Help me choose lenses for my new Canon digital rebel.

[dascharisma]

I just bought a Canon digital rebel, and I need some lenses to get me started. I did not purchase the lense that was offered with the camera, so I am sarting from scratch. From reading this forum I have decided that the 100mm Canon Macro lense will be good for close up tank pictures. Will this lense also be suited to full tank shots, or do I need a wide angle lense or some other type of lense?
Besides my reef, I would like to take pictures of my dogs. What lense would be best suited for this purpose?
What lense is a good all around lense, the type I might use on vacation?

Thanks in advance,
Brad

 

[gho]

My Recommendations:

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - Top notch prime
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - Walk about lense
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM - Zoom

There's a gap in the zoom range from 40-70mm, the important focal length in that range is filled by the 50mm prime - will be the best/sharpest lense of the bunch.

 

[dcoufal]

No offense to pro photographers.... but, not everyone can afford L or IS lenses -- especially, if it's family type photos or "hobby" photography -- even more so if you already have another expensive hobby (reefing, for instance )

The list of lenses above is great; but, here are the current prices on B&H:

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro - $450
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - Top notch prime - $300
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - Walk about lense - $670
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM - Zoom - $1700
Total: $3120

Here's a nice "non-pro" list that is made up of good quality, well performing lenses that generally matches the focal length of the above list:
Canon EF 100mm f2.0 USM Macro - $375
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - $75
Sigma 18-50 f/3.5-5.6 - $120
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG - $140
Total: $710

Heck... I just picked up a used Sigma 50mm Macro lens for $65....


Dwain

 

[aural]

for starters i would get:

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
and
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

and dcoufal - look at his tank/equipment list - i'd imagine he can afford to get a few nice lenses as well

 

[reewik]

An alternative to the buget minded would be the 70-200 f4 L...$600.00

 

[bobioden]

For tank shots do you need a lens hood for the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro?

Bob

 

[jwedehase]

No lens hood needed for the 100mm.

I would love to be able to use some of the lenses GHO has suggested. There are some great lenses in there. Someday, my list will include:

15mm fisheye
100mm macro f/2.8
16-35mm f/2.8L
24-70mm f/2.8L
70-200mm f2.8L

Until then, I backed up a step and went with the:

28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM ($404.95 @ B&H)
It's a great utility lens, and for me has proven to be a great compromise for such high versatility. I'm even able to use it for many tank shots. The IS sure is nice, as well.

 

[BlueCorn]

I just picked up that lens as well. I read a couple of reviews that were critical of it's sharpness but for the price I think that it's a great value.

 

[dascharisma]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I purchased an entry level digital slr so that I could spend my money on a nice set of lenses that will allow me to upgrade cameras once my skills warrant it. It looks like the first lense I will purchase will be the Canon 100mm macro lense, because i am most interested in macro photography.

What lense would be best for taking full tank shots? Would it be the Canon EF 17-40mm lense?

What brands of compact flash memory cards do you recommend?

For macro photography what type of tripod head should i get?

Thanks
Brad

 

[aural]

the 17-40mm lens would be perfect for full tank shots.

As for memory - i personally would suggest that you stick with a major brand. I like to have 2 1GB cards, that way one one goes bad you arent up that proverbial creek. Brands like SanDisk (the ULTRA series), LEXAR Media, RiDATA - just make sure you get the High Speed type.

For macro you just need something that is super sturdy. If you are planning to tote it around with you at all i would definitely suggest looking into carbon fiber legs. I prefer Manfrotto components. I have the Manfrotto 190MF4 Carbon fiber legs and love them. the type of head you want is up to you. there are so many different kinds. I really like the grip action ball heads because they allow for extremely easy and precise adjustments. I use the Manfrotto 3265 Ballhead. (these can be found on www.bhphoto.com of course)

I would also strongly suggest that you get an IR remote to trigger your shutter. the shake from just pushing the shutter button can cause serious blur when taking macro photography. You dont have to buy the Canon brand. an off brand remote that you get for $10-15 on eBay will work the exact same.

 

[dcoufal]

You can get a SanDisk 1GB Ultra II CF card from Amazon for $69.99 AR:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._1/002-5513104-3991249?n=507846&s=pc&v=glance

Dwain

 

[Obi-dad]

aural, do you have a link to the off-brand IR remote on ebay?

 

[dcoufal]

Do a search on eBay for "rebel ir remote" -- 11 results currently $14 - $18.

Dwain

 

[Philwd]

I recently bought a Rebel XT and I just started out with the Canon 17-85 IS USM and the Phoenix 100mm macro that also gets 1:1. It has pretty good reviews for a fraction of the price of Canon f2.8. This way I have a wide angle with some telephoto for everyday shots also and the 100mm for tank shots.

For CF cards I use the Sandisk 2Gb UltraII. At an airshow I got a burst of 10 shots and it never once even paused.

 

[aural]

rebel remote - http://cgi.ebay.com/32ft-IR-Remote-...68908308QQcategoryZ107909QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the link to the CF card is good. $20 rebate is a big plus. ends on December 5th so act now. (i just bought one, so thx!)

this is my tripod - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...992&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

This is all the tripod packages that B&H does with those particular legs included - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...8&a=0&shs=&ci=5138&ac=&Submit.x=14&Submit.y=9

This is the monopod i use - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...685&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
i use that wil the 3229 swivel tilt head with quick release.

 

[dcoufal]

rebel remote - http://cgi.ebay.com/32ft-IR-Remote-...68908308QQcategoryZ107909QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the link to the CF card is good. $20 rebate is a big plus. ends on December 5th so act now. (i just bought one, so thx!)

Your welcome... I bought one about 5 minutes before I posted the link. Sweet price!

I also picked up one of the eBay remotes.

Dwain

 

[yarquint]

Brad, I had my first outing today with my new Canon- i have the 20d and finally got to play with it all day since it was Sat. Anyway, the lens i have that blew me away so far is the Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM (this is the non-DO one- i have no idea what the "DO" means, but it's not a great lens apparently...) I'm very happy with it. I also used a Lexar 1Gb 80x CF card, and it was about $89 after rebate.
Do check out fredmiranda.com and dpreview.com before buying anything- these two sources helped me out a ton- you can also see my thread if you're interested, but it basically asked the same questions you are. it's titled Digital Slr's- sorry i'm to lazy to post the link to it-
Good Luck and happy shooting!

 

[APFparadise]

Here is my 20D bag :

100 mm 2.8 macro
12-24 Tokina Ultra wide
24-70 L Canon
70-200 Sigma DG (as good or better than Non-IS Canon)

 

[Obi-dad]

Bummer, these ebay remotes don't list the 20D. The 20D uses much of the same electronics as the Rebel, has anyone tried one of these remotes on the 20D?

 

[aural]

are you sure that the 20D supports an IR Remote trigger?