Lense Help

[Frodo's mum]

sorry to start yet another thread on what lense

I want to upgrade to a better quality lense,would need a zoom as it's for taking photo's of the dogs ( I brought a 50mm 1.8 yesterday for close ups )

have looked and looked through reviews ....now I'm totally confused

thought about 18-200 ( as previously posted)

135mm f/2.0L

have a buget of say $1000

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance

[Kirislin]

sorry to start yet another thread on what lense

I want to upgrade to a better quality lense,would need a zoom as it's for taking photo's of the dogs ( I brought a 50mm 1.8 yesterday for close ups )

have looked and looked through reviews ....now I'm totally confused

thought about 18-200 ( as previously posted)

135mm f/2.0L

have a buget of say $1000

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance

the 135mm f/ 2 is more than $1000

see what happens, you always end up spending more than you planned.

[Frodo's mum]

I saw 2 on the DWI site one 135mm f2.8 softfocus $491

and 135mm 2.0L for $1168

to many different one's to pick from when you aren't sure what's what

[Kirislin]

why not join POTN and ask for advice there. Tell them what you want it for and what your budget is.

Both those 135's are Prime lenses, meaning they only have one focal length, you cannot zoom in and out with them, if you want to get closer, you use your feet. The large apertures of 2 and 2.8 mean you can get that lovely shallow depth of field though.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Kirislin

[kja]

I have the 135L and it's HOT.

BUT it's a trick to use well. I guess it wouldn't be my first choice for an action lens, though I do use it out for the doglets and stuff sometimes.

Skip the soft focus. That is a specialty lens and not what you are looking for.

I highly recommend you head over to POTN and look through the archives and threads about lenses there. It's very active and if you can ignore the complete pixel peeping geeks, most posters have good information and experiences to share.

Why have you gone away from the 18-200?

[Frodo's mum]

I went to the POTN site ..that's were i got confused

I was going to skip the softfocus as I thought it wasn't what i was after

I'm a dill aren't asking about zoom the asking about the 135mm

no haven't gone away from the 18-200.....i shouldn't have looked at the others

[Kirislin]

What are you currently using and where is it letting you down? In other words, what more do you want from it?

[Frodo's mum]

I have a canon 450D it came with 18-55 ( I never use it) and 75-300 ( which i use all the time) I just thought they were on the cheaper side of the range and thought if I got a more expensive lens i would get a better quailty photo....of course I might not to

I guess I don't mean action action...just some of the dogs playing togther...chasing each other

I saw some taken with the 135 on the POTN site and really liked them....maybe I should be happy with what i have and stop annoying you guys

I have started to try out of the free editing programs some of you guys suggested and it's got me really interested in trying to take better photo's

Edited June 27, 2010 by Frodo's mum

[Kirislin]

what about this one, under $1000 only f/4 but supposed to be very sharp. It doesn't have the lower end wide angle you were wanting as it goes from 70-200 but you say you never use your 18-55 anyway.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showth...39&page=179

here it is at DWI

https://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/...sp?idProduct=69

[kja]

Of course you fell in love with the 135L - it's dreamy But it's not probably what you are looking for for what you have said you want.

I still think the 18-200 range (ish) will be a nice start for you.

The 70-200 f4 IS is a fantastic lens and range and since you aren't shooting wide yet, you might not miss the wide end, though the 18-200 lenses will give you more options in a single lens.

But before you buy anything, what exactly is NOT working to your satisfaction with the lenses you have now?

[Guest Tess32]

I find 200mm kinda short for dogs....you could try the 70-300mm.

[anniek]

I love my Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 which you can get for well under $1000.

But, I tend to favour the 50mm 1.8 for action shots - it is nice and light to carry around, but obviously I have to use my feet a lot!. Why not stick with that for a while and see what you can get out of it?

[Frodo's mum]

I am after a nice clear sharp photo....mine don't seem to have that....

I just thought a better lens might give me that sharpness I was after...I'm only a novice but LOVE taking phot's of my beautiful dogs

I really appeciate all your advice

thanks guys ;)

the DWI site has some amazing one's and sooooo much cheaper than the shops here

[Kirislin]

OK, so you've only just got the 50 1.8. Have you tried it out yet. Take a few pics with a large aperture, maybe some head shots just to see what they're like before you go spending anymore $$, which as we all know, is all too easy to do. ;)

Have a look in here to see what the lens can do.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...4547&st=405

Edited June 27, 2010 by Kirislin

[kja]

Can you post some examples with your zoom lens? It's not the best piece of glass ever made but it should still be capable of producing good images. We may be able to help point out problems in technique which is essential because if you don't have that down, then spending more money on a lens isn't going to solve the problem.

I can't remember, do you have the 75-300 or the 70-300? there are only a couple of image up at POTN for the 75-300 but it does work ;)

[Kirislin]

Here's the other archive thread on it I started last year. I've just added a few more piccies to it even though I've sold that lens now.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=671028

[Frodo's mum]

looks like it's the idiot behind the camera then ;)

I will have to try harder and see how I go

thanks for all your help and advice plus the links

maybe I was hoping it was the lens and not me

[kja]

LOL it might NOT be you either. The lens may not be working for your needs. But before you drop cash on a lens or range you aren't certain WILL work, it's definitely worth it to trouble shoot a little bit ;)

[Frodo's mum]

thanks guys I will have a read back through the camera book...tried to buy "photography for dummies " today but bookshop didn't have any ..... so I can't be the only dummy out there

[Kirislin]

You've taken good photos in the past. If you want to try getting a shallow depth of field, you know where just the dog is in focus but everything else is blurred put that 50mm on. Put your camera on AV, set your ISO to 200 and your aperture to 2.0 or thereabouts, you need your shutter speed to be higher than at least 1/250, and go take a photo of Frodo looking handsome, then come post it here. Hurry up cause it's getting dark, you might need to increase your ISO.