Questions for photography enthusiasts

LuxuryMobile

LuxuryMobile

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If you could only have one lense on your camera to photo document a detail from start to finish, which lense would it be and why?

Im considering upgrading to a new lense if I can justify it. Right now I just have the kit lense, 18-55 mm.

I have been hearing good things about the 50mm fixed lenses.
 
Stephen,

This lens is actually ideal for photographing everything we do. It allows for closeups as well as full view shots. My Canon lens is this focal length and has a macro function..

A 50mm fixed lens is somewhat limited vs. the zoom you mention.

What more are you looking for?
 
I used to be into photography pretty hardcore. I always tended to lean towards any sort of high speed prime lens. like a 50mm prime with a 1.8 f stop.
 
Having a fixed focal length with no extra lenses can be a challenge when you are used to always having a zoom. You could set your zoom to 50 and do a test. If you can manage to take all the pictures you want without changing the focal length, go ahead and upgrade to a fast 50. They are very versatile, light and small. You really can't go wrong with those :xyxthumbs: You could also go with a fast 35mm, which are better suited for crop sensors (not full-frame).

A side note: large apertures will give your focusing skills a very hard workout since the depth of field is very shallow at f/1.4-1.8, but they are extremely useful for low light. That shouldn't be a problem for paint shots with bright lights around.

I recently took before shots of my car and used a 50/1.4 and a 105/2.8 macro for extreme close-ups of defects.
 
Thanks for the tips. And good advice on keeping my lense set to 50 as a trial run to see if I would be happy with a fixed lense.
 
LuxuryMobile said:
Thanks for the tips. And good advice on keeping my lense set to 50 as a trial run to see if I would be happy with a fixed lense.
Click to expand...

Biggest problem there is you don't have the larger aperture and also the focusing distance won't be quite the same.

I just picked up the Canon 50mm f/1.8 today from Amazon; should have it here by the end of the week and I'm hoping it does a better job than the 18-135mm kit lens on my 60D. Being a crop body, mine will actually end up being an 80mm equivalent prime.

When I talked to Bill (LegacyGT) he recommended it as an excellent fast lens.
 
LuxuryMobile said:
If you could only have one lense on your camera to photo document a detail from start to finish, which lense would it be and why?

Im considering upgrading to a new lense if I can justify it. Right now I just have the kit lense, 18-55 mm.

I have been hearing good things about the 50mm fixed lenses.
Click to expand...

If money were no object, Canon 16-35mm 2.8L

Right now I mostly use a Canon 50mm 1.8
 
Sounds like my kit lense may be enough for now. But I wouldnt mind picking up a 50 lense just to have that option.
 
One lens to cover an entire detail ...
Cheap option: 50mm 1.8 prime
Expensive option: 24-70 f2.8 L

I have used both extensively, and both are great lenses for capturing a detail.
 
LuxuryMobile said:
Sounds like my kit lense may be enough for now. But I wouldnt mind picking up a 50 lense just to have that option.
Click to expand...

Your kit lens is a f3.5-5.6 ... a larger aperture lens would really benefit shots indoors (during the process). The 50mm 1.8 prime is < $100, and should IMHO be a part of every photographers kit.
 
Sounds like I will pick of that 50mm lense then and play around with it.
 
Canon Ef-s 17-55mm one of canons sharpest lenses
24-70 is also nice but you lose some of the wide angle.

On a budget but dont want a prime
sigma 17-70 is also a very nice lens. Works decent as a macro as you can focus pretty close, something you may need for detailing shots.
 
Yeah I have heard very good things about Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. About to pick one up, if I can find a good price.
I just got the T2i and have been taking lots of pics. Great camera since I got it for steal.
When using the Canon 50mm f 1.8 how much better will the pic be from the kit lens at 50mm?
 
slickooz said:
Yeah I have heard very good things about Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. About to pick one up, if I can find a good price.
I just got the T2i and have been taking lots of pics. Great camera since I got it for steal.
When using the Canon 50mm f 1.8 how much better will the pic be from the kit lens at 50mm?
Click to expand...

I think the lens is about $125(ish)

Go to flickr and look at the photos in the 50mm 1.8 group :)
 
The best investment I have made camera wise, is taking a college level digital photography course and learning the ins and outs of shooting manually.
 
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