Silverfox Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 My sister has the newer 18-55mm lens, which still has far too much play in it. Take a few thousand pictures, and the lens gets worse very quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comp Dude2 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Well obviously the 50mm is going to be sharp, it is a PRIME after all, some have even said it is sharper than a 24-70L f/4. Imo the kit lens isnt that bad at all, certainly better than the 400d kit lens, but you should still stop it down as far as you can afford to with the light, which is not far in the UK but prolly alot better in the US (depends where again) The 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens which i just got recently and would recommend you get one, however i thought it was a better idea to get a long zoom first, rather than limiting myself to 55mm. Suppose it just depends on what you are shooting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Well obviously the 50mm is going to be sharp, it is a PRIME after all, some have even said it is sharper than a 24-70L f/4. Imo the kit lens isnt that bad at all, certainly better than the 400d kit lens, but you should still stop it down as far as you can afford to with the light, which is not far in the UK but prolly alot better in the US (depends where again) The 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens which i just got recently and would recommend you get one, however i thought it was a better idea to get a long zoom first, rather than limiting myself to 55mm. Suppose it just depends on what you are shooting. The 50mm is superb. I got one at christmas (just remember that unless you have a full sized sensor, the multiplier of 1.6x makes the 50mm an 80mm in reality), but as I have noticed along with many others with eagle eyes, it suffers from the inability to focus on the correct target at f/1.8 indoors all the time - very hit and miss. It also suffers from green 'outlining' when used outdoors on JPEG mode (not tried RAW yet). Some people reckon it is the UV filter, but I don't use one on mine, as the reflection against the sensor can be disruptive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comp Dude2 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Not sure about this green outlining, i've taken a bunch of shots outdoor (of plants and people) and havent noticed, I dont use a filter because of the glare they introduce but always shoot RAW and it seems fine. Don't really know why you wouldn't shoot raw unless you didnt have the HDD space (because it's not uncommon to take a fair short set of shots and then load 0.5Gb or more onto the computer) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Not sure about this green outlining, i've taken a bunch of shots outdoor (of plants and people) and havent noticed, I dont use a filter because of the glare they introduce but always shoot RAW and it seems fine. Don't really know why you wouldn't shoot raw unless you didnt have the HDD space (because it's not uncommon to take a fair short set of shots and then load 0.5Gb or more onto the computer) I sent one lens back as I wasn't happy with it. The replacement was the same, but fair play to Amazon not doubting me and happy to replace. A quick google search returns plenty of people with the same issue. There are a few valid reasons I prefer not to use RAW. Firstly, it greatly reduces the number of shots that can be cached. I have a 4GB card and that isn't the issue - save time is. Also, I get fed up of the processing time and the conversion required whenever I need to send photos to anyone. Time is money. Finally, for most shots on the whole, the difference between JPEG fine and RAW isn't stellar - particularly if you are using good optics and have the camera set up correctly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comp Dude2 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Maybe, but my 450d will take 10 raw's in a row which is plenty in most cases. It might take longer to process but getting the WB spot on is so easy with raw. I left the WB on the wrong setting once in a restaurant and got nothing but blue shots, cured in seconds with a push of the slider and you'd never know anything was wrong. I'm sure you can do something similar with jpegs but i found it alot harder to make even slight changes and still end up with natural tones. Imo you should try it, especially for outdoor shots that could do with a slight warming up. Anyway, totally off topic. .......The reason i chose the 450d (or Xsi i think?) is canon and nikon are the biggest manufacturers and that means you can get loads of stuff for them, lens, flashes etc will all be built with a canon and nikon mount first. And the reason i didnt go Nikon was again expandability, anything below the D80 doesnt have a build in focus motor meaning you are limited to newer, slightly more expensive AF-S lens which i didnt like. Also the noise handling is marginally better on the canons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 10 RAW in drive mode sounds optimistic. I guess you need a high-speed card, because the 450D my sister has struggles with 10 shots on JPEG Fine, using a supposed 'high-speed' card. White balance has never been an issue on my 350D (or the 450D for that matter). It's far easier to under/over expose than go changing the file format/compression anyway - just a roll of the wheel! It's all totally subjective to the conditions really. Indoor, the 50mm is useless without a dedicated flashgun (which uses infrared). I'm just not willing to lay out the cash for one right now and make do with moving to 8 feet from my target and underexposing by 0.6 - 1 stop to compensate for the burning on-board flash. As for the Nikon, you are spot on. Nothing below the D80 is really worth having in my opinion. My dad has the D80 and while it was always a bit more than the Canon, it feels miles better to me. I'm sticking with Canon for now though, as there are much more 2nd hand lenses kicking about than Nikon (seeing as most people purchased the D40/60 etc). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Propane Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 My sister has the newer 18-55mm lens, which still has far too much play in it. Take a few thousand pictures, and the lens gets worse very quickly. eh, Ive taken over 4000 pictures in 6 months with that lens and its still holding up quite well. Obviously its not the best, but it is 100 dollars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 eh, Ive taken over 4000 pictures in 6 months with that lens and its still holding up quite well. Obviously its not the best, but it is 100 dollars. Sure, but for me, it just won't do. The lateral play has totally ruined some of my photos, particularly when I went to New York and I was very upset. My 18-55 doesn't even get used any more as it is that bad! It was never the optics ... just the dangerous recoil on the shutter release. Now it is the 50mm or the 50-200mm; usually the former. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_lag Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Thanks to all the replies so far! I was looking around for some good deals on cameras, and I came up with the one here: Nikon D80 Kit w/AF-S 18-55 DX and AF-S55-200 f/4.0-5.6 G VR DX IF-ED It's slightly over my budget, but I could probably swing it. What are you're thoughts about this camera? It was pretty well received on dpreview.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 In my opinion as a Canon owner and user, the D80 is miles better than the 450D for sure. Go for it and never look back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markiemrboo Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Yep. Happy with my D80. Like Mr Fox said, buy and have fun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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