lens advice required please

[span130502]

hello im after a bit of advice or your opinion on these lenses. i have a eos 350 d with the 18 - 55 kit lense and know i need to change it for nature and landscape photography but i dont have a huge budget i have seen these lenses for a good price and what your experienced veiws 1, sigma zoom telephoto 70 - 300 mm f/4-5.6 dg macro auto focus. 2 sigma zoom wide angle - telephoto 28 - 70 mm f/2.8 - 4 dg af thanks in advance shaun. p.s is there a web site with a glossary to tell me what all these terms mean???.

[eeyore]

it will largely depend on what you want to do with the lens

the 70-300 is for longer range shots such as flying birds or zoomin in on sections of landscape.

the macro is for macro shots - that is very close up shots maginfied to a great degree

the wide angle is suitable for landscapes as it has a wider angle of view although i would not describe 28mm as particularly wide on a digital body.

I would suggest that you get a short range zoom such as the sigma 18-125mm (229 notes in jessops ,) which will do most landscapes and portraits and what have you and canon 90-300mm usm zoom for nature and wildlife shots (179 in jessops)

then once you have learnt to use the camera and worked out where your interest lies you could save up for a macro lens (start at roughly 300 notes), a wide angle such as the 10-20mm (again circa 300 quid) or some longer glass such as 400 or 500mm ( upwards from 400 notes) depending on which you feel you need.

Note that all these prices are jessops and you can get keener than that on the net or from an ebay trader

In terms of getting a good grounding in how to use the camera i highly reccomend the DSLR handbook by Andy rouse - Full details in our reviews section

[jasongallier]

Eeyore has a lot of good points. But first need to know exactly what you want to photograph. When you are using the 18-55 do you want to zoom in more or out more? That simple question might point you as to which one to buy first.

ephotozine - Digital Camera Reviews and Digital Photography Techniques - is a good online magazine for more general photography otherwise there are several good magazines that will help you out with F stops and what DG compared with DX stands for. (and why that little red L gives my partner the excuse to go shoes and clothes shopping!!!!!)

The other thing to do is get a book and try some settings to see what happens - play time!
It seems very daunting at first but don't be put off.

Jason

[Tobyh]

The 70-300 lense you mention is probably the same one that I have.

It is quite a versatile lense, the macro function isn't too bad BUT you need to have the lense zoomed right out so handheld shots are not really an option. It's taken me a fair time to learn that I just cannot really hand hold this lens so a tripod is pretty much a requirement too. I tend to use it for the 300mm end than anything else.

I think I paid around £180 for mine last year. I am fairly happy with it, really it's my technique that lets me down if anything so if you do go for one, remember that it takes practice - it's not the same as just hand shooting with a shorter lens.

This shot was taken with it not long after I got my camera and to be honest was more luck then judgement at the time

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by Tobyh

The 70-300 lense you mention is probably the same one that I have.

It is quite a versatile lense, the macro function isn't too bad BUT you need to have the lense zoomed right out so handheld shots are not really an option. It's taken me a fair time to learn that I just cannot really hand hold this lens so a tripod is pretty much a requirement too. I tend to use it for the 300mm end than anything else.

I think I paid around £180 for mine last year. I am fairly happy with it, really it's my technique that lets me down if anything so if you do go for one, remember that it takes practice - it's not the same as just hand shooting with a shorter lens.

This shot was taken with it not long after I got my camera and to be honest was more luck then judgement at the time

I have the 70-300mm and can't handhold it for macro. I like my wide angle lens for flower photos as it has such a short focusing distance and being a lot lighter is much easier to hold steady. I also find that I have great difficulty handholding the 105mm macro. I must have very wobbly hands.

Kerry

[Tobyh]

Originally Posted by Kerry

I have the 70-300mm and can't handhold it for macro. I like my wide angle lens for flower photos as it has such a short focusing distance and being a lot lighter is much easier to hold steady. I also find that I have great difficulty handholding the 105mm macro. I must have very wobbly hands.

Kerry

Actually I think you'll find that's normal The only way I get away with handholding macro shots (with my Tamron) is because most of the time I'm using the flash so shutter speed is not on the slow side. That said, it still comes down to "timing" shots where even breathing in and out takes the subject in and out of focus, the depth of field really is that small.

To put this thread back on track a little - Budget for a GOOD tripod when you consider your purchases. Skip the cheap £30 ones from Jessops as it really will be a waste of money. Theres plenty of info re tripods on here if you search a little.

[peterjclarke]

Originally Posted by Tobyh

Actually I think you'll find that's normal The only way I get away with handholding macro shots (with my Tamron) is because most of the time I'm using the flash so shutter speed is not on the slow side. That said, it still comes down to "timing" shots where even breathing in and out takes the subject in and out of focus, the depth of field really is that small.

To put this thread back on track a little - Budget for a GOOD tripod when you consider your purchases. Skip the cheap £30 ones from Jessops as it really will be a waste of money. Theres plenty of info re tripods on here if you search a little.

Toby, I totally agree with the £30 tripods they usually break within about 30 mins after purchase. Manfrotto do reasonable tripods and if you want to save a bit more the Calumet tripods are actually manifactured my Manfrotto. I have two of them a medium and a larger tripod but my dad gave one of his spare Gitzos and I've never looked back. A Gitzo will set you back about £600 but will if looked after outlast most camera bodies. Another good idea is to use pipe lagging on the tripod legs for carrying and to help protect it. You can buy specially made tripod leg covers but these are expensive (£40-80) and pipe lagging costs about £3.

[span130502]

thanks everyone for your advice a great help and it has all been taken in. i have also seen a tamron lens the same spec/price are these of about the same quality as the sigma. fantastic picture tobyh