Canon EOS 550D- wrong choice?

camera is fine,.. photos look fine too honestly for a super zoom.. i just say get a 50mm 1.8.. will make the world of difference for you..

i think the problem is you should of bought a 18-55, 50-250 first, as those are great starter lenses and have good quality for the money.. from there you will see how your like to shoot and move on to new lenses.

WylunCustoms wrote in post #14576786
camera is fine,.. photos look fine too honestly for a super zoom.. i just say get a 50mm 1.8.. will make the world of difference for you..

i think the problem is you should of bought a 18-55, 50-250 first, as those are great starter lenses and have good quality for the money.. from there you will see how your like to shoot and move on to new lenses.

I didn't want to do this because I wanted a travel lense which I thought the tamron 18-270 would be good for...

550D is awesome choice for sure. Only thing is if you would have got 18-55 with that, it would have been much cheaper and 18-55 would have given you much better result w.r.t quality and consistency.
Instead of body, sale the lens or return it saying your are not happy with it. You will end up paying shipping cost and may be some cut depending on time used.
Buy 50mm and 18-55. 50mm can make anyone and everyone happy because its so versatile. Please dont leave your BF..!!

I use the T1i and the 60D. The T1i (500D) is a generation older than your 550D and I can't tell the difference between the photos they take. You have a nice camera there. Invest some time in learning how to set the camera up to do what YOU want it to do. The different modes (Portrait, Sports, etc....) are just presets. My bet is that you will be completely happy with this camera once you are confident that you KNOW how to use it well. Put is on Av, Tv or M and practice, practice, practice.

loopylisa84 wrote in post #14576859
I didn't want to do this because I wanted a travel lense which I thought the tamron 18-270 would be good for...

Its a great travel lens. You WILL get some great pictures from it. It far from the ultimate in optics, as all super zooms are, but if you want to see what it can do, go to Tamron's site. There are plenty of example of great shots taken with your lens.

Everyone here is very opinionated and many folks are quote willing to tell you, after you've spent a ton of money, that you mad a mistake, or bought a piece of crap. YOU DID NEITHER! Enjoy the lens, have fun with it when you travel, and learn how to take great pictures. For some, the Tamron is the only lens they will ever need. If you out grow it (which I doubt you will) you can trade it in later. More likely you will eventually augment your kit with additional lenses to fill specific needs, like a wide angle (10-22mm) or portrait lens (50mm or perhaps 85mm). But this is in the future. In the mean time, go out and shoot.

gunjanx wrote in post #14576878
550D is awesome choice for sure. Only thing is if you would have got 18-55 with that, it would have been much cheaper and 18-55 would have given you much better result w.r.t quality and consistency.
Instead of body, sale the lens or return it saying your are not happy with it. You will end up paying shipping cost and may be some cut depending on time used.
Buy 50mm and 18-55. 50mm can make anyone and everyone happy because its so versatile. Please dont leave your BF..!!

She wanted a travel lens so she wouldn't have to switch off. While the 18-55mm and 55-250mm kit lens are a bit sharper with a bit less distortion, they are not that much better, but they are way less convenient, have noisy focus, and make it difficult to use CPLs. If she stops down a bit her images will be just about as sharp as the two budget Canons.

mwsilver wrote in post #14576660
The 10-22 mm is very wide and most often used for expansive landscapes. And the speed, f3.5 - f4.5 won't be really usable in low light without a flash or other artificial lighting unless you use a long shutter speed on a tripod.

Low light is fine with the 10-22 as long as you aren't shooting a moving subject; its very easy to handhold down to even 1/10 at the wide end.

Sirrith wrote in post #14576997
Low light is fine with the 10-22 as long as you aren't shooting a moving subject; its very easy to handhold down to even 1/10 at the wide end.

That's cool. And, of course, a tripod is always an option.

mwsilver wrote in post #14577013
That's cool. And, of course, a tripod is always an option.

Yes, of course I like my tripod. Just saying that its not as hard to shoot in low light with an UWA as with longer lenses in spite of their slow aperture and lack of IS.

mwsilver wrote in post #14576931
She wanted a travel lens so she wouldn't have to switch off. While the 18-55mm and 55-250mm kit lens are a bit sharper with a bit less distortion, they are not that much better, but they are way less convenient, have noisy focus, and make it difficult to use CPLs. If she stops down a bit her images will be just about as sharp as the two budget Canons.

More noob questions... CPLS..? Stops down( you mean using the lowest f stop/aperature?)

loopylisa84 wrote in post #14577270
More noob questions... CPLS..? Stops down( you mean using the lowest f stop/aperature?)

circular polarising filters, stop down means closing down the aperture (bigger numbers).

Hey guys. I have uploaded some more images to my google plus. Playing around with shutter speed, f stop and ISO. I have extended my subjects to include soft toys now as my partner still refuses to be photographed. There is good news though, a girlfriend of mine who has had shoots done has volunteered to be my dummy so I am going to try and do an easy going informal shoot with her in the near future, it will unfortunately be using the tamron(which is why I am going for outside) and hoping the weather holds

https://plus.google.co​m …9?authkey=CNzog​6_IoP_J9gE

Sirrith wrote in post #14577304
circular polarising filters, stop down means closing down the aperture (bigger numbers).

Ah got it, better for landscapes? Not sure about polarising filters. I have a UV inca 62mm filter on atm.

Do you have the filter on it all the time? (As in, also during indoor shooting)

jimmy_beaner wrote in post #14577405
Do you have the filter on it all the time? (As in, also during indoor shooting)

Yeah, the lady in the shop said it would stop it from getting scratched.. [aware saying 'the lady in the shop said' doubles my noobness]