Night Lens Suggestions

Hey Guys!
I've got a t2i with the kit lens, and 50-250 IS 3.5-5.6, and am looking to get a new lens that is more suitable for taking night pictures. I was just wondering what everyone's opinion of the 50mm 1.8 was around here. It seems like you can't beat it for the price. But price can be misleading. I'm trying to keep it cheap to. Thanks!

Anthony

50 f/1.8 is a very nice lens, specially for exploring the next step of our creativity.
For the price, it is the best lens out there.

You certainly cannot beat the 50mm f/1.8 Mark II (Nifty Fifty) FOR THE PRICE.

It is not a great lens but is certainly a choice. You cannot duplicate it FOR THE PRICE.

What kind of night pictures do you want to take? Faster than f2.0, and especially f1.0 or f1.2 and such can get you some amazing pics handheld as they really pull in the light - but even a kit lens will take good night pictures on a tripod.

Are we talking cityscapes? Starscapes? Nightclub shots?

Tell us what you mean by night pictures.

All of the above haha. JK more cityscapes and some starscapes

Cityscapes and starscapes require clarity more than anything else. You need a good tripod, a sharp lens that fits the focal length you like to work with, and a shutter release.

sorry if i sound stupid but what is a shutter release? is it a remote?

antonyfortuna wrote in post #11998650
sorry if i sound stupid but what is a shutter release? is it a remote?

Its a remote trigger for your shutter. It can be wired, or wireless, its necessary to keep the camera from picking up extra vibrations from pushing the shutter button.

Night shooting is more about cranking up your aperture (f9, f11, etc), and most lenses will be pretty clear by this time. Work with your kit lens for now and use a decent tripod along with with 10s shutter timer on your camera, and you should be good. If you decide you want to shoot this style more, then I would suggest upgrading your tripod, getting a remote shutter release (so that you do not have to wait 10s everytime mostly), and maybe a better quality ultra wide. I like night shooting too and found that I preferred the wide angles for this style of shooting.

Hope this helps and best of luck...

Yes, it is a remote. You do not need to get the fairly expensive Canon one either, for a lot of other makers sell wireless shutter releases that will fit your t2i and only set you back $50 or so.

The key is NOTHING can move at all on, or IN the camera, so a very sturdy tripod is mandatory.

The other external motion-creating device on a camera, even on a sturdy tripod, is the photographer's "booger" finger! LOL. No matter how gentle you think you are, your finger depressing the shutter button WILL cause a slight blur that otherwise would not happen on your images. BAD especially with long shutter speeds but really, unacceptable at any shutter speed if you want crisp photos!

NOW . . . LETS "DAMP" THE INTERNAL VIBRATIONS!

Camera timers are "ok" I guess . . . but the old internal mirror is still banging around when you use the timer mode. There's a much better way. Read on . . .

Looking through the eyepiece of any SLR, you will see an image thanks to a mirror that reflects the image through the lens onto that mirror so you can see it. However, that mirror always has to flip out of the way so the shutter can fire . . . and that mirror is gonna cause a little vibration when it snaps up and down!

SO . . . "MIRROR LOCK UP" (or in the terminology used on the t21) . . . "LIVE VIEW" is your friend. In live view the mirror clicks out of the way and STAYS out of the way and you get a "video" image on your back screen since the eyepiece viewer now has no image with the mirror locked up. You have to also put your camera on manual focus and focus using the back screen too. Check your manual for how. It is very, very easy to do. It works great on macro and landscape photography too!!!

With the mirror out of the way; your image properly focused manually; your booger finger pushing down on the wireless remote shutter release rather than the camera; and your sturdy tripod keeping the camera rock solid . . . your photos can now be stunning rather than just mediocre.

Yep, if you already have the tripod you are only about $50 bucks from having a different level of images! Hope this helps.

BTW, I use a $50 Satechi wireless remote and it is WONDERFUL for so many types of shooting. Google it and you'll find 'em on Amazon. I can't imagine shooting without it in SO MANY settings.

The 1.8 is great if you dont want to use flash in low light situations; you can crank up the ISO, set the aperture to 1.8 (good bokeh) and still manage to take a steady picture with a shutter of an 1/8th of a second

This also works (to a certain extent) for skylines as long as you dont shake. But you'll get noise and the pictures wont be sharp (Tripod's you're friend here)

But to get pictures of the sky or moon, you're not gaining at all by using this lens

gonzogolf wrote in post #11998638
Cityscapes and starscapes require clarity more than anything else. You need a good tripod, a sharp lens that fits the focal length you like to work with, and a shutter release.

This..

You really don't need a super fast lens if you're shooting nightscapes with camera on a tripod, as you don't need to use high ISO settings..

For city and starscapes you dont need a fast lens; you need a wide angle, a tripod, and a remote shutter release.

EDIT: Appears I just rewrote what other members have written. Great minds think alike?! :P

get it! you won't regret it!

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/weifuk/54715081​00