Upcoming newborn - next upgrade?

[rns]

Hi. I want to photograph my upcoming newborn and my kids.

I currently have t1i + 50 1.8.

I can afford one upgrade at the moment, not including the fact that I will probably be upgrading to a 7D (or it's successor).

I really want to be able to take the sharpest pics possible of my new baby.

I made a thread recently and got some good advice, and now I have narrowed it down (sorta) to the following:

1) 580ex II
2) 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS
3) 50mm f/1.4 (Though would like to wait for the II version of this)
4) 35mm f/1.4L (the Sigma 30mm is recommended a lot, but if I wouldn't notice much of a difference with the 5mm I would rather invest in the L)

Any opinions on which of those would be best for me?

I'm really leaning towards the 580ex II. I'mthinking the flash would be the biggest help since I will be taking a lot of newborn photos indoors soon? If so, would the 430EX ii be enough? I'm a bad sufferer of 'oh I should have gotten the best one' - but if I'm not gonna notice a difference..

The macro is listed because I'm thinking would be good for detailed shots of the babies.. really catch sharp shots of their skin/eyes etc. Bonus: I get to play around doing fun macro stuff :P

I really don't know though. Any advice welcome :)

[CJSmith]

If you have enough money to invest in the 35L, get the 580exii, the Canon 60mm 2.8 macro and the Sigma 30mm 1.4 instead. The 430exii is probably powerful enough for what you're doing, but I like that the 580exii rotates all the way around to bounce off any wall. The 60mm macro is as sharp as any other lens and the 30mm 1.4 will be perfect for natural light shots.

[rns]

hm ok. would prolly go the 580 then if I get a flash.

I know this definitely sounds weird, but if I were only.. ahem.. 'allowed' to buy one item, regardless of it's price :D - would the Flash top that list?

[bobbyz]

If allowed to buy one by the wifey I will choose the most expensive option. I chose 300mmf 2.8 IS when my son was born.:D

[rns]

haha, that is tempting - I just want to pick the one thing from my list that will have the biggest impact on my baby photos though

[munzzzzzzz]

I was in similar shoes about 16 months ago. I went with the 580EXII AND the 50mm 1.4. I wanted the 50mm so I could do natural light photos, but I was so much happier with the quality of light from the flash when bouncing that I ALWAYS used it and did virtually zero natural light pictures.

I did end up using the 50mm lens as opposed to my XTi kit lens, but was typically shooting more in the range of f/4 to f/8. I will say that I think 50mm is the ideal focal length on a crop body for infant/small children photos. IMO it puts you at the perfect distance to be able to interact with the baby without being on top of them. While the 100mm would be a great lens, I think you'd find it too long, and you'd be running out of room backing up (though others may disagree). The only thing that was bad about the 50 was that it was tough to get full length pictures of someone (i.e. mom) holding my son, but that wasn't the primary usage and wasn't really a problem. The 35 wouldn't be bad, but I would think it might be a bit TOO wide and might cause distortions if you are up close.

All of that said, since you already have a 50mm (even if it is only the 1.8 - so what, it takes great pictures), of the choices you listed, for me it would be a no brainer to go with the 580EXII. Some will say you don't need that much power, that a 430EXII would be enough, but you have to remember that when you start bouncing (and you'll want to bounce unless you're getting your flash off camera), you need a lot more power than you think. You're going to be at a minimum of ISO 400, and when I shoot at that and bounce my 580EXII is often putting out near full power. At ISO 200, it doesn't have enough power.

In case you're not already familiar, here is an example of the difference bounce flash will make:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=500550

Since the 35L lens was presumably within your budget, the only other suggestion I would offer up would be to consider the 17-55 EF-S f/2.8 IS lens. That is a great lens too and would give you much more room on the wide end for when you wanted to get pictures of, for example, grandma and grandpa holding the baby. I do think your 50mm 1.8 would be sufficient, but if you'd rather put money into glass than a flash, I think that's the route I'd take.

[rns]

Thanks munz!

I think I'm set on getting the 580ex ii, that comparison shot was very helpful too - even though in the second the eyes were worse, I'm sure if you played around with the direction you could make it look better (not a fan of doing much PP).

I'll upgrade to the 50mm f/1.4 II if it ever comes out, but will stick with my 1.8 for now - it is definitely very nice for the money.

Should do me 'til the kids are out and about outside.. then I can get a nice shiny new lens like the 85 or something.

Thanks!

[munzzzzzzz]

Glad I could help. A bounce card (the 580EXII includes a small one built-in) goes a long way towards helping brighten up the eyes without any PP. It can be as simple as a 3x5 white index card rubber-banded to the flash, or there are numerous DIY or off-the-shelf products you can build or buy that work marginally better.