Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dslr and lenses

Transition Lenses: SLR to DSLR

yamel — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:10:20 -0800

When is an old camera lens good enough to influence which DSLR body to purchase? I never had an expensive kit, but have one prime lens used on my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 that I quite like. It's identifying marks include Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1,7/50.

So, I went from really liking photography to moving to digital point and shoots and am now ready to move back to enjoying photography with a DSLR. Is this lens, along with a so-so telephoto, enough to influence what to buy? There's so much confusing information about adapters that I'm not quite sure if this is even possible with the lenses I already have.

By the way, I do understand that this would limit me to manual focus. I'm completely comfortable with this unless you can tell me there are other features other than autofocus I'd be missing out on.

Thanks!

Favorite Nikon Macro Lens?

jacksides — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:29:21 -0800

What's your favorite Nikon-compatible macro lens? I'm completely new to macro photography (and still pretty new to photography in general, having purchased my first DSLR a little over a year ago), and I'm leaning towards the Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF, largely because of the price differential between this and some of the other Nikkor macros. Anyone have any great experience with some of the makeshift macro lenses (using extension tubes, reversing rings, etc)?

Decent budget lenses for shooting babies, beautiful scenery, (and maybe) blooms?

DakotaPaul — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:14:06 -0800

Prospective DSLR user ISO decent budget lenses for shooting babies, beautiful scenery, (and maybe) blooms. I plan on purchasing my first digital SLR—a Canon Rebel XT or XTi body—in the next couple weeks, and am going crazy deciding which lenses I need. I've looked at some previous threads here, Philip Greenspun's article on building a digital SLR system, and a few forum topics on photo.net and dpreview.com. Like a poster in a previous thread, I often find conflicting info, and, being new to DSLRs, not exactly sure what I really need to get the good photos I want.

We're expecting our first baby in November, and I'll be shooting the heck out of her. Many shots will be in our home, so I need a good low light performer. We often shoot our cats with a Fujifilm FinePix E550 point-and-shoot, and obviously they're nearly always blurry.

We hike often and I want to take good landscape shots in Yosemite, for example. I love wildflowers and I shoot nearly every species I encounter while hiking. My retired Nikon CoolPix 4500 was excellent for that.

What lens would work for indoor baby shots, landscapes, and maybe running-around-in-the-city shots? These are a few I've come up with:

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, ~$80
Pretty fast, damn cheap. Useful for landscapes? Macros possible? (Something about reversing rings being used?) Good enough quality for 8x10 prints? Would be able to get a macro lens with saved $$$.

Canon EF 35mm f/2, ~$230
Too wide-angle for indoor baby shots? (I've heard about having "no straight lines in your photos".) Fast enough for that indoor use? Macro possible at all? It's cheap enough that I might be able to get a second, cheap macro/telephoto lens soon.

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, ~$400
Again, too wide-angle for indoors? At the limit of my budget for a lens and would have to wait a while on a true macro. But should be nice and fast for indoor shots. Good landscapes?

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM, ~$420
Pretty much same as above? Worth it for the extra half-stop? What other differences between it and the Canon 28/1.8?

I'm sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to all this. Thanks for your help.

What type of lens should I settle on for my DSLR?

tomorama — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:21:05 -0800

I'm going to be purchasing a DSLR camera, and am looking for some input on which lens(es) to purchase. The camera I've decided on is the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I want to get a good quality lens, but am still quite amateur so I don't plan on spending a huge amount of money on expensive lenses. I also have more learning to do before I start dropping cash on glass.

I am going to be doing a wide range of general, day-to-day photography, such as NYC street photos, buildings, and people. I also want to do a good amount of night shooting.

I originally was drawn towards the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM because it's a good, fast lens that will work especially well in low-light and indoor shots. It seems like a good general purpose lens, but I am concerned about getting caught in a situation where I'd like to snap an acceptable landscape or quasi-distant shot, and wouldn't be able to (such as vacation scenery, or shooting down on the street from a window). Given this concern, would it be more beneficial to get a cheap prime lens like the EF 50mm f/1.8 II, and then putting the real cash towards an entry level zoom, perhaps with an image stabilizer? Or should I go with the 50mm f/1.4?

So, what do you photographers think? An experiences with the lenses I've mentioned? Any suggestions for things I haven't thought of? Am I too neurotic/uneducated about the capabilities of a general purpose prime lens.

Best every day dSLR lens and accessories?

geeky — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 07:13:26 -0800

This is a two part question: Which every day lens should I buy for my dSLR, and what other camera accessories should I get? There is I'm going to buy my first dSLR in the next few months. It will definitely be a Canon, mostly likely the 20d. I'm pretty sure I don't want the kit lens, though I'm not sure what to get instead. I'll end up with a variety of lenses eventually, but for now I just want a good every day lens to get me started. Money is not an issue so much as quality. I've been considering the Canon EF-S 17-85mm w/IS. Opinions? Suggestions? Bonus points for example photos. (Yes, I've seen the other related AskMe questions.)

See Flickr for an idea of the kinds of photos I like to take.

And for part two, what other acccessories do I need for my new camera? I will probably get an extra battery and some sort of case, but what else do I need to get me started? Flash, filters, cleaning equipment?