Expert Advice in Lens Selection

[GummyBerryJuice]

Hi all,
I need some advices regarding lens selection.

I've got keen interest in studio/outdoor portrait photography....I'm thinking of getting a Sigma 18-200mm lens. From my understanding (i think)....you dun really need a wide angle focal length in portrait, but the reason I'm trying to get the above lens is because of its conveience (can be used as a 'walkabout' lens) and I'm also trying to not restrict myself into juz portrait photography (maybe wanna shoot landscape once awhile)

so is it advisable to get the above lens for 'multi purpose' use? would there be any 'major' limitation in portrait photography for the above lens? or shld i juz get one wide angle lens and a telephoto lens seperately?

Any recommendations of any other suitable lenses?? :dunno: Thanks!

 

[Russ]

It depends on how fussy you are with picture / image quality. Sure, the Sigma is decent and versatile but

1. Colour, sharpness and contrast not the best
2. Aperture smallish so you may not be able to throw backgrounds out of focus etc.

I suggest you spend $140-150 on a 50 mm 1.8 II as well.

you may also want to consider a 17-85 IS instead of the Sigma - there is a 2nd hand one for sale for $600 in the Buy/Sell (lenses and flashes) page. Better lens and has IS to compensate for the longer focal lengths.

 

[dEthANGeL]

The AIO zoom you mentioned will not deliver the quality you desire.

3 popular prime ranges for most shooters:
50/85/135

Zoom range for most shooters:
16-35/17-40/17-55/24-70/70-200

Most portrait shooters swear by the primes.

Best is to get all separate ranges be it prime or zoom and not AIO solutions as their PQ would be pretty bad/poor. Such lenses are useful during a holiday, but do not expect worlds from it when the need calls for it. Russ has already mentioned the major downsides.

 

[GummyBerryJuice]

It depends on how fussy you are with picture / image quality. Sure, the Sigma is decent and versatile but

1. Colour, sharpness and contrast not the best
2. Aperture smallish so you may not be able to throw backgrounds out of focus etc.

I suggest you spend $140-150 on a 50 mm 1.8 II as well.

you may also want to consider a 17-85 IS instead of the Sigma - there is a 2nd hand one for sale for $600 in the Buy/Sell (lenses and flashes) page. Better lens and has IS to compensate for the longer focal lengths.

Thanks for the reply.....i've got the 50mm 1.8 II....not too bad for a start....maybe i'll juz play around with this lens first :thumbsup:

 

[GummyBerryJuice]

The AIO zoom you mentioned will not deliver the quality you desire.

3 popular prime ranges for most shooters:
50/85/135

Zoom range for most shooters:
16-35/17-40/17-55/24-70/70-200

Most portrait shooters swear by the primes.

Best is to get all separate ranges be it prime or zoom and not AIO solutions as their PQ would be pretty bad/poor. Such lenses are useful during a holiday, but do not expect worlds from it when the need calls for it. Russ has already mentioned the major downsides.

hmm....ok...something for me to ponder about.....:thumbsup:

 

[GummyBerryJuice]

juz wanna check...the EF-S range....the wat does the 'S' mean?? is it the crop factor thingee??

 

[dEthANGeL]

juz wanna check...the EF-S range....the wat does the 'S' mean?? is it the crop factor thingee??

EFS is mainly targets the 1.6x crop sensor family of cameras offering ranges equivalent to their FF counterparts.

Popular ones are the 10-22/17-55/17-85 just to name a few. Of course there are other lenses from Sigma with the "DC" model which refers to the same thing.

EFS lenses cannot be used on normal FF/EF-Only bodies without modifications.

 

[majere2sg]

juz wanna check...the EF-S range....the wat does the 'S' mean?? is it the crop factor thingee??

Basically EF-S lens can only be used on 1.6x crop DSLR bodies with the exclusion of the older models such as EOS D30, D60 and 10D.

 

[mysum]

juz wanna check...the EF-S range....the wat does the 'S' mean?? is it the crop factor thingee??

S - Short Back Focus

And please, don't ever look to all-in-one lenses - minimum f-stop of f/6.3 is disgusting.

 

[Snoweagle]

U can try the 17-40, it's really gd.

 

[chopper]

It depends on your budget. For beginer, my suggestion is Tamron 17-50 f2.8, cheap, and good, and give a good walk around coverage. For me, I stick with the Tamron 28-75 version, since I don't really need the wide end and give me the option to use it on FF, that is another option since it gives you a good long end range for portrait. Can even get one second hand for less then 500. Both these lens are the design, and the 28-75 is frequently compared with the 24-70 L, which is a huge compliment, for 1/3 the cost, and half the weight. AF is not on par with the L, but can get use to.

You really want to make sure to get a lens with usable f2.8 or wider for portrait.

If budget permits, the few good primes are:
35 f1.2, 50 f1.2/4, 85 f1.2, 135 f2, 200 f2.8
A cheaper alternatives to these are:
35 f2, 50 f1.8, 85 f1.8, 100 f2, 135 f2.8

 

[calebk]

...
If budget permits, the few good primes are:
35 f1.2, 50 f1.2/4, 85 f1.2, 135 f2, 200 f2.8
A cheaper alternatives to these are:
35 f2, 50 f1.8, 85 f1.8, 100 f2, 135 f2.8

IIRC there's no 35 f/1.2 currently in production. There is a 35 f/1.4L

 

[totoro17]

Basically EF-S lens can only be used on 1.6x crop DSLR bodies with the exclusion of the older models such as EOS D30, D60 and 10D.

what abt 1.3x camera?

 

[valice]

EFS also cannot be used on 1.3x. Strictly 1.6x.

 

[Russ]

U can try the 17-40, it's really gd.

And the least costly L lens at about 1.1k new.
Second hand 800 up depending on age and condition.

I have never regretted getting mine.

 

[dEthANGeL]

what abt 1.3x camera?

EFS also cannot be used on 1.3x. Strictly 1.6x.

One of the reasons why when starting out - one has got to plan whether to get EFS mount lenses and stick with the xxxD / xxD series or going for the xD series.

Should you choose the latter, 1 has to strictly purchase only EF mount / non-DC mount lenses.

 

[zul277]

I have gone down the big zoom range route already. My rate of keepers are about 20-30%, mainly due to the lower image quality. I sometimes get better photos with my kit lens. I would have gotten a better lens for the price if I had bought a prime or limited the range.

That's why I have decided to get a 50mm f1.4 for my next purchase and see what I can do from there on. A shorter zoom range might also be useful as a walkaround, maybe 24-70.

 

[dEthANGeL]

I have gone down the big zoom range route already. My rate of keepers are about 20-30%, mainly due to the lower image quality. I sometimes get better photos with my kit lens. I would have gotten a better lens for the price if I had bought a prime or limited the range.

That's why I have decided to get a 50mm f1.4 for my next purchase and see what I can do from there on. A shorter zoom range might also be useful as a walkaround, maybe 24-70.

That's why most of the seasoned shooters would advice - What do you shoot most? - from there they advise.

Most of the time the advise is to get the "limited focal length lenses" ... and the buyer would go "Hey ... 18-200 can do the job and its cheaper!" ... then they go buy and come back here complaining why the IQ is so bad.

Its a vicious cycle :bsmilie:

 

[Snoweagle]

And the least costly L lens at about 1.1k new.
Second hand 800 up depending on age and condition.

I have never regretted getting mine.

Haha same here...When i first bought it around Sep last year, it's $1239.