canon 18-55 mm kit lens and Tamron 28-75mm

[attap seed]

hi TS, sorry if i mis-quote u .

u must understand, there is no fixed rules.

terms like potrait lens etc are just, at best guides. more often, they confuse ppl.

"potrait lens" usually refer to mid tele, lens abt 100mm. these are good for half body shots. the focal length coupled w wide aperture, produce shallow depth of field.

but then, wide angle are very useful for potraits too. from group photos to showing the figure in relation to the background.

same for landsacpe. usually, ppl assciate wide angle 28/35 etc. however, lots of good landsacpe photos are made w tele lens too.

does that means one must have everything focal length to begin shooting?

of course not. in the field, photographers compromise, adapt, move to and fro, up and down to get the best view.

keep shooting!

 

[byteyou]

hi TS, sorry if i mis-quote u .

u must understand, there is no fixed rules.

terms like potrait lens etc are just, at best guides. more often, they confuse ppl.

"potrait lens" usually refer to mid tele, lens abt 100mm. these are good for half body shots. the focal length coupled w wide aperture, produce shallow depth of field.

but then, wide angle are very useful for potraits too. from group photos to showing the figure in relation to the background.

same for landsacpe. usually, ppl assciate wide angle 28/35 etc. however, lots of good landsacpe photos are made w tele lens too.

does that means one must have everything focal length to begin shooting?

of course not. in the field, photographers compromise, adapt, move to and fro, up and down to get the best view.

keep shooting!

thx for the advise =D
what type of lens would you call a zoom lens or telephoto lens?
someone mentioned earlier i used to wrong term, how would you differentiate them?

 

[attap seed]

thx for the advise =D
what type of lens would you call a zoom lens or telephoto lens?
someone mentioned earlier i used to wrong term, how would you differentiate them?

zoom means focal length can change eg, 18-55, 28-70 etc.

telephoto also can be zoom, eg, 70-210, 100-300 etc.

for convenience sake, there are ppl who refer to (on 1 1.5/1.6 crop factor camera) 12-24 (wide angle zoom), 18-55 (standard zoom), 55-250 (tele zoom).

fixed focal length lens are called Prime lens, eg, 28, 35, 50... ...600mm etc.

 

[calebk]

I will also add on...

As a general rule of thumb:

Lenses with focal lengths < 35mm are considered wide lenses
Lenses with focal lengths from 35mm to about 50mm are considered "normal" lenses because they resemble the eye's "normal" vision and perspective.
Lenses with focal lengths > 50mm are considered telephoto lenses

 

[Flashbulb]

thx for the advise =D
what type of lens would you call a zoom lens or telephoto lens?
someone mentioned earlier i used to wrong term, how would you differentiate them?

18-55mm IS in beginner terms. not exactly the correct explanation but easier to understand. feel free to search for the correct one.

the 18mm means how much of a wide angle you can get and 55mm being how far you can zoom. eg, 55-250mm and so on.
there are also those that are fixed like 50mm and 100mm which are called Prime lenses which cannot zoom but have sharper images compare to inexpensive zoom lens.

IS stands for image stabilisation which is helpful if you need to handhold for long shutter shots. Not all lens have this feature.

As for which lens is better, you have to take into account the construction of the lens and the general reviews to see if it fits your purpose. In a sense, no point having the best of the best lens if it does not suit your purpose.

 

[YqArts]

Just settle for the kit lens if you are feeling confused, you cant be wrong starting off with the kit lens. Even if you managed to out grow your kit lens exceptionally fast, it will only set you back around 150-200? You can try to sell it in the B&S section later if u really see the need. Dont fall for the BBB syndrome, there is no perfect set up , none a perfect lens to cover all need and range. Get the basic rights and you can explore what you really need

Eg: You will need all the lens if you want to take everything you see. But how often do yo need them? If you only use a particular lens for like <10% of your time , is the cost justifiable? So, try to understand whats the range or type of photography you like most, slowly build up your collection, there is no rush to it =) Its more rewarding to slowly build on to what you have, rather to get everything in a moment of impulse and end up putting them in dry cabinet or sell them off

Happy Shooting!:thumbsup:

 

[byteyou]

Thx guys for all the info, seriously it helps a lot, a lot of ppl would say to go try it out but
For us real newb the hard part is about not knowing what to enquire or how to enquire when we are in the shops buying,
with the info and basics supplement by you guys it really helps a great deal. Thanks! =D

 

[EOS Revolution]

Thx guys for all the info, seriously it helps a lot, a lot of ppl would say to go try it out but
For us real newb the hard part is about not knowing what to enquire or how to enquire when we are in the shops buying,
with the info and basics supplement by you guys it really helps a great deal. Thanks! =D

When u do decide to go get ur cam, go to John 3:16... the people there are very helpful and can show and explain to u to help u to understand better

 

[attap seed]

generally, the more expensive and exoctic the lens, the less useful they are for general day to day use. eg, fish eye, ultra telephoto lens.

on the other hand, cheapo things like kit lens, 50 f 1.8 etc are very versatile.

also, i'd refrain from seeking advise from camera salesman, perhaps some really are photographers in their spare time, but most of them, i'd assume, are only helpful in providin info on spec and prices. jus dun ask them what u need. its jus like asking a barber if u need a haircut, or an insurance agent, if u need more protection.

u stay pasir ris? i stay tampines. u are welcome to play w my stuff if we can arrange a time.

 

[Flashbulb]

here is a pic i took using 50mm f/1.8 today at Funan. Its quite a performer for its price, in fact i use it more then the 18-55 nowadays as a walkaround lens. can be used for a lot of things but its very good for my requirements.

whether you choose to go with the kit or go with the Tamron, best is to try first before spending all that cash on a lens.