Newbie..zooming question

[keller]

Thank you so much everyone for your help. I love the canon 450D, but goodness there is just a lot to learn.


keller

[Bill W]

Keller, to be honest, it sounds to me that you'd be happier w/a super zoom camera, (e.g. Canon PowerShot SX10 IS) than a DSLR.


It gives you a lens equivalent of 28mm to 560mm....plenty of range for that huddle.


I'm assuming you haven't had the DSLR for long, so I would return it in exchange for SX10 that costs about $340. A very cheap way of getting that 550mm mentioned earlier in this thread.


Canon SX10 IS Features

• 10 Megapixel resolution with 20x Optical zoom
• Wide-angle to telephoto lens & Optical Image Stabilization
• A superzoom lens with a focal length of 5.0-100mm (35mm film equivalent: 28-560mm)
• Latest Canon DIGIC 4 processor with improved face detection
• A flip-out vari-angle 2.5 inch LCD for flexible viewing
• Electronic view finder for those sunny days when you can’t see the LCD image
• Face Self-Timer - automatically detects increase in number of faces and makes adjustments
• MovieSnap - lets you capture high-res images while shooting videos
• Takes SD/SDHC cards and AA batteries

I started off in digital photography w/an earlier version (SX3) of this camera and captured some nice soccer match pictures while remaining in the stands and using the 10x power.


Just a thought that may be a viable solution for you.


Good luck


Bill

[TimT]

The problem with recommending lenses is that to do it right you need to know some things about the shooter: How much they want to spend? How important is image quality? What kinds of shots they like. A pro puts a premium on getting the best shot -- and the best lens. But what about someone who wants to do family shots and won't ever make prints bigger than 5x7.


Keller is using a kit 18-55 lens that he will probably outgrow in a few years. But for now he's not seeing a problem with it. He might notice a slight difference in his shots if he got a 70-200 L -- and he might not. He may not want to spend a bunch of bucks right now. He may not want to get into collecting a lot of lenses yet. We don't really know.


If I wanted to get a zoom that could get in close at the soccer games and do good family shots, I think I might go a slightly different route than anyone has mentioned. The 70-300 IS would do a good job with getting in close, especially with the crop factor of his camera. It costs a bit more than the 55-250 but it has image stabilization and is a bit better in terms of quality. The 70-300 IS is a nice lens for the money. But Keller will still have to switch lenses.


If he doesn't want to do that, he might try the Tamron 18-270 VC. He ends up with one lens that covers almost the same ground as the 18-55 and the 70-300 together -- and he can sell his kit lens. The Tamron is about the same cost as the Canon 70-300 -- and I believe the quality is close. It's also got a very nice image stabilization. But he doesn't have to switch lenses because the Tamron has a 15x zoom.


After Keller gets a clearer sense of what he wants out of photography, he can decide if he wants to spring for one of the Canon 70-200s and see what a great lens can do. In the mean time, he may want to consider getting a fast prime lens for indoor family shots -- something in the 28-35mm range. He could learn a lot with either the Canon 35mm f2 or the Sigma 30mm f1.4.