Lens recs. for Canon 20D?

[Eurobabe]

I want to buy a telephoto (and not spend a fortune) seems impossible...

Also want a wide angle and/or macro

Any suggestions?

[Blue_In_AK]

1. These are the ones I have for mine..

Canon 17-85 IS
Canon 70-300 IS
Sigma 10-20
Canon 50 mm 1.8
Canon 100 mm macro

Unfortunately, none of them were cheap except for the 50, but they sure do take good pictures. For what I do, the 17-85 is the one I use the most.

[Eurobabe]

2. Thanks Blue, I knew I could count on you for a response!

;) fellow 20D'er. How was your trip to Denali?

I am flying home to the US on Monday and heading to....VERMONT!!! YIPEE for me, but too late for the tree contest...oh well, next year.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. We go to Denali Monday.

Tomorrow and Saturday we are taking the vista-dome train to Talkeetna and spending the night at the McKinley Princess up there (our stockbroker's yearly customer appreciation trip). Of course, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week were absolutely gorgeous, today it's cloudy, and it's not supposed to clear up again for the foreseeable future, so my lighting's not going to be too hot, but I'm going to be snapping away anyway. Maybe I can get some of those cool "in the clouds" shots like regnaD kciN is so good at.

[bvar22]

3. Blue recommends a good collection.

Your pictures will be only as good as your lens.
A budget camera with a GOOD lens will take better pictures than a GREAT camera with a budget lens.
The 20D is a superb camera body, and deserves good glass.

I own Nikon, but my lens collection is about the same as Blue's.

[Eurobabe]

7. I know, my friend who is a pro-photog

has told me that good glass is expensive. Sigh.

He is SO lucky that his current employer spent over $60K on photography equipment for him. I am jealous! And I very rarely ever get envious.

Thanks for the reminder, you sound like Dan. :D

[priller]

5. One of the photo bloggers I've followed for a long time

shot many of his excellent photos with the Canon 70-200 f/4 "L" lens. It's small and lightweight and reasonably priced (about $600), but still can give excellent results, judging by this guy's output.

Check him out at www.chromasia.com.

[F.Gordon]

6. I'm taking up knitting

You can have my crap. What kinda' lens ya' need?

All that stuff is costly. Of the long, wide, and macro.... what do you think you'd use the most??? Just a thought.... dump the idea of getting everything and pickup a Canon 50mm f/1.4 It's a great little lens.... great for low light stuff and creative DOF. But, you may already have this. Don't know.

I really don't have any recs... I mean I do... but like I've said before "I don't like spending other peoples money" Do some research. Check out Sigma and Tamron. Get what works well with your checkbook.
:hi:

[Eurobabe]

8. LOL

Nope, all I have is the lens that I bought with the camera. Have to wait to unload my house (hopefully today!) and then we'll see about lenses. The lens I am looking at is as much as my camera cost 2 years ago.

Is it worth exploring buying a used lens from someone?

[F.Gordon]

9. You have the "kit lens"? Then you have a macro lens

I picked up the latest issue of Photographer Monthly published in the UK. The issue was dedicated to Macro Photography. One of the things they talked about was reversing your lens. This sounded a little crazy so I just did a quick snap last night to see if it worked.

Did a handheld try at it using ISO 1600, indoors. This is a horrible horrible example but it does seem to work. I set a 5.6 f' - shut off camera - removed lens - turned camera back on - held lens BACKWARDS on the camera body while I tried to do this. You just move in and out to focus. This is about a 50% crop and is the top of a very tiny gourd thingey. Those little stems and round things can barely be seen with the naked eye.



They recommend using "gaffers tape" to seal the lens/camera. I'm going to give this a try for real with some good lighting or use my flash to bounce some light on whatever it is I'm tryin' to snap. And you really should use a tripod unless you have very steady hands.

The only kind of Canon Lens I'd be comfortable buying used would be a "L" lens or if I bought from a forum where the buying and selling is "regulated". I know people have good experiences buying on eBay but I never would. Yea, it is crazy that good lenses cost more than the damn camera.

[Eurobabe]

10. Just heard from my friend, ugh

He has all f2.8 lenses. And these bad boys are expensive. :cry:

"16-35 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8"

What are the pros and cons of going with the higher f-stop lens (4-5.6) 70-300?

[CC]

11. It will depend on what type of photos

you will be taking. If you are doing sports or any indoor shooting with it you will want a faster lens. If you are looking to use it more for landscape photography you can go with a slower lens and be happy. Specially with a tripod. Even for people out doors the higher f-stop works well.
I would suggest sitting down and writing out what you think you will be using it for. When is it you kick yourself for not having a longer lens? Then think about how much light has been available and whether a tripod would of worked at the time.

[F.Gordon]

12. You have a Canon 20D

You don't need a f/2.8 lens. Just bump up your ISO. In the Canon vs Everyone Else Wars there is one fact that no one can dispute. (even the hardcare Nikonians :D) The Canon does very well with high ISO's.

This was taken in the rain with a one gallon ziplock bag wrapped around the camera at ISO1600 - f/9.0 with no digital noise removal. I'm sure a "purist" might blow this up and puke at the "noise" but screw em'
:hi:



Nothing wrong with smaller holes. Those expensive 2.8 bad boys might give ya' better Cream of Bokeh soup and the ability to get all creative like with the DOF but there's nothing wrong with a 4,5,6 f'. If ya' feel the Need for Speed just crank your ISO up.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. Should I have changed the ISO to get the long-distance

pix of a sow and two bear cubs quite a ways off. I used the tripod and the 300 mm, hoping I'd be able to crop and make them big, but they turned out kind of blurry, probably because they were lumbering around chewing on a caribou carcass. You wouldn't have believed the cannons a couple of the photographers were using. I was green with envy.

[F.Gordon]

14. Are those Grizzly Bars'

:scared:

Based on the brazillion mistakes I've made I'd say you have two things going on here. First; you have camera shake going on and second; the camera has a Need for Speed.

If I was taking that snap the first thing I would have done after I shit my pants would be to lock the mirror, use manual focus, use that priority exposure thing so the camera locks on the Bars' (the rocks aint important... it's the Bars' you want), keep the Need for Speed around 1/250 sec (you were at 1/80 sec) which would have meant increasing the ISO, and use a remote shutter release.

Or you could have put on your wide angle and just walked right up to the them.
:rofl:

You should have asked the other Canon people to let you borrow their lenses or ask for their help. I bet they would have let ya' or at the very least helped ya' setup your shot.
:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

15. Well, honestly, I would have gotten closer

but it was in a restricted area where they wouldn't let you leave the road. I guess they don't want anyone becoming dinner in these areas where the bears are known to congregate. It sounds like I'd better get my manual out again and figure out all that special stuff you're talking about. We saw wolves, too, but I had the same issue with them being so far away. I have the pictures just to prove that we actually did see them, but they're sure nothing to write home about. My dall sheep came out much, much better because they were closer, and I'll be posting several of those in my Denali gallery.

I don't know what kind of cameras the guys with the big lenses had, so it's hard to tell if they would have fit on mine. I was too shy to ask. Apparently they had been there most of the day photographing this little family. They said a male had been by earlier and the mama got all up in his face and chased him off. That would have been so cool to see. Can you make out the caribou antlers in my photo just to the left of the little bear?