Lens discussion from another thread.

Noordhoek for a wedding - staying with friends in Stellenbosch. Then Jozi for a few days.
Hope you're having a blast :D

Not really difficult :), Canon's biggest crime is the quality of their entry level kit lens. It really makes sense to buy a body and lens separately. The Sigmas are pretty nice.
You know something - I've been using it a lot these past few days and I'm glad I gave it another chance. I've even rearranged everything else in my bag to make room for it again.
The bustling metropolis of East London.
The suburb of PE? Perhaps I should go check it out. :)
 
Some feedback on the 24-105L.

So I was at the wedding on Saturday night. Took the camera with me. I encountered two problems:

1. The lens got in the way of the built-in flash (I don't have a separate flash yet). Right in the middle at the bottom of every picture is the shadow of the lens.

2. f/4 really wasn't enough. Even at 1600 ISO, f/4 and IS enabled, most of my shots came out slightly blurred because the shutter speeds set by the camera (in Av mode) was just too low. The light wasn't really that low, the official wedding photographer had a 5D and a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I don't think I ever saw her using a flash (the pictures remains to be seen though). Another guest had the same lens on a (I think) 300D and on the few occasions that I caught them chimping their pictures looked nicely exposed.

Speaking of the built in flash, why, when I'm in Av mode, and I hit the flash button, do the camera ignore the fact that the flash is up? I would have thought it would take that into account and adjust the shutter accordingly?
 
Speaking of the built in flash, why, when I'm in Av mode, and I hit the flash button, do the camera ignore the fact that the flash is up? I would have thought it would take that into account and adjust the shutter accordingly?

I don't think it's ignoring it. It is syncing, isn't it? In low light it keeps the shutter open for longer to get in the light in the background, no? I think there is a name for this. I don't no much about this

EDIT: On my 300d it's called "Night Protrait".


???
 
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I'm not sure that's what's happening. Your explanation makes sense but the delay is too long. It's as long as it would have been without shutter. Generally when this happens I switch to manual mode, keep the same aperture, drop ISO to 100 or 200 and set the shutter time to 125 - gives acceptable results (once I get a lens that's not in the way of the flash or a dedicated flash gun I'll experiment more..). The shutter times I'm getting in Av mode is several seconds if I drop the ISO.
 
2. f/4 really wasn't enough. Even at 1600 ISO, f/4 and IS enabled, most of my shots came out slightly blurred because the shutter speeds set by the camera (in Av mode) was just too low. The light wasn't really that low, the official wedding photographer had a 5D and a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I don't think I ever saw her using a flash (the pictures remains to be seen though). Another guest had the same lens on a (I think) 300D and on the few occasions that I caught them chimping their pictures looked nicely exposed.
Somebody should have suggested the 50mm f/1.8 . . . . :p
Speaking of the built in flash, why, when I'm in Av mode, and I hit the flash button, do the camera ignore the fact that the flash is up? I would have thought it would take that into account and adjust the shutter accordingly?
In Av (and Tv ) it becomes a fill flash
 
If the one in the shop wasn't non-functional, I would have been the proud owner :)
So whats stopping you? If you've got a fistfull of £'s it might even cost you slightly less here as compared to UK high street prices. :)
 
..... Canon 18-55 kit lens discussion cont...

You know something - I've been using it a lot these past few days and I'm glad I gave it another chance. I've even rearranged everything else in my bag to make room for it again.

I've just been reading about the new IS version of the lens... I had to smile at this:
Canon’s older non-IS 18-55mm was never really considered a paragon of build quality, and the new lens comes from almost literally the same mould. Pretty well all of the visible structure of the lens barrel, including the mount, is made from plastic, with a new faux Mg-alloy texture applied to the surface, in contrast to the smooth finish of the old kit lens. The manual focus ring feels especially cheap, with just a slim serrated plastic grip which rotates the whole of the front lens assembly wholesale. It’s a purely functional design in which usability has been sacrificed in order to keep construction costs to an absolute minimum; however Canon have been building their entry-level kit lenses in much this way since 1991, and it doesn’t seem to have driven them out of business quite yet.
http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_18-55_3p5-5p6_is_c16/page2.asp
 
..... Canon 18-55 kit lens discussion cont...



I've just been reading about the new IS version of the lens... I had to smile at this:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_18-55_3p5-5p6_is_c16/page2.asp
I guess its true isnt it. :) I've found that I get a some lens distortion at the wide angle end of the scale but if I dont like it - and sometimes I do - then its no effort in photoshop to sort it out. The 18mm is really hand to have at times and my camera budget is all but blown for now so getting something else is out of the qn. :o
 
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