Planning to buy/replace some lens

Hello to all!


I have some trouble deciding on what lens to buy. Here's the deal, I'm on a Rebel body (XS/1000D) and currently have my beloved kit lens and a 50mm f/1.8. I love shooting macro but recently started to take portraits as well. Occasionally, I take indoor parties too of friends and family. I got a limited total budget of around $850. Moreover, I am decided to get a 580EX II for myself and that would already cost me almost half of my budget.


I'm possibly considering a fast, general-purpose, wide to mid-range focal.


I've got some several options in the following order (+ = buy / - = sell):


1.) + 580EX II, + 85 f/1.8, - 50 f/1.8


2.) + 580EX II, + 100 f/2.8 Macro, - 50 f/1.8


3.) + 580EX II, + 17-85 f/4-5.6, - 18-55 f/3.5-5.6


4.) + 580EX II, and save the remaining and wait for additional funds for + 17-55 f/2.8 - 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 - 50 f/1.8


5.) + 580EX II, and save the remaining and wait for additional funds for + 24-105 f/4 - 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 - 50 f/1.8


I hope you can kick some sense into my options.


Thank you in advance.


Angelo

I'd say blow it on a lens and get the flash later. I dunno, a 100mm 2.8 or 135mm f2 sounds good, but so does a 17-55 or 24-70. Your choice, but I suggest go all out for the glass.


-brendan

Don't buy a 580 EXII. Buy a 430 EX II. Do you know what the difference is between these two speedlights?


I don't own either. I have 4 Quantarray 9550s with Canon digital modules. I carry one with me and my wife has one in her kit. We have two as backups. They are less than 100 each. Do they perform as well as the Canon speedlights? No, but they perform good enough to photograph anything I'm taking pictures of. No one has ever said to me, "Wow, your photo would have looked so much better if you had used a 580 EX II. " No one can tell, and no one asks. Light is light, and it all boils down to what you need. Unfortunately Ritz Camera has discontinued the Quantarray speedlights. The good news is Promaster still carries the same model, just rebranded. I highly recommend ... 5750DX


1) twin flash stobe. You can bounce the ceiling and still have an on-axis fill. Two lights in one. Great for perfect friends and family photos.


2) Modular. The flash is two piece. Body and dedicated module. If you break the plastic ears off the module (which of-course is better than ripping the hot shoe off your camera body - that's why it's good not to buy stobes with metal ears) you can replace the module for around 50 bucks rather than replacing the whole flash or paying for reconstructive surgery on the body and flash.


With the 700.00 left, buy a second hand Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and a used EF 100 f2.8 Macro


For 850.00 you'll have a really nice flash with two very capable lenses.

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Originally Posted by bburns223

I'd say blow it on a lens and get the flash later. I dunno, a 100mm 2.8 or 135mm f2 sounds good, but so does a 17-55 or 24-70. Your choice, but I suggest go all out for the glass.


-brendan

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Hi Brendan. Thank you for your suggestion. So, if you were in my shoes you'd be splurging on glass. Hmmm... tempting idea here.

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Originally Posted by Chuck Lee

Don't buy a 580 EXII. Buy a 430 EX II. Do you know what the difference is between these two speedlights?


I don't own either. I have 4 Quantarray 9550s with Canon digital modules. I carry one with me and my wife has one in her kit. We have two as backups. They are less than 100 each. Do they perform as well as the Canon speedlights? No, but they perform good enough to photograph anything I'm taking pictures of. No one has ever said to me, "Wow, your photo would have looked so much better if you had used a 580 EX II. " No one can tell, and no one asks. Light is light, and it all boils down to what you need. Unfortunately Ritz Camera has discontinued the Quantarray speedlights. The good news is Promaster still carries the same model, just rebranded. I highly recommend ... 5750DX


1) twin flash stobe. You can bounce the ceiling and still have an on-axis fill. Two lights in one. Great for perfect friends and family photos.


2) Modular. The flash is two piece. Body and dedicated module. If you break the plastic ears off the module (which of-course is better than ripping the hot shoe off your camera body - that's why it's good not to buy stobes with metal ears) you can replace the module for around 50 bucks rather than replacing the whole flash or paying for reconstructive surgery on the body and flash.


With the 700.00 left, buy a second hand Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and a used EF 100 f2.8 Macro


For 850.00 you'll have a really nice flash with two very capable lenses.

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Hi Chuck! You've got an interesting point though I believe that we don't have Promasters where I live. We've got Nikon, Canon, Sigma, Nissin, Yong Nuo, and Metz. If I'll consider Promaster, I'd be ordering this overseas and I don't think it would be cheaper. I also checked the compatibility chart of the Promaster site for the Rebel body and it's roughly about $300. Maybe I'll consider getting the 430EX.Thank you very much for your input. It is highly appreciated.


- Angelo
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Originally Posted by Chuck Lee

With the 700.00 left, buy a second hand Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and a used EF 100 f2.8 Macro

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By the way, Chuck. I did consider getting the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 but did not include in the options. I'm wondering now why. I guess too much information for one day.


Thank you again.


- Angelo

Another couple of options:


1) Metz mecablitz 58 AF-1 @ $400, TamronAF 17-50mm f/2.8 @ $460


2) Metz mecablitz 58 AF-1 @ $400, TamronAF 28-75mm f/2.8 @ $460


The Metz has approx. same power as 580EXII. Shootsmarter.com recommends it over the canon.


Both Tamron lenses are sharp and close focusing. The 28-75 may be better for portraits but does not go wide enough for most people on a crop camera body(your rebel). The butterfly below was shot with a Rebel XT(8mp), 28-75 at 75 and a 580EX.


Mark


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.24.67/IMG_5F00_0020b.jpg[/img]

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Originally Posted by clemmb

Another couple of options:


1) Metz mecablitz 58 AF-1 @ $400, TamronAF 17-50mm f/2.8 @ $460


2) Metz mecablitz 58 AF-1 @ $400, TamronAF 28-75mm f/2.8 @ $460


The Metz has approx. same power as 580EXII. Shootsmarter.com recommends it over the canon.


Mark

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Hi Mark! Thank you for your suggestions. I'll look into these Metz flashes. Nice butterfly photo too by the way. I like the saturation of the colors.


- Angelo

I'm going to have to agree with Chuck Lee, in asking yourself if you really need the 580EX II. Personally, I have one of these lights, and I'm in love with it, but I do weddings, and when I do an indoor wedding, I NEED to have an external flash for indoor weddings, and I NEED to be able to take pictures quickly, and never worry about the flash being charged.


The 580EX II will take 4-6 (6 when lucky) flashes a second. That's impressive. Do you need that? At the price of half a grand, it's a healthy investment.


However Ido notsuggest that youNOT get an external flash all together. Even if you go with the 270EX, or another brand that's even cheaper, definitely get one. Just make sure you can angle the flash upwards to use bounce lighting. That is why I say you shouldn't skip getting one. External flashes do wonders for your pictures. Bouncing light off the ceiling gets rid of red eye, back shadows (which are horrible IMO), and also gives more even lighting. They will also recycle much quicker than your built in flash.


When doing portraits, or anything indoors, a speedlite is invaluable, definitely get one, you'll be happy you did!


So, if you save your money there, then you can still get a nice piece of glass :) The EF-S 17-55mm is also in my bag. An external flash, plus that lens will give you a phenominal combination. You're picture's quality will definitely show improvement!


The 24-105 is another tempting idea. Even though it's a smaller f stop, you'll probably get better background blur when zoomed in. My only thought here, is that if you are indoors, that extra wideness of the 17 might be a benefit. The 2.8 aperture doesn't hurt either.


Keep in mind that when you are using an external flash, you have room to play with on your apterture, so if it's a dimly lit area, but you have a speedlite, you'll be able to use a smaller aperture most of the time, because you can increase your shutter speed more than you might think.


Hope I didn't throw too much at you, but that's what I can tell you from my experience.

Hi LoneSierra! Thank you for your reply and additional input.


As you've said, when shooting indoors, having an external flash is invaluable. As I am planning to shoot some event indoors, I do need one. But as to which, at the moment I'm really torn between the 580EX II and the 430EX II even though previously I was determined to get the 580.


I am hoping to get more events to shoot with this flash.


Over the past few days, I was thinking of just getting the 430 instead of the 580 and get some decent glass that would still fit the budget. It seems to feel like when I was deciding what body to get (1000D vs 450D).


I think the 430 would be better than the 270EX?

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Originally Posted by MrGreenBug

I think the 430 would be better than the 270EX?

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Yes, definitely. More power, faster recharges (4 batteries vs. 2), ability to swivel, and down the road if you get a 580EX II (or move to a 7D as I did), you can wirelessly control the 430EX II (but not the 270EX). But IMO the biggest difference is that the 430EX II provides a dedicated (red/IR) AF assist lamp, whereas the AF assist with the 270EX is just a series of strobe flashes, the same as the pop-up flash.

Hmm.. I should have the topic as "580 or 430???" rather that the original topic title. Silly me.


So is it wiser to get a 430 now and some lens that will fit the remainder of my budget or just get the 580 now or just lens. I'm leaning on getting a flash right now as I would be taking a not so biggie birthday party soon.


Thank you nueroanotomist for added information about the 430EX II.

Hey Angelo,


I'm a not so regular user of the flash so I bought the 430. For me it works pretty good with macro, but I've also did some bouncing onto a large group of more than 40 persons and it it works perfectly for the occasion. I think the 430 is a great piece of machinery and really I see the 580 as just a little bit better, but not really a necessity. At least I couldn't think of anything why I needed the 580 power.


I think you're better of now with a 430 and spare some cash for a better lens.


Jan

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Originally Posted by Sheiky

At least I couldn't think of anything why I needed the 580 power.

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I think the main reasons for wanting a 580EX II over the 430EX II would be the weather-sealing, to wirelessly control other flashes, and also the extra power would be an advantage when using light modifiers like a RayFlash for portraits or a Better Beamer for wildlife shots with a long lens.


But I'm perfectly happy with my 430EX II! [:)]

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

But I'm perfectly happy with my 430EX II! [img]/emoticons/emotion-1.gif[/img]

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Me too![:D]

Thanks Jan for your input. I really appreciate very much. After so much head banging &amp; twisting.. I decided to get myself the 580EX II for the reasons of power and being able to be set as a master. I though it would be worth the investment and additionally, I thought that I can borrow easier the 430EX II from friends in case I'd be needing more than one flash. [:)]


Moreover, I can push myself learning with the new flash and maybe expand more the capabilities of my kit lens. I maybe way out of my head.


Did have a chance to use it right after purchase this afternoon for a little shoot. We needed some good photos for an invitation we're making. I was scrambling with the new flash. Used it as is, though I adjusted some FEC from the body and it was a breeze.


Here's a sample result of the shoot this afternoon:


50mm 1.8 at 50mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 200


http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7nO3EBpvAsc/S6...0/IMG_0022.jpg


50mm 1.8 at 50mm, f/2.8, 1/180 sec, ISO 200


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7nO3EBpvAsc/S6...0/IMG_0086.jpg


Still learning.. as the photos show.. different color casts..

Nice photos Angelo!


Well I guess you made a good decision and you'll be happy with it. [:D]

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Originally Posted by MrGreenBug

Still learning.. as the photos show.. different color casts..

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You could use color-filters to adjust that. I use them pretty often, also for the cool and also experimenting effect.


Pretty much like this:


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.34.48/13_2D00_Corine-en-Juul-Schmink-128_2D00_Edit.jpg[/img]


I used Honl Photo colorfilters for the rimflash. I used a normal lamp for the headlight and converted my whitebalance to that.


Well you're into experimenting so I guess I just mention that [;)]


Have fun with it!

I love the makeup!

Fantastic example! Thanks Sheiky for your advise. I'll check that out.. for the mean time its the manual for me. [:D] And I'm sure I'll be having lots of fun with it.


-- Angelo

Thank you both [:D] I have to advantage that my little sister is into make up and grime so I get the opportunity to take shots of maked-up faces like this. It gives me another try at using my flash experimentally. Probably not the best lighting there is, but I just like the little effects. These are the color filters(cheap stuff) I put on my flash(they bend over it and stick in place with stuff I don't know the English word for[;)]):


http://www.fruityview.nl/tdp/filters.jpg

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Originally Posted by MrGreenBug

for the mean time its the manual for me. [img]/emoticons/emotion-2.gif[/img] And I'm sure I'll be having lots of fun with it.

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I'm looking forward to the results!