Lowest F stop???

I am learning my new eos and am trying ot blur the background. I try to set the AV mode to the lowest f stop, which ends up being 5.6. Is this the lowest f stop for this camera??

Depends on the lens. Check the f-stop range, the low number is the maximum aperture at the low end of the zoom, and the high number is the maximum aperture at the high end of the zoom. If you are using the kit lens 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, it's f/3.5 max at 18mm, and f/5.6 max at 55mm.

Thanks..that makes sense. Learning a little at a time.

What you need is a 50mm f/1.8 lens, nice low cost lens with a really low f-stop. I find it great fro bluring out backgrounds.

The kit lens doesn't blur backgrounds very well - you need a faster lens - eg the 50mm F1.8, which is cheap and good.

Would the 50mm f/1.8 be a good next lens?? I basically take photos of family and family functions. Or would a telephoto be better??

For the $$$ it is a top lens, I use it mainly for portrait work, however it is also great for low light situations as well. I find I use mine more than my tele-zoom (75-300IS).

Now if only I could get a zoom that bright and that sharp!

Yup, get the 50 f/1.8. Its a great learning lens as it lets you do things a kit zoom won't as well as see how good optics can get.

The 24 f/2.8, 28 f/2.8, 35 f/2 and 85 f/1.8 are all fantastic quality lenses as well. Any of them would be as good to practice on, the 50 just happens to be the cheapest.

Actually when I got my first SLR, a 50mm f/1.8 was all I used for at least 6 months, even then I only added a 135mm f/2.8 to the mix, zooms for me were still a couple of years down the track.

How large would the filter be for a F1.8 300mm len? The size of a basketball hoop?

tim wrote:
How large would the filter be for a F1.8 300mm len? The size of a basketball hoop?

Here's a start...the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 takes a 105mm filter, or about 4". I''l let u do the math from there.

Dollar for Dollar, the 50mm F/1.8 is the best bang for the buck out of ALL the lenses you could choose. JMHO.
-Bruce

I use my 50mm 1.8 anytime I'm shooting indoors. It's amazing how a large aperture can brighten up a dull scene without a flash or a shutter speed that requires a tripod.

The 50mm is definitely a great lens to have in the bag, and for $75 it can't be beat. However, I find it a little long for family function type pics because of the 1.6x factor, so it gives you the field of view of an 80mm, about the same as your kit lens at full zoom. I've been contemplating a 28mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2 for those types of pics, but I haven't been as impressed with the sharpness from either of those Canon lenses compared with the 50mm f/1.8.

tim wrote:
How large would the filter be for a F1.8 300mm len? The size of a basketball hoop?

300/1.8 = 166mm
Scott