So I bought myself a Canon 450D the other day as this photography thing has always had my fancy and I’ve just never been able to afford it.
Only have the 18-55mm standard IS lense however I’m considering a 50mm fixed f1.2 and possibly later on a 400mm white lense when the ship finally comes in.
This photography thing is quite difficult having known nothing at all and getting the creative juices flowing or getting the mind into that mode can be a bit tough at first.
What I’ve decided to do is carry the camera with me where ever I go so I don’t miss an opportunity for a good shot. Also, when I drive around I take note of places that could give me a decent picture. IE, over the lake with the oil refinery on the other side. On a still night the entire building reflects in the lake.
Does anyone have any other tips/tricks or advice on what I should be buying?
I will be getting a Manfrotta tri-pod soon as well as well as a few 4GB SD cards. I also mainly shoot in RAW and have put almost 2000 actuations on the thing since I got it 6 weeks ago.
I asked a similiar question after buying my FZ38, and a monopod looked like a great idea. After a couple of days out taking shots though, I’m not going to bother as my camera has a great stabilisation thingy whatsit bit of software.
Monopod, perhaps a UV filter for the lens, a decent case
Serious about the 50mm f/1.2? I don’t doubt its on most people’s wish list, but a f/1.4 is a lot cheaper and gets you most of the way there. More in general, what you could consider getting depends on what type(s) of photography you think you’ll be doing.
Tripod is useful if you want to take many shots from exactly the same location (for HDR perhaps) as it beats trying to re-align them again in software. Also it is pretty essential if you want to go for long exposures.
Personally I wouldn’t bother with a UV filter on the kit 18-55 IS, since it’s so low value anyway. Save that for when you get more expensive lenses. I’m still kicking myself a bit when I was trying out a brand new lens for the first time in the park, and a swan pecked it right in the middle of the glass leaving two tiny marks. Doh! Up to that point I didn’t think I needed protection… or that the hood would suffice.
A polarising filter can be useful for landscapes. If you do get a tripod, also get a cable release, where I pick them off ebay from the far east.
Before investing in glass try to sort out what sort of photography attracts you.
Long zooms are certainly powerful tools for sports, candid etc where it is not possible to zoom with your feet but if you are shooting landscape etc you will get much crisper quality and be able to work in lower light with wider lenses.
I bought an EF 100-400 IS zoom at great expense and had some fun for a couple of weeks but seldom use it now. My work horse is the Tokina 11-16 rectilinear zoom, not too expensive (in terms of lenses anyway) and an absolute belter for quality. Don’t forget that the 450D has a DX size sensor, so multiply lens focal lengths by 1.6 to get the old 35mm equivalent.
I’m sure you will end up being expected to do domestic indoor photos as well as the more satisfying stuff so a flash will be a good investment. Go for a canon dedicated one.
The other thing to consider is some decent RAW processing software. Suggest you download the 30 day trial of Adobe Lightroom.
If I ever wear out my 100-400L, I know where to go now I use that lens by far the most. I wouldn’t be too surprised if I was getting on for 100k shots with it. The area I found of most interest is wildlife, which has a nasty habit of not being anywhere near most of the time. Previously mentioned swan excepted of course, when working distance hit zero.
I love the look of an ultra-wide myself, having the Sigma 10-20mm on a previous camera. Didn’t repurchase it when I switched systems, particularly with the new Sigma 8-16mm stuper wide rectilinear lens now out and getting great reviews, that’ll be my choice. Not feeling a great need to do it soon as I have an 8mm Samyang fisheye to play with, if only I knew what I’m going to use it for… I might have gone “new toy” one step too far there.
Thanks for all the advice guys, I’m not 100% sure of what I want to do but am leaning towards the creative end of the line. Long shutter speeds, blurrs with dedicated focal points etc. Black and white bad weather has also grabbed my attention as has lightening. Sports photography is also on my list as well as stationary classic and sports cars. Living in Africa I guess wildlife should be on my list as well;)
And yeah, the F1.4 is now the more realistic option for a 50mm as the money saved could be better spent on a decent flash or a longer lens.
I use that lens by far the most. I wouldn’t be too surprised if I was getting on for 100k shots with it. The area I found of most interest is wildlife, which has a nasty habit of not being anywhere near most of the time. Previously mentioned swan excepted of course, when working distance hit zero.