Lens Advice - photographing people

[RogerB]

Hi

I need a lens to take candid shots of my kids outdoors this summer - i have an EOS 400D - what would you recommend?

thanks

[george.monaghan]

Hi,

Not an aswerable question really. Pick a lens, any lens, and that could be of use. Pick a budget and you will start to see what your boundaries are.

Pay for the fastest lens you can afford and a nice zoom range it probably about the best I could suggest. That could run from £80 to £1500, or even a lot more.

The is no one catch all lens - sorry.

[David Worthington]

might be nice to go say Hi in the newbies thread first

[Bandit]

What lens do you have already Roger? Whatever it is, is it restricting or preventing you from taking the shots you want? If so in what way? :)

[Chris Hawkins]

Agree with Bandit (and George and Dave), whatever you have now is just fine.

[RogerB]

Yes, of course you can use any lens to take portraits - but i want to take them of subjects that are outdoors and impossible to sit still.

I have Canon 400D and :
my lenses :
(All canon):
50mm F/1.4
35mm F/2
18-55mm F/3.5/5.6 IS

I recently bought the 18-55 as it was cheap, made a great travel lens and would give me an introduction to Image Stabilization. I now understand what that (Image Stabilization) can and can't do, I really need a fast aperture lens as my subjects are in motion too much. I feel I may need a zoom, but am unsure about the weight and it's implications.

I went to my local Calumet and tried out:

Canon 85mm 1.8
Canon 24-105 F4 L
Sigma 50-150 F2.8

All of the above 3 were quality lenses. They each excel at what they do. I feel that the 24-105 will not have a wide enough aperture (but it is a great lens to have in your bag). The Sigma may be too heavy and I have read some scare stories on the web about the quality of this lens. And the 85mm is a beautiful lens, small, light and optically excellent. But it isn't a zoom - which could be a problem tracking moving subjects.

[Chris Hawkins]

Yes, of course you can use any lens to take portraits - but i want to take them of subjects that are outdoors and impossible to sit still.


Every lens you've mentioned will take portraits of someone outdoors who doesn't sit still.

[dusktildawn]

Bin the 18 - 55...Actually stamp all over it or sell it on Ebay.....Its gotta be the shitest lens Canon has EVER produced. By far the worst kit lens I have ever had the displeasure of using Mate. As George says its not the mode of capture but the glass that you use to get the image clear.

If you can afford it invest in decent lenses. You'll see a great difference.

All the best and welcome to the forum Bro.

Cheers

Charley

[RogerB]

Actually the stabilized 18 - 55 is quite good. Seriously.
I don't want to start a flame war, but have you actually tried it?

For $200 or so it is a great lens. Sure, it doesn't have the contrast or definition of an L or prime, but for the money it is very good. Also, it's close focusing ability is unbelievable - you have to see it to believe it.

As a travel lens, or for street photography it is very good.

[paulstmungo]

I love the long lenses for photographing the kids at playing etc.

I use a 70-210 f2.8 IS canon lens. Its a bit pricey but great.

I can stand back 10 metres or so while they are playing with their pals in the street or garden and get some really nice shots without them really noticing.

I find with lots of kids that further away is better as I know mine stop and strike a pose whenever they see the camera !

[Chris Hawkins]

Roger, It's quite clear from Charley's post that he has used it. However -I'm confused - are you asking for advice or giving it?

Actually the stabilized 18 - 55 is quite good. Seriously.
I don't want to start a flame war, but have you actually tried it?

For $200 or so it is a great lens. Sure, it doesn't have the contrast or definition of an L or prime, but for the money it is very good. Also, it's close focusing ability is unbelievable - you have to see it to believe it.

As a travel lens, or for street photography it is very good.

[RogerB]

Hi everyone - good to have some feedback,

I was hoping for some opinions on what people would use for a lens.
I can't hire some of these lenses, so I am hoping to get some considered opinions on lenses.

Everyones entitled to an opinion, but I didn't understand how the lens (18-55 3.3 / 5.6 IS) could be described as 'the sh**iest one ever' - did he not mean the old non-IS version ? I would hate people to read that and miss out on the use of this lens. In my opinion, the lens is a bargain and definetely has a place on a lot of cameras out there. Whatever - who really cares? - just go out and take some photos...

One comment:
True, in the past, these kit lenses *were* junk - no question. But times have changed with the introduction of specialised designs for APS-C. They (Canon & Nikon) can build these lenses to a higher quality standard for the same or less money (because of the smaller sensor). The rules of the game have changed, and some assumptions about what lenses can do will have to be reconsidered.

Back to lenses, a 70-200 2.8 are really big lenses - I can see that this is the peak of what you can buy, but it is just too big for my use.

R.

[David Worthington]

one factor not previously mentioned above..... a wide angle lense will distort facial features by making the nose and chin too large if used for anything closer than full length shots...... to flatten perspective and therefore noses and chins a longer than standard lense is best......unless of course you are aiming for a special effect

[Pabloverdes]

Hi Roger

I've just got the Canon EF-S IS 55-250mm it's reasonably compact and from a bit of a distance it's possible to be get some good candid shots. £177 with delivery 'microglobe' on the net. Not sure where you're located so quoted £s GBP.

Paul

[RogerB]

Oh you used MicroGlobe - were you happy with them? I understand some of their stock is imported from the Far East. I am considering using them to source my next lens.
I actually went around to their shop and tried a Canon 55 - 250 in the shop - it could have been yours! (Actually they just let me look at it - they wanted to keep the lenses in a pristine condition - never mounted on a camera.)

[Pabloverdes]

Hi Roger.

No problem so far. Lens is fine. Ordered at 10:30am on a Friday delivered 8:30am the following day and about the cheapest place I could find.

Paul

[RogerB]

Good. They are basically an importer of photo gear - they do source UK gear, but I think a lot of the really good offers they make are based on sourcing abroad.
They are based in a very small premises around the side of the British Library. A very small shop in a hidden small square with lots of expensive shops and offices. Not your average location for a camera shop! I thought the shop was shut down, but then you go inside and it is a tiny room stacked to the top with boxes of Canon, Nikon and Sigma gear. And 2 guys trying to answer what looks like about 10 phones at once.
Nothing wrong with all of this - this is how they keep their prices down.

And it was all genuine stufff too - it was all out on display, nothing being passed below the counter.

Strange location, but I guess like a lot of these shops in central London, they are selling to professionals who want to just buy a lens/camera as quickly as possible, with the minimum fuss.