Newb w/a canon

Hey all, quick intro here, looking for more info on macro and wide angle lenses (will be utilizing the search button here shortly)just wanted to introduce myself.

Name is Brian, been an "amateur photographer" since high school. Favorite things to "shoot" cars, motorcycles, and anything that goes fast. Also like doing macro work.

Let me be the first to Welcome you Brian.
Feel at home here and you will have a lot to share and take.

Could you explain more about your need when you say Wide and Macro.

Welcome to POTN Brian.

You might wish to check out the fora specific to macro and transportation, I think that you will find them very interesting.

samsen wrote in post #15607918
Let me be the first to Welcome you Brian.
Feel at home here and you will have a lot to share and take.

Could you explain more about your need when you say Wide and Macro.

Sure,

I love shooting things up close and getting the details. I only have the kit lenses that came with my t1i, and I have found it is difficult to get up close since they are not the best for macro photography (either that or I am doing something wrong, which wouldn't come as a surprise to me). I also like shooting in low light conditions, and based on my limited knowledge it appears a wide angle or macro lens would help since they allow more light (again, based on my limited knowledge) into the lens.

Whether a lens is "macro" or "wide angle" will make no difference as to how much light a lens delivers to the sensor. What matters is "maximum aperture". Look for lenses that are at most f2.8 for zooms or f1.8 or f1.4 for primes, whatever your budget allows.

Hi Brian,

And welcome to the forum.

As said above, there's a lot of great people here who will help you (spend money!!!!) and guide you in this great hobby/profession.

I've got to go and teach now, but as a quick comment on macro, have you considered extension tubes?

Very cheap - mine are the Kenko version - and they will immediately allow you to do more with the kit lens.

Gotta dash(!), but catch you in the threads.

Simon

Good Brian. Now I can see better what you need to know.

As stated above, the only factor that makes a lens "Fast" i.e. able to gather more light, is the diameter of its outer lens in relation to its focal length. This is technically expressed as "F" number. The smaller the F number, the faster, the wider (Its lens diameter and not image it produce)is and for eg F 1.4 is 5 time stronger to gather light as opposed to F 5.6 with steps being 1.4 > 2 > 2.8 > 4 > 5.6

So if you need a lens to gather more light, be useful for indoor or night, you need a Large aperture or small F number (Reverse relation). Be aware the prices go logarithmically high as aperture becomes wider.

Wide Lens is a lens that takes large field of view image or in other word a Wide angle. Typically for a 35mm classic film camera or in digital life, a “Full Frame” camera, a lens that has focal length of 35 mm or lower and when you get to 17mm or lower you are talking of Ultra Wide lens, when getting to 8mm or lower, you are talking of Fish eye. For cropped sensor DSLR, use the crop factor to find the exact equivalent focal length by dividing these numbers by crop factor. This has nothing to do with light gathering and all can be equal in that respect say if all have F4 aperture as the largest.


As for real stuff i.e. Macro, I though this might be of use for others too who have never tried macro so started another thread.

Here Is the L I N K.

Enjoy reading and hope this is useful to you.

Welcome to POTN Brian, I enjoy macro photography