Sunday 3 April 2011

self.has(dslr) == true; Now what?

Yesterday I picked up my shiny secondhand Canon 450D:
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug


I bought it from my father-in-law, who has upgraded to a much shinier 550D. Lucky for me, he didn't want the original bag the 450D came with:
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug


Yay! New crumpler! I've been eyeing off the crumplers anyway (4 and 5 million dollar homes) but this one will do just fine. I'm thinking about picking out the "EOS" though.

Now that I have my new shinies:
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug


the observant among you may notice something missing. I don't have a lens - yet. That's today's task - to find and buy my first lens.

The lens I'll probably be getting is the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. I really *want* the EF f/1.4 USM, but can't really afford it at this point. I'm going for a prime lens as I want to learn how to operate my camera well - once I've done that, then I'll figure out all the other fancy stuff that goes along with lenses that do zoom and all that stuff. Also? the f/1.2 weighs 130g, and it's tiny. As someone moving from a mobile phone to a DSLR, small and light are very, very good things while I get used to it.

But where do I buy it?

Currently I'm looking at secondhand on ebay, pickup (so I can test it when I get it straight away, and resolve any issues immediately) or some online retailer sourced via shopbot. Physical stores seem to be relatively expensive - a difference of about $50 on the 50mm f/1.2, which is a lot considering retail is $150. On new lenses, I imagine the warranty is with Canon rather than the retailer - can someone verify this? If there are specific online stores I should be looking at, please let me know - I'm a total babe in the woods here. At this point, I'm not interested in overseas retailers, either - I want the lens NOW. A week is about as long as I want to wait before I have it in my hands. The other consideration is, of course, return and complaints. It's a lot easier to do that for local retailers, online or off.

For my next lens, on the other hand, I would also like recommendations for reputable overseas online dealers. Also for things like filters and lens reversers and mount adjustments and bits.

Speaking of, what should my next lens be? I'm looking at the one the camera usually comes with - the EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I'd be getting this one around Christmas, probably. I'm open to other suggestions, of course, but that one seems to be flexible, reasonably inexpensive, and has decent reviews. On the other hand - I really really REALLY want to do macro photography. I haven't investigated lenses there yet, although I plan to very shortly. Still, recommendations for a macro lens?

Finally, other bits. I would like to get from crumpler the Industry Disgrace as I have noticed the strap on the camera digs in and is uncomfortable after about 30 seconds. And tripods. I'll pick up a gorillapod or knockoff, but for a real one, I still have about no idea. I really need to get into a shop which has a) a large range, and b) helpful staff who are not run off their feet at the time when c) I have time to spend.

Okay, time for me to go read the manual. And do assignments that are due tomorrow ...

22 comments:

  1. I've got a similar cam body, and a EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. I think the lens was about $120 new. The ef50 is an equiv of 50*1.6 for cameras like mine. The fixed 60% odd zoom on natural eye can be annoying for indoor shooting where you can't get back far enough to frame as you like. Its also quite a noisy lens, but for the money its hard to complain. And indoor shooting sans flash is a nice thing to do^TM.

    I assume you know the usual suspects with physical presence within driving distances:
    http://www.photocontinental.com.au/
    http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/
    http://www.camerasdirect.com.au/

    I've been eyeballing the EF 18-135 IS lens. its about 450g as apposed to the 600g for the to 200 superzooms. But its also quite expensive. I have the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and it is impressive the difference in exposure one obtains with the huge aperture 50mm prime. I find the standard lens to 55mm runs out of zoom well before I want it to, given that I'm normally using it at larger events.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canon products is one of the best for professional but that's price is high as compare to other brands the reason is that's product quality is too high as a article writer in Karachi I have also writer the informative article for canon users because some beginners also want to read post to know about the canon products.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the links :) I actually didn't really know about those stores.

    Zoom wise - well, I'm mostly interested in small things, things up close, and similar. Not so much things far away, people, or landscapes - with the exception of the occasional sunrise and sunset. I'm still learning also what I want to do and what I don't, as well as trying to learn what lenses do what, why, and how.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing links! I got the same camera now but I don't have that same big bulky bag you have. Although I don't particularly like the color, the bag is great, albeit smaller perhaps. Perfect for my camera accessories and all those stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bulky bag? I don't know if you're seeing what I'm seeing in those photographs - but the bag in the photos is about twice the size of the camera body, perhaps a little more. My current camera bag is slightly larger, about the same size as a messenger bag, and holds the body plus three lenses, and functions as a handbag also, having space for snacks, my kindle, wallet, coin purse, umbrella, hat, sunscreen, and tissues. It is really quite compact for the amount of stuff it holds - I've seen many ladies handbags that are larger. I do occasionally bring a backpack to stow the bag in, for days I want to also carry a jacket, water bottle, or other paraphernalia, or days my shoulder is likely to start complaining after a while.

      Still, I'm told by other photographers that it's an amazingly tiny bag for what I'm usually carrying around in it.

      Delete
  4. Hi Great Post! Needcdrreport started this service to provide genuine CDR writing help to these needful engineers. If any Engineering students Need CDR writing Help for college student then you have simply contact our expert team we have to provide the best CDR writing help. Our expert is available 24*7.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Revit is a BIM software used to create coordinated designs. Don’t start to panic if you need to submit a Revit Project revit assignment. The qualified writers of MyAssignmenthelp.com will provide you with all the assistance you need to draft a high-quality paper. Opt for our Revit assignment help by visiting our website.

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you are in higher education and struggling with persuasive writing, I advise you to buy a persuasive essay from a professional writing service immediately. You won't worry anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Either it is a college assignment work like essay, homework, or higher education paper writing work like thesis and dissertation, you can rely on us for 100% genuine and good quality content. We at AllAssignmentHelp provide the properly researched content when students asked us for assignment help. You can reach to us by calling us at @+61-488-839-676, or Mail Us @enquiry@allassignmenthelp.com also you can WhatsApp us @+1-817-968-5551

    My Assignment Help Australia | Do My Assignment

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello, I would like to thank you for sharing this interesting information. Moreover, the material mentioned here will be useful for my galileo letter to the grand duchess christina essay.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello, I have browsed most of your posts. This post is probably where I got the most useful information for my research. Thanks for posting, we can see more on this. Are you aware of any other websites on this subject.
    Essay Writing Service

    ReplyDelete
  10. Quite good site where you can find a lot of interesting information and thanks to your site I found one another which now always helps me with writing resumes, so if you have the same problem as me and want to order cashier job description sample you can easily cope with that task just ask for help of writers proffessional writers at https://prime-resume.com where they are always ready to handle with different kind of resumes and CVs

    ReplyDelete
  11. Amazing post. I am so impressed. Could never think of such a thing is possible with it...I think you have a great knowledge especially while dealings with such subjects.

    Engineering Assignment help
    Architecture assignment help
    Biology Assignment Help
    Biotechnology Assignment help
    Computer Science Homework Help

    ReplyDelete
  12. Get best nursing assignment writing services in Australia from Australian Assignment Help experts and assignment assistance in Qatar from Student Life Saviour experts in Qatar

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've got a useful info for students. If you are looking for writing service to get online help, I've got a nice place to get it

    ReplyDelete
  14. The students of the current generation of Australia trust the Science Assignment Writing service of GotoAssignmentHelp with their eyes closed. It provides assignment help service on all the academic subjects.The quality assignments at GotoAssignmentHelp.com is second to none. The assignments provided GotoAssignmentHelp are completely spelling and grammatical error free. The students can also get the most affordable assignment help Australia service from GotoAssignmentHelp. The students are also provided the best quality Online Essay Writer service by PhD qualified academic experts from the top universities across the world. GotoAssignmentHelp 24/7 hr service provide if you are looking for an online assignment helper service The GotoAssignmentHelp team will take care of your assignments one you book your order at our website. For more information, hire our Australian essay writing services now.



    ReplyDelete
  15. How amazing Your information is very detailed and useful to me, thank you for sharing. I hope you will always be up to date. We also provide affordable Your information is very detailed and useful to me, thank you for sharing more information visit Assignment Help Manchester | best and cheapest essay writing service | Math homework helper

    ReplyDelete
  16. Searching for Online Assignment Help Canada in the Australia then you are in the right place. Just visit GotoAssignmentHelp and get your assignments now.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Get high-quality Accounting assignment help UK through Go To Online Assignment Help, Research Paper Help and Physics Homework Help!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Searching for Finance Assignment Help in the Australia then you are in the right place. Just visit GotoAssignmentHelp and get your assignments now.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Do My Assignment Washington. Our experts understand your problem of writing such big assignments so you need to click on the assignments provided by Psychology assignment help.

    Malaysia assignment helper
    research paper helper
    Best Assignment Experts
    case study writing help
    Case Study Solution

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for sharing this information. Really appreciate the way you have define everything in this article. Keep up the good work. Thank you for sharing. Also visit aksu school fees schedule for new students

    ReplyDelete