After kit lens what next?

Hi

I just recently got into photography (t2i) and I have been playing with the kit lens but I just do not see many wow pictures yet. At some point with the right amount of light I may get lucky but for the most part the pictures are "average".

From talking to few colleagues that are into photography they have given me different ideas. I am debating between a

- Nifty fifty (great light effect, no zoom)
-Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL Aspherical (IF) (good zoom range with decent apperture)
- Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens as a good walkaround lens with plenty of zoom, but the aperture is sacrificed

I guess it all depends for what I use them for. I have notices that I may rarely need to have a high zoom, and I already have a telephoto lens, so maybe the sigma is out.

So the debate is should I go to the prime lens or would the Tamron give me a good light and still have the zoom capability. How much better would pictures come out with the prime lens? We are talking about pictures around the house, in the yard, around town.

Thanks,

keano016 wrote in post #11497669
Hi

I just recently got into photography (t2i) and I have been playing with the kit lens but I just do not see many wow pictures yet. At some point with the right amount of light I may get lucky but for the most part the pictures are "average".

From talking to few colleagues that are into photography they have given me different ideas. I am debating between a

- Nifty fifty (great light effect, no zoom)
-Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL Aspherical (IF) (good zoom range with decent apperture)
- Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens as a good walkaround lens with plenty of zoom, but the aperture is sacrificed

I guess it all depends for what I use them for. I have notices that I may rarely need to have a high zoom, and I already have a telephoto lens, so maybe the sigma is out.

So the debate is should I go to the prime lens or would the Tamron give me a good light and still have the zoom capability. How much better would pictures come out with the prime lens? We are talking about pictures around the house, in the yard, around town.

Thanks,

if you already have a telephoto zoom (55-250IS ?) my vote would be for the 50mm 1.8 or a Sigma 30mm 1.4 or maybe an external flash

well i have a t2i and got it mainly for sports... however..

you can get good pics with the 18-55 IS.. so now i have a question only because i was there..

what mode are you shooting in?
i started off in the gree box.. yeah auto... and it woud AF on anything but what i wanted it to...
so then i started using that to get my settings and going to M which was still a fail as I didnt understand the whats and why.....

i have the 18-55 IS and 85 f/1.8 when we went to see santa locally... the 85mm didnt give me the room i needed as space was tight.... so i put the kit lens on.. and it did EXTREMELY WELL...

now while the pics are good... my newbyishness pics still look 10x better with a little photoshop adjustments.... sharpen, tone, contrast, levels.....

now i have a 24-105L and wont trade it... im going to use it tonight... basically going to go to 24mm and find a seat that it covers...

equipment can take great pics in general.. it is the user that makes the pic.... you can give me the best camera/lens on the market and put me against the guys up here that do this for a living.. and their pics will be better...i may get that one in a lifetime betters hot but they will destroy me....

keano016 wrote in post #11497669
Hi

I just recently got into photography (t2i) and I have been playing with the kit lens but I just do not see many wow pictures yet. At some point with the right amount of light I may get lucky but for the most part the pictures are "average".

oh yeah... also pics of said non wow or get lucky pics???

TeleFragger wrote in post #11497757
what mode are you shooting in?

I have been experimenting with the manual mode, but mostly I do either semi auto or full auto.

keano016 wrote in post #11497991
I have been experimenting with the manual mode, but mostly I do either semi auto or full auto.

dont forget... put the dot to the eye to focus on... that is what i have been doing...

M definitely takes time... at least Av-Tv and so.. you set 1 or 2 things.. camera balances out the others.... in M you have to have them ALL....

I still would like to know how much better pictures could come out from the nifty fifty compared to the Tamron at 2.8f continuous.

The nifty fifty is the way forward - cheap, cheerful and capable of producing some exceptional images. It does take a bit of getting used tobut the end result is well worth it.

Don't expect WOW photos without a lot of practice or luck. Shooting in Auto or P will more than likely not get you to better photos any time soon. Learning how to properly expose and compose images is a real challenge, at least for me. It takes patience and practice. It also takes familiarity with your gear.

I learned this the hard way but:
Buying newer, more expensive lenses will not get you the pictures you want. It can help, but it won't solve the problems of exposure and composition that separate professionals from hobbyists.

I recommend sticking with the kit lens, it is very capable of producing WOW photos (just search this forum if you don't believe me). If you must buy a new lens, the 50mm 1.8 or the 55-250mm IS is the next logical step. They are cheap, and will give you a lot of options.

Also, I do not recommend SUPER ZOOMS. That is, 18-200 or 18-250 or 18-270 or 10-500 etc. I went that route and regretted it. I thought I wanted a one-size-fits-all lens (for travel, hiking, etc.) but I outgrew the image quality very fast.

There are hundreds of "kit lens upgrade" threads. So I would peruse through some and find out what worked for others. Keep practicing and the wow photos will come...at least that's what I'm telling myself!

keano016 wrote in post #11497669
Hi

I just recently got into photography (t2i) and I have been playing with the kit lens but I just do not see many wow pictures yet. At some point with the right amount of light I may get lucky but for the most part the pictures are "average".

Honestly, and I'm making an asumption here... It sounds like what you are describing is that your photos look like "snapshots" If that is the case, I would concentrate more on composttion, and some of the creative features in your camera ( shutter speed, aperture, exposure compesation, ISO, etc.) trust me, the WOW photos are more about the photographer than the gear. I didn't believe this when I started until a friend & mentor of mine shot together... He used a point & shoot & I used the DSLR setup. To make a long story short, he blew me away & I decided to learn a lot more about what I had before I bought anything else...

keano016 wrote in post #11497669
I just recently got into photography (t2i) and I have been playing with the kit lens but I just do not see many wow pictures yet. At some point with the right amount of light I may get lucky but for the most part the pictures are "average".

Before spending money on a new lens, it would be wise to establish that a new lens would help.

I'm dubious.

Let's see some of these average shots and see where any problem may lie.

+1 the last three comments. Buying a new lens is very unlikely to solve your problem. If you read the reviews, you will see that the kit lens is remarkably good for the price. I'm not convinced that 2 of the 3 you mention are better at all, but I don't think you will notice much difference even buying a substantially better lens. What beginners almost always need is lots of practice and learning, which means studying--learning about composition, lighting, exposure, depth of field, choice of field of view, etc. And then there is the other side, which is learning how to process the images--correcting white balance, adjusting contrast, sharpening, yada yada. For most people, learning these things is BY FAR the biggest improvement in their photos, followed distantly by lenses, and least by camera bodies.

The suggestion that you post some images is a good one. People can chime in with suggestions, and you can try some to see which you like.

I posted this question about 50 different ways when I got my T2i last month and from all the pieces of advice I received (the people here are awesome and amazingly patient), here are the most important ones (IMO):

1) you have a great starter lens (I also got the 55-250 for free when I got my T2i, I know you said you have a zoom lens but I'm not sure if you got this lens or not)...go take pictures, have fun, and then decide at what distance you do most of your shooting...this will give you an idea of what type of lens you need...a better lens doesn't make a better picture (they stressed this one over and over)

2) get a flash...I have a Canon 420ex (old model) left over from my Elan 7 and I was astounded by the difference having a decent 'external' flash can make. Once you have it, learn to use it (and I learned quick to not point it straight at your subject)...once you learn how to use it you will look at some of your old photos and realize how many 'ugly' shadows there were.

3) I recommend getting a couple books in order to learn your camera and how to take quality photographs: a) Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Revell) and b) Understanding Exposure (Peterson) are two I recommend. After reading these books you will never go back to that little green box mode again...I just got my T2i last month and already realize the importance of Av and Tv modes...so much better photos and I'm just learning how to use those two modes

Again, keep shooting, get a flash, learn your camera, understand what makes a great photo, don't judge your photos too harshly, and have fun!!

This is just a small amount of what I've learned from these guys/ladies over the past month!!!

TripleB

If you haven't purchased and read Understanding Exposure it's a lot less expensive than a new lens. Amazon has it. Your local library may as well.

sounds like all pretty solid advice above, but if you're still set on buying gear right away, I vote for the tamron 17-50. I love it and found it to be a huge improvement over the kit lens for everyday shots.