Which lens should I get?

[master_phat]

Hello everyone! (First Post)

I'm about to go on a trip to VA and and NY. I want to buy a better lens to take along with me but I'm unsure what I should get. I was hoping to get a lens that would:

Be able to zoom extremely close on subjects full size/life size like a bird, from say 50-100 yards away.
Take great concert photos in low light conditions
Be good for taking around to just take portrait shots or pictures of buildings.Anything under $800 dollars would be ideal.

Thanks for any suggestions ;)

[angryhampster]

There is no single lens that can do all of those things well :)

I suggest buying an 85mm f/1.8 for concert photos and a 70-200 f/4 for the birds.

Unfortunately that leaves you screwed for the architecture shots.

[jr_senator]

Yeah, as Steve said, there is no such animal. You really need 3 lenses to do all that with any degree of acceptance. Narrow your list with what is most important (maybe 2 choices) and there may just be something.

[khiromu]

1. You need a telescope
2. 85/1.8, 100/2, 135/2 depending on where you are shooting from
3. portrait and building are usually taken with different focal length. ie, portrait is medium telephoto, and building is wide.

[Tapeman]

To buy the best lenses for what you listed you could easily spend $8000. not $800.
Set some priorities, make some compromises, or spend a bundle of cash.:)

[SkipD]

Hello everyone! (First Post)

I'm about to go on a trip to VA and and NY. I want to buy a better lens to take along with me but I'm unsure what I should get. I was hoping to get a lens that would:

Be able to zoom extremely close on subjects full size/life size like a bird, from say 50-100 yards away.
Take great concert photos in low light conditions
Be good for taking around to just take portrait shots or pictures of buildings.Anything under $800 dollars would be ideal.If you could design and manufacture such a lens, you would become an instant trillionaire. This is just another way to echo the previous posts - there just "ain't no such animal" to be purchased.

Your #1 spec above cannot be done with any conventional camera lens. Even the 1200mm Canon lens (which I think sells for about $100,000 (U.S.) if you can even get Canon to build one) probably would not do that for you. You'd simply have to get closer to the birds to fill the frame with any commonly available lenses.

You might find a fast zoom that you could use for #2 and #3 (depending on lighting levels at the concerts), but be prepared to double the price you want to pay for that lens alone.

[master_phat]

ha, I was sort of expecting these kind of comments. I'm still learning about lenses and photography in general so if I become a pro I would definately fork out the $8,000. Otherwise, I think it might be a good idea to save some money so I can pay for tuition lol. ANYWAYS, let me rephrase the question. What lens would probably suit all my needs even if it wasn't really designed for say, low light concert photos. I read about telephoto lenses and that some reduces shake and will allow faster shooting up to 3X or something? Wouldn't that somewhat suit nature/sport shots and concert photos because of the faster shutter speeds and shake reduction? khiromu, did you mean wide angle lens? If so, is there some sort of lens I could attach onto the telephoto that will allow for wider shots. I'm just trying to understand lenses and if there is some sort of workaround to avoid buying two different lenses and comprimising with one that takes really good "x" and is okay at "y" and "z". I know that it wouldn't be ideal for a pro to buy one lens to do two/three completely different things.


Lastly, If I was to limit myself I would like to be able to zoom really close onto subjects from far away.

Thanks

[SkipD]

ha, I was sort of expecting these kind of comments. I'm still learning about lenses and photography in general so if I become a pro I would definately fork out the $8,000. Otherwise, I think it might be a good idea to save some money so I can pay for tuition lol. ANYWAYS, let me rephrase the question. What lens would probably suit all my needs even if it wasn't really designed for say, low light concert photos. I read about telephoto lenses and that some reduces shake and will allow faster shooting up to 3X or something? Wouldn't that somewhat suit nature/sport shots and concert photos because of the faster shutter speeds and shake reduction? khiromu, did you mean wide angle lens? If so, is there some sort of lens I could attach onto the telephoto that will allow for wider shots. I'm just trying to understand lenses and if there is some sort of workaround to avoid buying two different lenses and comprimising with one that takes really good "x" and is okay at "y" and "z". I know that it wouldn't be ideal for a pro to buy one lens to do two/three completely different things.


Lastly, If I was to limit myself I would like to be able to zoom really close onto subjects from far away. A really important tidbit of information that we would need to know before recommending focal lengths is the format of your camera. Format is the size of the film frame or digital sensor.

The APS-C family of cameras (the three Digital Rebels, 10D, 20D, and 30D so far) all has roughly the same size sensor the size of which is known as APS-C.

Another size for the DSLR's is often referred to (rather incorrectly but very popularly) as "full-frame". These (the 5D and 1DS) have a digital sensor roughly the same size as a standard 35mm film frame (24mm by 36mm).

There is another Canon DSLR format in between - represented by the 1D family. They have an APS size designator, but I'm afraid I cannot remember what it is.

Any given focal length will give you a different field (angle) of view on each of the three formats.

Once your camera format is known, then we can help with suggestions. Be prepared, though, for an onslaught of information.

You need to really prioritize your photographic ambitions and establish your budget (or budget plan). If $800 is your limit, you will probably have to be satisfied with "consumer-grade" lenses for now. You can get the focal lengths you want, but probably not lenses with wide apertures. That means that low light situations will be more difficult - if not impossible in some cases - to deal with.

The consumer-grade lenses are not built to take a lot of physical punishment like the "professional-grade" lenses are. However, taking reasonable care of consumer-grade lenses should make them last a long time.

Photographic equipment purchase choices all involve compromise, especially if the budget is limited. However, even with an unlimited budget there are compromises to be dealt with. You are in the right place to get questions answered and plans made.

[master_phat]

Hey Skip. I have the 350d/rebel xt 8mp camera so I'm guessing my sensor size is 22.2 x 14.8 mm ?

[AngryCorgi]

What lenses do you own now?

[narlus]

master_phat, image stabilization (IS) does help reduce camera shake, so you can get sharp images at slower shutter speeds of *stationary* objects. if a musician is moving around, a shutter speed of 1/20th isn't gonna do much for you. think of IS has being a built-in tripod.

[unix04]

i dont know about your telephoto needs... 100 yards is a football field's length, and i dont think there are any lenses under $800 that can get you a shot like that from that far away. if you want the ultimate compromise, i'd think something along the lines of...

sigma 17-70/2.8-4.5 (for your building/portrait needs)
canon 85/1.8 (for low light)
sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO (for some reach)

i believe this should add up to around $850, somewhere near your budget...

[master_phat]

Thank you guys. @unix - Thanks for those!

[kahren]

you will want a 10-22 in NY 17 is not really wide enouf, but for everythign you list to have one lens that could do that woudl probably be the new sigma 18-200 OS

[ak_powder_monkey]

I'd check out digiscoping and a point and shoot

[jr_senator]

There is another Canon DSLR format...represented by the 1D family. They have an APS size designator, but I'm afraid I cannot remember what it is.



1.25 or 1.3 depending on model, if my understanding is correct.

[master_phat]

oh awesome, the sigma 18-200 OS looks really suitable for me. I haven't really seen any negative feedback from searching a little bit on it also. Gracias!

[SkipD]

1.25 or 1.3 depending on model, if my understanding is correct.Actually, it's APS-H. I went to the Canon web site for that.