In your expeirience...which is better? Lens or Flash?

[ShutteringFocus]

Ok, I've been thinking and I need some help from those of you who are more experienced than myself.

My current bag contains a D30, a Sigma 28-135 3.5-5.6, and a Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 EX.

Im looking into the next thing to add to my bag of tricks.

In your experience, which do you think would come most in handy?

A Speedlight 550EX

or

Canon 50mm 1.4 lens

I've been loving my 70-200 to death...and with the 2.8 I find I don’t really NEED a flash that often. I shoot a lot of indoor sports...but I just up the ISO and use a noise reduction program...and I get pretty good results. With the flash however, I could use an even lower ISO and get even better results...and probably skip the whole noise work process.

On the other hand I would like to explore portrait work. And I find that my 70-200...although not bad for portraits...is hard to work with due to the fact that I must stand 15 feet away from the subject. :-)

My cheap 28-135 that I bought as my first lens just doesn’t do it for me...its slow (5.6)...and no matter what I do...I just doesn’t get that Real Sharp look.

The 50mm 1.4 is fast, and from what I have read and seen on-line, it is sharp with very good color. Plus, on my D30 it becomes a cool 80mm lens (nice for portraits).

So I put it to you. In your experience...which would be more worth it at this point?

(keeping in mind that I am a young fellow heading to college next year...and therefore can only afford ONE of these gizmos at a time :-) )

And my final question is does the 1.6x crop on my D30 mess with the fall off at all? I’ve looked at a lot of photos taken with this lens in my research and although minimal, it does have some slight fall off. That isn’t magnified by a crop factor is it?

[Jim_T]

I wouldn't be without a flash..

I'd compromise and get both the lens and the flash.

But I'd get the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 instead of the f/1.4 and I'd get the Speedlight 420EX instead of the 550EX.

[roanjohn]

I wouldn't be without a flash..

I'd compromise and get both the lens and the flash.

But I'd get the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 instead of the f/1.4 and I'd get the Speedlight 420EX instead of the 550EX.

.........somebody beat me to the punch!!!

OR!! a used 550 EX and a brand spankin' new 50 f1.8........with the introduction of the 580 EX, a lot of photogs are dumping thier ol' 550 to upgrade.

Ro1

[Longwatcher]

I would go with the flash,
My logic being that it is slightly more likely to give you more flexability then the 50/1.4 or 1/8.

If there is no light it doen't matter what lens you have, so the flash will help you there.

If you are in a situation where flash is not appropriate (or allowed) then the 50/1.4 is the way to go. Otherwise the 550EX flash can help in a lot more situations such as fill flash for outdoors, lower ISO for lower noise at a longer range, and the ever important blinding people who are not paying attention.

For example I took some pictures at a local club, because I could stand across the room with my 70-200/2.8L IS and a 550EX flash, they let me flash away and I got some great pictures (at least I thought so). Without the flash, I would have been limited to existing lighting, which while still providing some great pictures, would not have been as good.
Also being able to use that lens helped with getting shots of all of the band from different locations. If I had used the 50mm I would have been limited to having to stand on the dance floor instead of on the border. Much safer for my camera. They let me use flash because I could stand far enough back that it did not blind the bands and cause a safety problem.

Just my experience and opinion,

[KevC]

Or maybe the Sigma EF-500 DG Super and a brand spanking new EF50mm f/1.8? :D

[scottbergerphoto]

You can do portraits with your 70-200 f/2.8. At the 70mm end, your at the equivalent of a 112mm, which is close to 105mm which is perfect. You need a flash! If you are going to do portraits, you need a flash with FEC and manual controls. Get the 550EX or the Sigma 500 DG Super. The 420EX is OK if you have FEC on the camera body.
Scott

[tim]

If you use F1.4 @ 50mm for a portrait you'll probably find because of the narrow DOF only part of the face is in focus. Since I got the 550EX the 50mm 1.8 doesn't come out very often at all.

[scottbergerphoto]

If you use F1.4 @ 50mm for a portrait you'll probably find because of the narrow DOF only part of the face is in focus. Since I got the 550EX the 50mm 1.8 doesn't come out very often at all.
The narrow DOF is a function of using f/1.4. As you narrow the aperture, the DOF opens up very nicely. How narrow you make the DOF is a matter of choice. I use the wide apertures even with flash when I only want part of a face in focus or to eliminate a cluttered background.
Scott