Photography help?

[andnowimbroke]

Hi I wouldn't avoid Sigma and Tamron lenses all together. Yes, some have issues, but generally speaking they are a good value for us regular folks If you do want Canon lenses, I'd keep an eye on refurbished lenses at the Canon Store's website. Adorama also has a refreshed list of refurbs from time to time (use the link on this Site when making purchases to support TDP). There are all kinds of ways to turn a lens into a macro going from really cheap (think it's a cannon 550 filter) to a hundred or so (kenko extension tubes). An original Canon 100mm macro is nice, but the price starts going up to a few hundred for that. Keep asking questions and I'm sure others will answer.
Edit: Speaking of Adorama, Mark Wallace had just done a video on their Site about shooting in "P" mode. It talks a lot about the different looks you get with shutter speed and aperture. It would be worth a view if you get confused with it.