Canon T3i Lenses?

[kcrossley]

I finally got around to playing with my new Canon T3i and I've discovered that the stock lens it comes with (18-55mm) is very limiting. What is a good, inexpensive lens for a newbie that will give me more flexibility?

Thanks,
Kelly

[RTPVid]

What is limiting about it? Knowing what you find limiting will help with recommendations.

[Keyan]

What do you want to shoot? Do you need more reach? Better low light performance?

[kcrossley]

Sorry, I should have provided you with more details.

Basically, I was out shooting an old statue with a crane on top of it. The statue was about 15 feet high and I was about 5 feet away from it. When I zoomed in to photograph the crane (bird) on the very top I thought I had taken a pretty good shot.

However, when I got home and viewed the crane on my Mac it was very grainy. I should note that I was shooting on an overcast day with the automatic settings and highest jpg resolution. I attributed this to the lens, but perhaps it's something else. Nevertheless, I'm finding that I would like to have a little more reach.

[Keyan]

Get the 55-250, it picks up right where your 18-55 leaves off and is very inexpensive.

I wonder though if you aren't instead seeing noise from the sensor, did you zoom in on your mac on the bird? On fully automatic the camera can sometimes choose settings that might not get you the very best shot.

[kcrossley]

It could be. I'm still learning this thing. I even took a course on lynda.com, so at least I now know what the buttons do.

I am trying to use the Program and Manual modes, but because I'm new I really don't know how to a address each situation. So given the parameters above (overcast day, light rain, old statue) how would you have setup your camera?

[blackzarg]

Originally Posted by kcrossley

Sorry, I should have provided you with more details.

Basically, I was out shooting an old statue with a crane on top of it. The statue was about 15 feet high and I was about 5 feet away from it. When I zoomed in to photograph the crane (bird) on the very top I thought I had taken a pretty good shot.

However, when I got home and viewed the crane on my Mac it was very grainy. I should note that I was shooting on an overcast day with the automatic settings and highest jpg resolution. I attributed this to the lens, but perhaps it's something else. Nevertheless, I'm finding that I would like to have a little more reach.

Two things:

1) Getting the well reviewed Canon 55-250mm will help you with the reach portion.
2) What ISO did the automatic mode set the camera to? A high ISO will give you more grain. Try to learn how to use the Av, Tv, and M modes instead of the automatic modes. Gives you a little more control over the ISO.

Do you do any post-editing of pictures? If so, shooting in RAW will give you a lot more flexibility in the picture quality, at the cost of using more storage.

[blackzarg]

Originally Posted by kcrossley

It could be. I'm still learning this thing. I even took a course on lynda.com, so at least I now know what the buttons do.

I am trying to use the Program and Manual modes, but because I'm new I really don't know how to a address each situation. So given the parameters above (overcast day, light rain, old statue) how would you have setup your camera?

Give this book a go =)
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...9946041&sr=8-1

[kcrossley]

Originally Posted by blackzarg

2) What ISO did the automatic mode set the camera to? A high ISO will give you more grain. Try to learn how to use the Av, Tv, and M modes instead of the automatic modes. Gives you a little more control over the ISO.

Do you do any post-editing of pictures? If so, shooting in RAW will give you a lot more flexibility in the picture quality, at the cost of using more storage.

Okay, here's what the camera used: ISO 100, 0 EV, f/8, 1/200

Yes, I usually post edit my images in Lightroom 3 or PS.

[John from PA]

First of all you likely aren't at this stage going to create (in JPG) that absolutely stunning once in a lifetime shot! Set up your camera to save a high resolution RAW image and a reasonable size JPG. The RAW will give you the advantage of creating a zoomed JPG image and tweak the lighting paramaters as well. The JPG just doesn't give you much flexibility.

A analogy from film days would be the RAW is the negative and the JPG is the print. If you didn't like the print you took the negative bacck to the store for a reprint, hopefully correcting what you didn't like about the original.

[John from PA]

Statue was 15 feet high, you were 5 feet away, and shot at ISO 100, 0 EV, f/8, 1/200. Probability is high that the camera exposed for the sky and the crane is dark and lacking detail. Is that correct? Can you attach a sample?

[kcrossley]

Wow, very good advice guys. I appreciate everyone's help and timely responses. I am looking forward to learning about photography so I can capture some great images like I see people on this forum shooting.

Yes John, you are absolutely right. I'll try to attach the image.

[seoul4korea]

15-85 IS

[ahendarman]

Looking at the picture
1. Looks like the camera chose to focus on the base of the crane because it looks sharper than the crane itself. Choose a single point instead of letting the camera decides. Put that point on the intended subject.
2. It exposes too dark because the camera meters the sky. Go to manual mode or dial +1 exposure compensation to get a proper exposure
3. The lens is too wide, you'll need a longer lens, a 55-250mm will do nicely here
4. It may be a better composition if you use the portrait orientation instead of landscape

[kcrossley]

Great suggestions. Thank you. Where is the best place to buy lenses? Is there anything wrong with buying a used lens?