Photographer Oppos

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley)
07/07/2018 at 22:57 • Filed to: None

I recently posted a request recommendations on decent DSLRs in one of my posts. Well, I have procured a Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Not exactly the newest, but hey it was free and I know for a fact, unused. Tips/tricks/gear recommendations?

DISCUSSION (19)

CB > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:03

Tripods are great for shooting at night. Mess with settings to see what works with your shooting style. And, if you enjoy the hobby, a better lens (especially prime lenses) go a long way.

ttyymmnn > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:06

Free is good. Since you didn’t spend any money on the body, go out and buy some good glass, perhaps a fast (f/2.8) midrange zoom. Tamron makes a very nice 17-50mm f/2.8 that I’ve been using for years with great success. Once you begin to specialize in a certain type of photography, then you can think about specialized lenses.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn
07/07/2018 at 23:08

I honestly know nothin about cameras, but it came with a lens that says EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS.

Good? Bad?

ttyymmnn > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:19

That doesn’t look like a 55-250, but I suppose it is if you read it off the lens. That would be a pretty long lens. Tough to take pictures of stuff up close. But it doesn’t look big enough for that in the photo. Regardless, it looks like the “kit” lens, or the one that came with the camera. It’s fine, but nothing special. The “speed” of the lens is the aperture size at a given focal length. The lower the number, the wider the aperture. If it’s a range like 1.4-5.6, that means that it is pretty fast at its shortest zoom, but pretty slow at its longest zoom. A slow lens will have trouble taking pictures indoors or in low light without a flash. Outdoors in the sun, no problem.

Post a picture of the info printed on the lens,

Wacko > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:24

Free means money for lens, battery, case and memory cards.

I’ve got my 18-55 IS lens on most of the time. I have my 55-250 IS too.

wafflesnfalafel > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:30

Nice - my uncle has used a T2 as his primary rig for a number of years. For what it’s worth, my two cents - 1) Take lots of shots, at least 3-4 of any subject (digital “film” is basically free) , 2) get a soft case you can use to carry it around to avoid damage and carry an extra battery, memory card, etc. Otherwise, I honestly have mine in “auto” mode 90% of the time. Being at the right place at the right time is much more important than what gear you have.

Wacko > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:34

Same lens I have

The IS is image stabilization, nice to have when free handing.

Find a 18-55 lens too, and you will have a nice zoom range.

If you want extreme close ups, like one flower you will want a macro lens

Nature pics you want lenses over 300mm

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn
07/07/2018 at 23:37

oh, the lens I mentioned is in the bag I got with it. The one on the camera is the kit lens as you say.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/07/2018 at 23:53

Check out Keh.com for used gear.

A single focal l ength lens like a 35 f/2.0 or 24 f/2.8 will have great quality compared to the zooms you have, and are great teachers. Anything in the range between 24mm to 50mm will work.

Si ngle focal length lenses, or “primes”, are the manual transmission of the lens world. (Not manual focus, as that’s mostly a pain).

ttyymmnn > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
07/07/2018 at 23:56

Another vote for KEH. I bought my first camera body from them, and their service after the sale was top shelf.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > ttyymmnn
07/07/2018 at 23:59

Their rating system makes it very hard to go back to ebay where everything is MINT!!!!

I've bought "bargain" quality stuff from them that looked brand new.

phenotyp > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/08/2018 at 00:02

I’ve always loved Sigma lenses. Like since the 90s. Get fixed focal length lenses (50mm, 80mm, etc), and use the aperture and your feet to focus and zoom.

promoted by the color red > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/08/2018 at 00:44

Get out there and start shooting! It’s the best way to understand how everything works.

Craig Stampfli > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/08/2018 at 01:18

It is a kit lens, something just to get you started with a little reach. It will struggle with low light, and when interest and budget allow, look for lenses with smaller numbers, is 1:2.8 or 1:1.8 etc. For your body, either EF or EF-S mounts will work, EF-M will not.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > ttyymmnn
07/08/2018 at 01:24

I have the same Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. Great starter lens to do any general photography.

Kinja'd!!!

Nom De Plume > wafflesnfalafel
07/08/2018 at 04:12

Wash everything you have taken in staring at automotive photos out of your mind and shoot a ton of something non-product related. Be that your kids or nature or something else it makes no difference. The key here: DO IT WITH ONE LENS! The less time you spend cleaning the sensor or futzing around the better off you will be.

The other half of this is catalog management and color correction. If you shoot 500 photos you want to batch correct as many as possible or sort the good ones out from the get go. One or the other will greatly influence your workflow. Last tip is make multiple copies of one well exposed photo. A ll receiving a different treatment in post production. As you revisit it you’ll notice how much better the finished product gets compared to earlier efforts.

Good luck and don’t neglect learning how to use a flash.

TheStiggyOne > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/08/2018 at 09:51

Yes, lens lens lens.

I started here: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Recommendations.aspx

You can already tell that I mostly take pictures of cars (mine or others) while I am on a driving trip, or cityscapes while I am on my walks. So I just have 1 lens for my Canon 50D, which is the APS-C General Purpose Recommendation from that site: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-f-2.8-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Yes, when both were new the MSRP of that lens was 2x of your camera body, and other lenses are even more than that. But they are well worth it, and here is why I decided on this one.

My settings are pretty simple. Wheel set to Av. Set to f/7.1 if possible; no higher due to sensor limitation, but only go lower if not enough light. Shutter speed is handled by the camera in this mode, and with this lens I can hand-hold even down to 1/25s and still be blur-free. Only after f-stop and shutter speed get unacceptably low, then I up the ISO: up to 800 for mine, mostly 200.

To recap: Av Mode, f/7.1, ISO 200, and see what Shutter Speed the camera is using. If above 1/25s, shoot. If slower, then adjust f-stop. If even f/2.8 is not enough, then adjust ISO. If still not enough, then tripod or similar (I actually do not have a tripod, so I just use the ground or bench or something else; my lens with f/2.8 and IS is still the ultimate in hand-held low light shooting, so I can skip the tripod in all but most extreme cases... plus it will be awkward to carry and deploy on my walks....)

(typed this on mobile on a hotel bed in Nanaimo; camera holding ~100 pics from Port Alberni, Tofino and Old Nanaimo / Harbourside; going to Swartz Bay to meet up with the BMW Club as they come over to for lunch and to visit a private BMW collection, and will take more there)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/08/2018 at 14:00

Ill look into that lens for sure!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > TheStiggyOne
07/11/2018 at 15:51

This is super helpful thanks!