Canisbellum Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 If you are looking at an all purpose zoom lens, then maybe this one will be a better fit than the 70-300mm... http://www.digitalca...u/prod11004.htm This one is on my wish list... http://www.digitalca...u/prod10755.htm ... or even this one... http://www.digitalca...au/prod6801.htm ... *grin* T. I have the Sigma 18 to 300 it was a tossup between that and the Tamron but most of the reviews I could find said the Sigma was a bit sharper. The only downside of those kinds of lenses is the image distortion you get at some focal lengths, but Lightroom does a good job of sorting that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 (edited) Double post Edited June 10, 2015 by Canetoad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 When deciding on a lens make sure you look in to not just image quality but how fast the focusing motor is in the lens, as this will be important for the types of photography you want to do, as well as the aperture of the lens. A variable aperture is one that changes as the lens is zoomed in or out, which means that if you're shooting manually you will need to check your exposure each time you zoom in one direction or the other. The aperture also determines how much light is let in to your camera and the bigger the number on the aperture the less light that's getting in (so 2.8 lets in a lot more light than 6.3. You may struggle in low light with a lens that doesn't open up wider in aperture (confusingly, the wider the aperture and the more light that is let in, the smaller the number), particularly if you buy a camera body that doesn't allow you to push the ISO quite high without producing a lot of noise, as you'll need this to get fast shutter speeds and freeze motion with moving targets. How wide the aperture is on a lens also determines how well you can push the background out of focus, especially at shorter focal lengths. It's a lot to get your head around but I think it's all worth understanding and investigating when it comes to choosing a lens that is likely to cost several hundred dollars at a minimum. So I understand its very important to select the appropriate lens but what happens if the body of the camera I choose is then limiting... so for example the ISO on the Canon 750D is 100-12800 but only shoots 5 fps with max shutter speed 1/4000, 19 autofocus points... vs say the Canon 70D that has same ISO, 7fps, max shutter speed of 1/8000 and 19 autofocus points... to me these seem similar... so even if you have quite a basic camera with great lens you can still be quite limited depending on limits with the body? - Hope this makes sense, just coming off night duty shift! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I think the 70D has a better processor than the 750D and has significantly less noise. My low light photos are a bit grainy at high ISO's but its only really noticeable when zoomed right in That is handheld at 2am in the morning at a ISO of 12800. 70D Sigma 18 to 250mm lens I think its 5- 6.3f. Very little editing of that image Same image but with editing done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Quality lenses will make a lot of difference even on a somewhat limited camera body... but I'd be much more likely to go for the 70D over the 750D, and get a halfway decent lens to use while I saved up for a better lens. Back when the 60D was the best in that range, I got it and the Tamron 18-270mm, and was amazed at the huge difference between that and the 450D/kit lenses I had prior. When I got the 100-400mm L lens I was more than impressed at the difference a quality lens makes. That said, if I could afford to upgrade to the 70D (or even the 7D), I'd be on it like flies on the proverbial... *grin* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Have been reading some more reviews specifically on the Nikon D7100 and Canon 70D. So far I'm leaning toward the Canon... but some reviews mentioned the sharpness of the Nikon is superior and the Canon pictures can be grainy when enlarged... I do plan on blowing some images up to canvas or large print to frame so I can display at home so it's important the image looks crisp & sharp. However I guess this comes down to the lens again? I think it was mentioned the Nikon doesn't have the filter, therefore making better quality images. Some reviews mentioned the new Nikon D5500 is also a nice option. Why is this so hard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) Lots of photographers using Canon and blowing things up to huge sizes. You have to take into account that a lot of the people making these statements are extremely anal nitpickers, and as has been said the lens is more of a factor in the sharpness stakes. This is zoomable and is taken with an Average lens in sport mode ISO 100 37mm 1/640 second F5.6 . I would be pretty happy to blow that up and and hang it on my wall https://goo.gl/photos/Zp8SEFYpoco9SKRx9 Edited June 13, 2015 by Canetoad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) I don't know anything about the mirrorless ones but i have a Nikon D3200 with various lenses . Example from Google . I have the red model. It's not the latest one but it was within my budget at the time and it takes great shots imo, It feels just the right size for my small hands. Not too heavy to cart around even with my back problems altho i never walk too far with it obviously the bigger the lenses you put on it or any DSLR makes them heavier. Edited June 13, 2015 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 One of my agility friends whose photos I have admired for a long time, just told me she uses a Canon 7D.... dammit, I LOVE her pictures, why does it have to be the expensive camera! hahaha I have the 7D and love the fps I can get for things like birds in flight, dogs on the move and surfing shots. Just be aware a new 7D came out a few months ago, the 7D Mark II, but this could mean there are some good deals out there on old stock of 7Ds if anyone has them left. The 7D doesn't have the greatest iso performance, but I have pushed mine and its been acceptable. I've found it a very capable camera for everything from bugs to birds :) Examples from variety of lenses - https://www.flickr.com/photos/56265770@N02/albums Have fun with whatever you choose :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks everyone! Really helpful info!! Just another Q (sorry)... I'm hearing people say 'choose the lens you want first' before selecting the camera & even brand, but how do you do this? I know what I will be shooting but can't understand how to know if the canon or nikon lenses would be best for me...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 One of my agility friends whose photos I have admired for a long time, just told me she uses a Canon 7D.... dammit, I LOVE her pictures, why does it have to be the expensive camera! hahaha I have the 7D and love the fps I can get for things like birds in flight, dogs on the move and surfing shots. Just be aware a new 7D came out a few months ago, the 7D Mark II, but this could mean there are some good deals out there on old stock of 7Ds if anyone has them left. The 7D doesn't have the greatest iso performance, but I have pushed mine and its been acceptable. I've found it a very capable camera for everything from bugs to birds :) Examples from variety of lenses - https://www.flickr.c...5770@N02/albums Have fun with whatever you choose :D Thanks for sharing this link! I was wondering how to search photos on Flickr via lenses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 That sounds daft, maybe I am misunderstanding what is meant. IMHO you are over thinking it. Any of the top brands will take better pictures than you are capable of until you have years of experience. Pick a body you like, forget about 1fps or a pufteenth of clarity and then get a lens that you can afford and learn to use the camera. When you are trying to do things that the lens can't do then it's time to upgrade. All the photos I have posted have been taken with sub $600 lenses in fact some really good ones with phones and point and shoots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 That sounds daft, maybe I am misunderstanding what is meant. IMHO you are over thinking it. Any of the top brands will take better pictures than you are capable of until you have years of experience. Pick a body you like, forget about 1fps or a pufteenth of clarity and then get a lens that you can afford and learn to use the camera. When you are trying to do things that the lens can't do then it's time to upgrade. All the photos I have posted have been taken with sub $600 lenses in fact some really good ones with phones and point and shoots. Thanks everyone! Really helpful info!! Just another Q (sorry)... I'm hearing people say 'choose the lens you want first' before selecting the camera & even brand, but how do you do this? I know what I will be shooting but can't understand how to know if the canon or nikon lenses would be best for me...? When you're talking about Canon vs Nikon it's much of a muchness. The idea of choosing a single lens and basing your camera purchase around this seems insane to me unless you're wanting something really specialised like $12,000 lens or something. I think if you go for one of the other brands it's important to have a look at their overall lens line up to make sure they have a big enough range to meet your needs and/or that third party brands like Tamron makes lenses with mounts for that brand but choosing a specific lens first would be mind boggling for most people let alone someone starting out. Plus, most people end up owning more than one lense for different purposes. I'd hazard a guess that at least 99% of professional photographers couldn't tell you if a photo was shot with a Canon or a Nikon body or lens. Choose the camera you like best that's within your budget and a lens that meets your needs right now. Over time you will no doubt want to add different lenses but I honestly wouldn't worry about that at the moment. You've done loads of research and I think you're set to make a good decision. If you want a second opinion once you think you've nailed the camera and lens combo you're going to go with for reassurance that it's a good choice you can always post it here and see what we think. :) Yes good points thank you. I do tend to get too engrossed in my 'research' that I lose sight of the basic points... I need to remember that yes I am a beginner, albeit willing to improve my skills in photography, and pretty much any camera is going to do what I want. I should start small and build up my gear. I have lots to learn and I do appreciate everyone's time & effort on here helping me get a better understanding of photography. I will come back on here soon & let everyone know the camera & lens I have decided on... heading to shops tomorrow for one last look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I'm not going to weigh in on the mirrorless vs DSLR debate, as I've always used a DSLR and never used a mirrorless camera. That said, I'm going to echo what the others have said and do think you're over thinking it a bit :) I know how overwhelming it can be. There is so much out there and if you're going to spend that much money, you definitely want to make sure you're making the right decision! I don't think you can go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Like Snook said, I couldn't look at an image and tell you which camera it was shot on. I can look at my own work and tell you what lens I used though :p But that's because I only ever shoot with primes, so the focal length remains the same with each lens. I got by on just a 50mm 1.8 for a couple of years. Now the lens on my camera most of the time is the 35mm Sigma Art. I love that thing like a child. That said, one of my favourite images ever, was one I took last year on my little Olympus point and shoot. I've got it printed and love it. Unless I had it printed really big, there aren't a whole lot of differences between it and a print from my DSLR. I also have lots of phone prints hanging up (done through Origrami) and I love them too. My point is, the small differences between camera models (ISO limitations/FPS/MP) aren't going to matter as much as how you use the light, how you compose and knowing the limitations of your camera (they all have them). I've seen people purchase professional level cameras and then get frustrated that their images don't look as good as they'd like. You can definitely take bad images on good cameras, just like you can take really decent images on basic models. It's all about practice :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks for sharing this link! I was wondering how to search photos on Flickr via lenses! Those are my just my 7D photos sorted into albums, some by lens type :) But, if people have tagged photos you will be able to search Flickr by lens - there are also Flickr groups devoted to specific lenses etc. There are also many, many examples by lens type here. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=107 You can definitely take bad images on good cameras, just like you can take really decent images on basic models. It's all about practice :) Yes! The old saying of 'Oh wow, you take really good photos, you must have a very expensive camera' is akin to saying to a chef, 'wow you cook amazing food, you must have a really expensive set of saucepans' :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Of course having a pretty subject helps too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Fast shutter speed will be important though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Of course having a pretty subject helps too It does and she's gorgeous! Fast shutter speed will be important though.... :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-o Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 When it comes to Canon vs Nikon I'd say Fuji :) I have an X100S, fixed lens, mirrorless with a circular shutter (can't think of the proper term). No fuss. My Canon has been collecting dust for a year now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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