best lens for fishing shots?

[sweresy]

Hi all,
Glad i found this chat. I was wondering if anyone could help rec. a lens for a 350d to upgrade the 18-55mm that comes standard. I do 99% of my shots based around "portrait" style shots of people holding fish, the fish themselves, and a little bit of landscapes.......just bought a polarizing lens for the 18-55 and am very happy i did.:) Ant tips would also be much appreciated as i am still trying to get those "awesome shots":D
i was looking at the 17-85mm when i could afford it?
cheers
Kris Sweres

[tim]

Welcome to POTN :) A few questions first... if you answer them all we can make better suggestions.

How do you find the range of the 18-55? Too wide? Too short? Would you like to isolate the fisherman from the background, or do you want to see the background? What's your budget? What's wrong with the 18-55 that you want to upgrade?

[sweresy]

hey tim,
thanks i guess i am happy with the shots i've taken so far i hear constantly however that the kit 18-55 is such poor quality and bulid that i would hate to miss a rare, possibly unique shot on the fact that i had an "inferior" lens or the feeling that i could have had a sharper more dynamic picture but for my current lens..i find the 18-55 just a touch short, my budget is around 600-1000(aud.) and i would like to have the option i guess of including or excluding the background depending on where i was. i guess with so many different lenses out there i'd really be just looking at upgrading to one single lens that i'd do most of my shots with......am i dreaming do you think?
like before i've heard some pretty good reports on the 17-85mm and am hoping to go down that path....but am confused :)
anyway cheers tim
ks

[tim]

So you read that the kit lens is no good... that's not a good reason to replace it. I did some tests a while back, and i'm not sure I could consistently tell whether a photo was taken with the kit lens or my Tamron, especially at F8 or so. I agree the replacing it isn't a bad idea, I just don't agree about those reasons.

In your position i'd buy the Tamron 28-75 F2.8, it's what I use as my main lens. The F2.8 will let you blur out the backgrounds if you want to, moreso if you understand depth of field, which you can learn with a little reading and experimenting yourself. The 17-85 won't be as good for blurred backgrounds, but with IS it will help if you have shaky hands, overall the Tamron is a better choice - not to mention cheaper. The sigma 24-70 would also be a good choice, as the Tamron is sometimes hard to find. I buy from http://bhphotovideo.com in New York, they ship to me in New Zealand no problems.

Hope that helps :)

[WepWaWep]

Here's an idea, the EF 100 f/2.8 macro USM. A nice portrait lens with the extra benefit of it's macro capabilities for close ups on the fish. The textures and colors from their skin would make for some fascinating shots.

[jboyd]

Hi Kris,

My husband works in the fishing industry - taking pictures of those trophy fish is part of his job. He always says to use a wide angle lens, and to make your focus point the eye of the fish. And, always use a fill flash, especially if the fisherman is wearing a hat, so you can see their face.

Jackie

[soupdragon]

A fisheye I suppose!!!!!

[massi.ra]

A fisheye I suppose!!!!!

:wink: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :-D :shock:

[sweresy]

thanks everyone for the feedback , mmmm the choices are endless i guess...... :)

[l bo]

Photo tip: have the angler holding the fish up and out in front of them with their arm extended outward. This makes the fish appear to be larger this way.

[jfrancho]

I can appreciate suggestions such as a wide zoom, and 100mm macro. It certainly depends on the size of boat you are fishing from, and whether it is convenient (or even possible) to move around to compose a shot. I'd think that on a sunny day, the kit lens would serve you well. If you have the room, the 28-75 would be great too. It would have to be a big boat to use that macro, but I'd bet the pictures would be superb. When I go out, I'm usually in a 17' deep-V with a tiller. There would be plenty of room to use the Tamron or the kit lens, however, I am reluctant to bring my slr out in a cramped, wet, and unstable environment. I bring my little s500 for that. The zoom works great for getting different composures, and I can keep it in these little waterproof zip lock things with floats builtin, in case something happens. I don't remember where I got them, Cabella's maybe? Ever lose a nice pair of Ray-Bans? That's what those floating Croakies are for. I've even thought about a waterproof case for the p&s. Now if they only had a floaty device for my Shimano Stardic and St. Crioux when I accidentally "cast" it into the lake.....

[ddelallata]

A fisheye I suppose!!!!!

That's classic!