Camera Lens

[James Weatherman]

I have a quick question for those of you that take a lot of photos of storms and have more experience at it then what I do. I am looking at lenses for my Canon Rebel EOS 2000. It is not the greatest or the newest but what I have at this time and can really afford to keep using for a while (also have a Sony Digital camera that works good). The question I have is with this camera if you had to pick what type of lens would be best to start out with a telephoto, wide angle or super telephoto. Also does anyone know about lense from Kenko. I see some cheaper kits for super telephoto lenses for different cameras on Amazon but have never really hear anyone say anything about them.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I'd definitely start out with a wide angle. I have a 17-85mm on my camera, and it works great for getting storm structure.

 

[Patrick Martin]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the EOS 2000 (35mm film) an EF mount only? An EF-S lens (like the 17-85) will not work on that camera. James, what lenses do you have now for that camera? You could consider a 28-135IS (can be had used for $250) or to keep it cheaper could go with the Canon 28-105 (for under $150). Both are EF mounts and will give you wide-ish equivalent but also some zoom. I've not used Kenko lenses and don't know anything about them, but for an EF mount, it's going to be pricey for a wide angle lens of any quality wider than 28.

 

[James Weatherman]

Looking at the lens it is 35mm~80.

Thanks for the input from both of you. I was thinking of doing the Wide Angle first and yes they are pretty high dollar.

 

[James Weatherman]

I have another question. Do any of you use or know anyone that uses Sony Sigma A camera?

 

[Greg Campbell]

I suppose we need to ask the age-old question: "How much do you want to spend?"

As suggested wide zooms are mighty handy for shooting storm structure.

On a budget, the Tamron 19-35mm zoom gets decent reviews and won't break the bank. There's also a Vivitar Series 1 19~35 that should be good. (They just might be the exact same lens with different branding.) Both are a little slow, running from f3.5~4.5, depending on zoom setting. There's also a genuine Canon 20~35 with similar speed.

If you've got a bigger pile of moolah, you can buy a used Canon F2.8 L lens for around 500 bucks.

Poke around KEH to get a feel for the prices. They're a bit spendy, but offer pre-inspected, guaranteed gear. Fleabay is cheaper but you're on your own. You might also check the for-sale sections at Fred Miranda, Photo Net, etc.

If it turns out you've got a 24~85mm, you're not doing too badly as-is. 24mm is pretty useful. You might start looking at the ~17mm fixed-FL lenses out there.

 

[Olivier Staiger]

go for a prime lens, not a zoom.

the prime lens is cheaper in price, but better in quality, and faster. Faster means you can open up to a lower f stop, so you can shoot in low light conditions better.

read this

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/best_canon_eos_lenses.html

there are some excellent lenses at low cost ... prime lenses.

wide angle , look at the 24mm f/2.8

look at the 35mm f/2

look at the 50mm f/1.4

tele, look at the 85mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2

read the reviews about these lenses on bobatkins.com and also here

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=2&stype=1&si=&perpage=24&sort=5&cat=2&ppuser=


very good value, affordable lenses, much better quality than a zoom for the same cost.

when stormchasing you often get in dark situations so it helps to be able to shoot at f/2 rather than f/4.5 .

the 24mm and 35mm are rated 8.7 or 8.8 but that value is pulled down because the review includes the build quality and the noise of the autofocus. The optical quality is much better than that averaged rating. Some people dislike the noise of the autofocus on these elder lenses. I don't mind at all, it sounds like the engine on a Ferrari, it ads character to the lens. And the sharpness is awesome.

and one more advantage on these prime lenses... because they are so fast you can also use them for shooting meteors at night ( perseids, leonids, geminids )