find some good glass for a good price.

Given that you've said you want good bokeh and low light performance, I think you choice is fairly simple given your budget... get the 50!!!

 

[todpod]

KEH.com has a new 50mm for $89, the 18-55 kit lens used for $72, and bunches of used lens in 70-200 / 300 mm range at a reasonable price1

 

[punchkin]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: punchkin
50mm f/1.8 (a good learning lens) $80
18-55mm IS $170
100mm f/2 (a great portrait and indoor/outdoor sports lens) $320
55-250mm IS

out of curiosity, why the 100 f/2 over the 85 f/1.8? Just the extra range for the sports use?

It's a better all-arounder, yes. It is also a little nicer than the 85 for portraits, but the difference isn't huge. If a tripod or at least a monopod could be used, another good idea for events and indoor sports might be the 85 f/1.8 plus the 135 f/2.8 soft focus, but you give up a lot of speed on the 135. BUT, of course, the 135L is almost a bargain for price/performance, and maybe the best idea is to save up for it. I have had two copies of the 135L and both were stellar.