Help

[Maloyraju]

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Hi
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]I need wise suggestions about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="color: red;"]Lens[/b].
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Who I&rsquo;m? A simple Theatre Arts Teacher.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]So, keep in mind I&rsquo;m not a Photographer but I like lovely photographs.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][I like to take the pictures of Landscape, Architectures, Flowers, Animals, Ants, Mountain, Sea-side, Portraits, Stage performance, Night city life etc. I don&rsquo;t like to take sports photographs.]
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Just few months back I bought <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="color: blue;"]Canon 350D with EF-S18-55 lens[/b]<span style="color: blue;"]. <span style="color: red;"][Remember the lens is not 18-55 II or IS/USM, and this is my 1^st Digital Camera], and after a month I bought <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="color: blue;"]Canon EF-S 55-250 IS[/b]. I&rsquo;m happy with both the lenses.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</o>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]Then what&rsquo;s the problem? <o></o>[/b]
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Yes, I want to share with you.

1. <li style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]The main problem I can&rsquo;t <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]focus[/b]<span style="font-size: small;"] properly any small subject manually and auto-focus time lens move horribly. [I have an old Nikon FM and the manual Nikkor lens, manually I focused nicely. Because there is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]focusing line[/b], when I focus any object that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]line merge[/b] and I&rsquo;m habituated of that.] Can I get that kind of lens and fix on my Canon 350D?
   <li style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]Transit moment of sunset and darkness time I got some picture background is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]blue coloured[/b]<span style="font-size: small;"]. [For your information I took the picture opposite side of the sunset direction. I used 18-55 lens and hand hold [I don&rsquo;t like tripod]. Should I need to buy Canon 18-55 with IS?

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" oreferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f" id="_x0000_t75"]<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"]</v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"]</v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"]</v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"]</v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"]</v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"]</v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"]</v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"]</v:f></v:formulas><vath o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"]</vath><o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"]</o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1025"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image001.jpg" o:title="Blue Background"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Picture taken by Canon 18-55, Hand hold, Opposite Sunset direction.]
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1026"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image003.jpg" o:title="IMG_0590"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Picture taken Canon 18-55, Hand hold, Right hand side is the Sunset direction.]
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1. <li style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]One of my friend suggested me to buy <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]Tamron 17-50[/b]<span style="font-size: small;"] lens. I know it&rsquo;s costly for me but I can save some money and go for it [Please don&rsquo;t suggest me for Canon 17-55; it sooooo costly for me]. But do I really need that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]Tamron 17-50?[/b]<span style="font-size: small;"] Or I will go for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]Canon 18-55 IS[/b]<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red;"]?<span style="font-size: small;"] Or any other lens [Within my budget] that will serve my purpose.

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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Here are few photographs taken by me. May be these photographs will help you to understand what kind of lens really I need.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1027"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image005.jpg" o:title="_MG_0348"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon EF-S 55-250 IS]
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon 18-55]
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1029"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image009.jpg" o:title="IMG_0143"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon 18-55]
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1030"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image011.jpg" o:title="IMG_0337"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon 18-55]
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 2in; height: 3in;" id="_x0000_i1031"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image013.jpg" o:title="_MG_0557"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon 55-250 IS]
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<v:shape type="#_x0000_t75" style="width: 3in; height: 2in;" id="_x0000_i1032"]<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MALOYG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\cli p_image015.jpg" o:title="IMG_0378"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</v:imagedata></v:shape>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"][Canon 55-250 IS]
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</o>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Hope I will get a wise advice from all of you.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Have a nice day.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]Maloy Ghosh, <st1:city w:st="on"]<st1lace w:st="on"]Jakarta</st1lace></st1:city>.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]5^th May 2009
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"]</o>

[Don Burkett]

Your shots don't appear and I am not familiar with your lenses, but based on description here are some preliminary thoughts.


1) Make sure the small object your trying to shoot isn't inside the minimum focus distance for your lens. That distance will be in the instructions that came with it or easy to find on the web. It you lens is the Kit lens, it is notorious for being soft when shot at the lower apertures. Try shooting it when there's enough light to reach f/8 to f/16 and see if you like the sharpness better. Alternate focus screens are available for most Canon DSLR's your owners manual will tell you if they are available for your camera. But, I think I would find it harder to focus on small items with the Split Screen you describe than the standard screen. Everyone has different preferences though.


2) Get a tripod. It's the most important tool you can spend money on and the best advise I have to offer. Most of the things you describe that interest you are perfect for a tripod. The general sharpness of my shots tripled once I started using a tripod and all my lens except the macro lenses have IS.


3) In general principal, sunrises are warm light (red) Sunsets are cool light (blue). Without seeing the environment you shot in it's hard to tell if that's what you experienced. You may have also bumped your camera off auto white balance. These are tricky lighting scenarios and you can get and use a grey card if you want to ensure your color temperatures are correct.

[Maloyraju]

Thanx for your quick reply. But do i need to change kit lens for better photography? In that case it is Canon EF-S 18-55 IS or Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8?

[Tim]

I would suggest looking through the reviews of all the canon, tamron and sigma zooms that Bryan discusses. He will talk about their uses and their strengths/weaknesses as well as their size, weight, and price. I find these reviews very helpful and I have made purchases based on them.