Started shooting again and looking for lens suggestions.

[darkosaric]

Welcome to APUG !
Any wide angle prime will do, as other already stated.

Regards,

 

[Alan Gales]

I'd recommend a 50mm lens. They are cheap, fast for low light situations, sharp and light weight. Some prefer a 35mm instead for street shooting with it being just a little wider.

I'd then add something like a 70-210mm zoom. If you are stuck in one spot like events or some sports then you can zoom to get the framing that you want.

For a wide lens I would recommend a 24 or 25mm, whichever focal length Canon offers. A 28mm isn't bad but just a tad wider really hits a sweet spot for me. Of course you could also buy a zoom lens that covers this focal length. I just prefer primes because they are smaller, lighter and may have a faster maximum aperture.

 

[CMoore]

Hey all,

Very new to these forums and wanted to find a community where I could ask some questions regarding the following; I was recently gifted my grandfathers old EOS 5 (A2/A2e) and I wanted to pick up some lenses and equipment! I'm currently in the process of refurbishing it. I've shot with a Canon 40mm and 50mm lens before although no longer possess them. Most of the photos I take are when I'm out and about with friends, nice buildings, skateboarding and I like documenting events I attend. I would like to get into landscape at some time, but not currently. I was just wondering If anyone had any suggestions, budget would be about €1000-1200 in total as I'm only a student. I Have no desire to buy the flashiest equipment just whatever will allow me to document my adventures I suppose!

Thanks In advance

That is a pretty nice camera.
Probably "Better" than what a lot of people use for their daily shooter.
I am kind of stuck in Manual Land, so i do not know much about Canon AF lens.
I am sure you can pick up a 50 and an 85, 105 or 150 for a reasonable price.
Enjoy shooting again and welcome back to film.

 

[johnha]

Welcome to the forum. Be careful with the mode dial to the left of the prism, it's a known weak spot on the 5/A2/A2e - the click-lock mechanism is very weak (always push the lock button down fully when changing modes).

The 5 will shoot at 5fps if you need it to. I can't help with Canon lenses but something similar to the wide zooms and fast primes already mentioned would be my choice. The VG10 vertical grip might be helpful too.

 

[Rowreidr]

Seems like a lot of glass money for a decently mediocre camera (I own, so my opinion). Here are a couple other ideas:

The fast and furious: used 17-35 f/2.8, 50 f/1.8, and used non-IS 70-200 f/2.8. Might take a little effort to fit budget, not a compact system, no IS (but that uses the battery anyways), and covers your need with some very nice glass.

Standard zooms: Lots and lots of used out there,. If you are looking for small, the older USM 24-85 and 28-105 are good. The 24-105 f/4 IS USM and the newer variable aperture STM version give you newer coatings and IS (which can help with handholding slower shutter speeds). My issue with the 24-70 f/2.8 zoom is with the A2, it becomes really front heavy and the plasticky body maybe flexes and makes creaky noises, it has a metal mount, so I'm hoping its fine.

Other primes: 35 f/2 non IS. This is the one that makes a mosquito like buzz when it zooms. Given how loud the A2 is, you don't notice it

3rd party: there are a lot of 3rd party glass. There are asian knockoffs and the more recent decent offerings from sigma/tamron. I don't know if you have to worry about compatibility with Canon film bodies. Adapting glass, Nikon-f and C/Y means you have to worry about metering, but could be fun.

 

[LennyOne]

.
Welcome Home Lenny !
{ Some of us older folks can be quite irascible }
Luckily, he didn't catch you on his lawn . . .

~ Ron

Thank you dude! I'm sure himself and I would be best pals in another life, way of the world sometimes!

I guess I need to beat the dead horse, I've been a shooter for 55 years, shot in the Air Force in Southeast Asia, worked the wires, freelanced, now for my pleasure, I'm a shooter, will shoot as long as I can. Get over it.

I'm just here to ask questions, learn and hopefully make some friends for future travels! Great to know there's some well-travelled others on here! In my opinion, its each to their own with regards to terminology as long as that terminology isn't blatantly/intentionally offensive or bigoted. Thanks for the response!

Should have addressed your question before I got snippy, but agree with the FlyingCamera, a good short zoom, but stay away from Canon Kit lens, lens that were bundled with the camera body. The 24 to 70 L, is as good as it gets, used in your price range.

I've been reading that the L series is where I should be heading for the quality of camera. Thanks! No intention of kit lenses whatsoever but I appreciate the heads up nonetheless!

I like the combination of 28mm, 50mm, and 150mm lenses

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!![/cemter]​

Sweet, thank you, any specifics you would recommend? Also thanks for the welcome I'm happy that's the APUG thing changed, why limit yourself to one thing!

Probably the short zoom for the skateboarding and I believe Canon had a VERY compact 40mm for
the social groups & walkaround things.

Is that the canon 40mm pancake? I used to have one for a DSLR, great for walking around with!

You can get the 17-40L pretty cheap. Then add the 50/1.4 if you want some speed.

I'll keep this in mind thank you! much appreciated.

A short Zoom would be my first choice, followed by a 28 and 55mm prime.

Any specific short zoom you would have in mind? Thank you for the suggestions, can't believe how nice everyone is!

Still has nothing to do with the OP.

I can't imagine there was any intention of answering my question in the first place! But sure look, it happens!

 

[LennyOne]

I wish I could actually answer your question, but I can give some general suggestions. I'm going to go against the zoom -- a "nifty fifty" -- normal focal length, faster than f/2 -- is commonly the best lens available from any given SLR manufacturer. After one of those, I'd tend to get the fastest 35mm I can afford (if you can't beat f/2.8, you may need to get a second job) -- and when those become limiting, then look for a zoom, preferably in the 70-200 region.

Look as long as everyone's as nice as the majority of people here I'm happy to listen! I've been assuming its inevitable to grab a 40 or 50, is there any brand you think would be worth hunting for? Since it seems to be a keystone of one's kit bag I might as well invest early! I'm more than happy to put money aside to grab the right bits, never been a fan of a false economy! Thanks for the suggestion of progression in lenses, nice to know what to prioritise! Super helpful, thank you!

Hey Lenny - welcome to Photrio!
Never used EF lenses myself, as I only have older Canon FD bodies. For the subjects you've described, I'd go for a few reasonably fast (f:2.8 or 2) wide-angle primes, like a 35mm and a 24mm would give you a good range of coverage. The fast zooms are great, but much heavier and probably a lot pricier. For skating, I used to use wide lenses and try to get close to the edge of the ramp or pool for dramatic shots. If it's street skating, you may not need the wide lenses as much. The 35mm would be a good length for documenting events and casual shooting, and just as a general walkabout lens.
Longer zooms are great for portraits, or sports and wildlife from a distance, but the compromise is size, weight and lens speed. For longer lenses, a good 85mm or 135mm may be all you need.
Cheers!

Wow, that's an incredibly detailed answer, pretty much answered what I was looking for to a T! I was more talking street skating, I end up going out a lot after the weekend skate and usually like to capture the little bit of pub and club life that ensues! I can't see myself needing zoom in the near future but I will definitely keep this in mind for down the road! Thank you very much, super helpful and much appreciated!

Lenny, that's a fine gift to receive. Canon made some spectacular special lenses ( Lseries) & the standard line are excellent. I'd suggest the EF 50mm 1.4, and the EF 35mm f 2. Since you mentioned skateboarding, my son did a lot of skateboard and bike photography & one of his favourites was EF 20-35 L series zoom. If i could offer a suggestion, buy a lens or two at a time and decide which focal lengths you really like. You have a large budget considering the age of this series of camera.... you won't need to spend it all.

I'm lucky as! Fortunately, my grandfather was a big analogue head and when I went looking through some of his stuff a few months ago I found the body! couldn't have been happier as most of my childhood photos (lived with him) were taken on it! The final suggestion you made is great, probably best to be able to compare and contrast while learning! thank you very much! I kind of assumed my budget would still be small considering the quality of the product I'm looking at, but still nice to know!

Given your mention of shooting skateboarding and other similar activities, I'd second the recommendation for one of the wide zooms - they made a 16-35, 17-35, and 17-40. There might also be a 20-35 variant. On the second-hand market you can get most of these for well within your budget. If you get one of the older variants, I'd also look at adding a 28-70 or 24-70 f2.8 L lens to the range. That pairing will get you extremely well covered for options. The ultra-wide zoom will do you well for travel/landscape/interiors/close-up sports. The 24/28-70 will get you general-purpose and light-duty portraits.

Thank you, Is there any specifics you would recommend? One thing about skating is that it's usually impromptu when I take a photo, never when people want them, always when people least expect it! I prefer catching the actual group rather than big tricks or anything down stairs! Is there a specific ultra-wide you would have in mind?

For 1000 you could get heck a lot of EF lenses. I honestly don't see any problem to get load of decent lenses for these money.
You could even get 50 and 40 back as NIB and still have enough for used L zoom.
Like 20-35mm f/2.8 L. Awesome lens for groups and indoors, landscapes and such. If you haven't tried L yet, you should. Makes big difference on pictures and in AF.

I suppose I'm more about quality over quantity! I would rather one or two nice bits and build a collection than overload myself with too many lenses and not be able to give each one time for me to learn and get used to it! Thank you for the great suggestions though, I'm loving the variety I'm being given here, I'll have a lot of reading to do!

Welcome and glad to hear that your excited about photography!

My suggestion to the “what gear should I buy” is to use what you have and pay attention to images you’d like to capture but can’t. That often makes clear what new gear to buy.

I guess I won’t mention “Nikon”... that’s a fistfight for another thread.

Thank you! I'm even more excited by such a wonderful response to someone whose a total alien to the community! When I opened my email today and saw the response I was nothing but ecstatic!
That's a great suggestion, what am I limited to rather than what would I like to do! Hey, I'm open to any brand, I don't know nuffin' bout nuffin' so happy to take all suggestion into consideration!

My suggestions would be
1 expensive, good lens , but you would have to be 'baby it': Sigma 35mm F 1.4 DG HSM
And one an 'bay' kit: something like
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EOS-...-75-300mm-Ultrasonic-28-80mm-Lot/283634499449
for $150 (this listing has US shipping free).
So you get 2 lenses + an extra camera body that you can keep the Sigma Art lens on.

With the above, you will have flexibility to use to shoot inside, outside, and 'actions' with those ultrasonic motors.

These lenses, especially the Sigma will produce exceptional results on digital too.

I am not a canon person, so have not used the above -- but have been reading recently about that sigma lens... one day would like to have it...

Thank you very much for your suggestion! I really appreciate it! Yeah, I've been doing a bit of reading and sigma products seem like an absolute treat! The links and suggestions are great I hope by the time I get a sigma lens you do too and we can compare photos someday!

 

[LennyOne]

Not a Canon user, can’t be of help there.

Just trying to make the world a better place and found it a bit rough to see the term in the headline of your post. My days are great too, I get paid to ummm....make photographs.

Lots of good suggestions from those who know the Canon system, get to making photographs.

Oh and welcome!

Thanks for the positivity my guy. I get where you're coming from but unfortunately in the world we live in people will say things that aren't exactly perfect and may not align with your beliefs. That said; it's not always the best idea to give out to them, or chastise them for it, maybe make a suggestion, like "hey I see you're new, not trying to be rude but some people within the community would appreciate if you used a different word', then explain the reasoning. I would oblige without question. If someone tries to belittle me due to their own lack of tolerance, I would much rather not interact with that person, thanks for your response. Yeah, I'm super happy with the rest of the responses, to be honest, everyone has given me so much to delve into so now I guess its time for me to go learn and make some mistakes! Hopefully, you and I will get off to a better start in future posts and I'm happy for you to be able to do something you love, striving to achieve the same satisfaction myself one day!

 

[LennyOne]

Welcome to APUG !
Any wide angle prime will do, as other already stated.

Regards,

Thank you, yeah crazy amount of help and guidance already, loving this place!

I'd recommend a 50mm lens. They are cheap, fast for low light situations, sharp and light weight. Some prefer a 35mm instead for street shooting with it being just a little wider.

I'd then add something like a 70-210mm zoom. If you are stuck in one spot like events or some sports then you can zoom to get the framing that you want.

For a wide lens I would recommend a 24 or 25mm, whichever focal length Canon offers. A 28mm isn't bad but just a tad wider really hits a sweet spot for me. Of course you could also buy a zoom lens that covers this focal length. I just prefer primes because they are smaller, lighter and may have a faster maximum aperture.

Would you have any specifics in mind? What F stop would you say would be best? I'll probably look into both if I can!

Thank you very much for the detailed answer, this kind of response has me knee-deep in private sale listings! I do like the idea of something being nice and light to transport, definitely makes bringing a larger body around with me more tolerable!

That is a pretty nice camera.
Probably "Better" than what a lot of people use for their daily shooter.
I am kind of stuck in Manual Land, so i do not know much about Canon AF lens.
I am sure you can pick up a 50 and an 85, 105 or 150 for a reasonable price.
Enjoy shooting again and welcome back to film.

I got very lucky I suppose, only have the aul' fella to thank! I'd feel terrible if I didn't get to learn to use it the way he had! Thanks for the warm welcome, cant wait to get involved!!!

Welcome to the forum. Be careful with the mode dial to the left of the prism, it's a known weak spot on the 5/A2/A2e - the click-lock mechanism is very weak (always push the lock button down fully when changing modes).

The 5 will shoot at 5fps if you need it to. I can't help with Canon lenses but something similar to the wide zooms and fast primes already mentioned would be my choice. The VG10 vertical grip might be helpful too.

Thank you, I'm over the moon to have found somewhere so active, being part of the automotive community(Rotary to be specific) also I'm delighted to have found another community dedicated to a somewhat fine art within a greater discipline! I've dropped it off for refurbishment through a friend of my grandfather so hopefully, any issues won't be too prominent with a fresh clean up, I am aware of the wheel issue, I had watched a few videos on youtube regarding the body itself! Thank you though, lovely response and very helpful, have a great day my d00d!

Seems like a lot of glass money for a decently mediocre camera (I own, so my opinion). Here are a couple other ideas:

The fast and furious: used 17-35 f/2.8, 50 f/1.8, and used non-IS 70-200 f/2.8. Might take a little effort to fit budget, not a compact system, no IS (but that uses the battery anyways), and covers your need with some very nice glass.

Standard zooms: Lots and lots of used out there,. If you are looking for small, the older USM 24-85 and 28-105 are good. The 24-105 f/4 IS USM and the newer variable aperture STM version give you newer coatings and IS (which can help with handholding slower shutter speeds). My issue with the 24-70 f/2.8 zoom is with the A2, it becomes really front heavy and the plasticky body maybe flexes and makes creaky noises, it has a metal mount, so I'm hoping its fine.

Other primes: 35 f/2 non IS. This is the one that makes a mosquito like buzz when it zooms. Given how loud the A2 is, you don't notice it

3rd party: there are a lot of 3rd party glass. There are asian knockoffs and the more recent decent offerings from sigma/tamron. I don't know if you have to worry about compatibility with Canon film bodies. Adapting glass, Nikon-f and C/Y means you have to worry about metering, but could be fun.

It has more sentimental value than most items in my possession these days, so happy to spend the money on it if I'm honest.

Love the fast and furious, thank you for that analogy, great way to pique my interest hahaha! Thank you very much for the response, not too sure what metering is or anything but I suppose that's another thing I need to learn about! thank you very very much for the in depth answer to my somewhat convoluted question!

 

[Ai Print]

Thanks for this, no hard feelings.

Now that I think of it I did use Canon for a few years while waiting for Nikon to produce the right digital gear back in 2004-2006. I had a pretty good crop but the two lenses I never left for a job without are the 35mm 1.4L and 85mm 1.2L, did entire ad campaigns with just those two.

If I were you and given the genre you have mentioned, I would get just the 35mm 1.4L and use it for a year. They have a version II but honestly I hardly found fault in the first version and it goes for a fair price in good condition used.

A 50 is good too but that 35 1.4 is just something else...

Thanks for the positivity my guy. I get where you're coming from but unfortunately in the world we live in people will say things that aren't exactly perfect and may not align with your beliefs. That said; it's not always the best idea to give out to them, or chastise them for it, maybe make a suggestion, like "hey I see you're new, not trying to be rude but some people within the community would appreciate if you used a different word', then explain the reasoning. I would oblige without question. If someone tries to belittle me due to their own lack of tolerance, I would much rather not interact with that person, thanks for your response. Yeah, I'm super happy with the rest of the responses, to be honest, everyone has given me so much to delve into so now I guess its time for me to go learn and make some mistakes! Hopefully, you and I will get off to a better start in future posts and I'm happy for you to be able to do something you love, striving to achieve the same satisfaction myself one day!

 

[Alan Gales]

Would you have any specifics in mind? What F stop would you say would be best? I'll probably look into both if I can!

Thank you very much for the detailed answer, this kind of response has me knee-deep in private sale listings! I do like the idea of something being nice and light to transport, definitely makes bringing a larger body around with me more tolerable!

You say that you are on a budget. Canon makes 50mm f/1.8, f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses. Faster lenses are nice for shooting in low light handheld. Of course you could just use a tripod in really low light which I recommend anyway. Portrait photographers also like fast lenses for their shallow depth of field when shot wide open. Fast lenses are also larger, heavier and cost a lot more. I'd recommend getting a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I shot with one for many years on my Contax 139 and enjoyed the small size and light weight. It was much cheaper and even slightly sharper than the f/1.4 version.

If you want a 70-200 zoom I'd look at the f/4 lens. Canon makes faster lenses but they also cost a lot more.

I always shot wide angles on tripods stopped down so speed wasn't important to me.

Remember to budget for a good tripod. On a budget you could look for an old aluminum Marchioni or Leitz version Tilt All tripod. They sell for less than $100.00 used and include a pan/tilt style head made onto the legs. The later Chinese made ones are not near as good. Don't forget a cable release.

You will also need some filters. For color film you will want a Polarizing screen and some neutral density filters. For b&w film you will want to add some colored filters.

Look at the for sale section of this forum, KEH, eBay and Craigslist for used gear. Add gear as you can afford it. Realize that if you buy right you can always get most of your money back if you sell. Don't get too worried about equipment because you can always upgrade later if you wish. You will be more educated then and will know what works for you. The most important thing to spend your money on is film!

 

[LennyOne]

Thanks for this, no hard feelings.

Now that I think of it I did use Canon for a few years while waiting for Nikon to produce the right digital gear back in 2004-2006. I had a pretty good crop but the two lenses I never left for a job without are the 35mm 1.4L and 85mm 1.2L, did entire ad campaigns with just those two.

If I were you and given the genre you have mentioned, I would get just the 35mm 1.4L and use it for a year. They have a version II but honestly I hardly found fault in the first version and it goes for a fair price in good condition used.

A 50 is good too but that 35 1.4 is just something else...

Glad we can move on and talk about my uninformed self making some photos! Great, thanks for the suggestions, I love the idea of having 3 lenses I bring with me as well as one on body so with that I'm halfway there! Thank you very much for your help!!

 

[LennyOne]

You say that you are on a budget. Canon makes 50mm f/1.8, f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses. Faster lenses are nice for shooting in low light handheld. Of course you could just use a tripod in really low light which I recommend anyway. Portrait photographers also like fast lenses for their shallow depth of field when shot wide open. Fast lenses are also larger, heavier and cost a lot more. I'd recommend getting a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I shot with one for many years on my Contax 139 and enjoyed the small size and light weight. It was much cheaper and even slightly sharper than the f/1.4 version.

If you want a 70-200 zoom I'd look at the f/4 lens. Canon makes faster lenses but they also cost a lot more.

I always shot wide angles on tripods stopped down so speed wasn't important to me.

Remember to budget for a good tripod. On a budget you could look for an old aluminum Marchioni or Leitz version Tilt All tripod. They sell for less than $100.00 used and include a pan/tilt style head made onto the legs. The later Chinese made ones are not near as good. Don't forget a cable release.

You will also need some filters. For color film you will want a Polarizing screen and some neutral density filters. For b&w film you will want to add some colored filters.

Look at the for sale section of this forum, KEH, eBay and Craigslist for used gear. Add gear as you can afford it. Realize that if you buy right you can always get most of your money back if you sell. Don't get too worried about equipment because you can always upgrade later if you wish. You will be more educated then and will know what works for you. The most important thing to spend your money on is film!

Great, really helpful thank you! I've got a few listings open and have been searching local facebook groups! With regard to zoom ranges, what is the upper and lower end I should be looking at, like what will be useful versus not useful I suppose? Also does the range of zoom equate to the size of the lens? I need to get a tripod although I feel like most of the time I don't set up photos as much as I do grab a flick of some of my friends doing something funny!

I've been trying to look through the sale section on here, so probably best to continue my search for now and see what I can pick up! I enjoy a learning curve so would like to take the time to learn how to use each set up and when to prioritise certain lenses!

Thanks for a super helpful answer!

 

[AnselMortensen]

Back in the mid-late 80's, we did film processing for one of the bigger skateboarding magazines, and the photographers would come in to pick their slides up and check them out on the light table. The "hot setup" back then was a Tamron 17mm and a gelled flash.
Maybe a Sigma AF super-wide and a Yuongno (sp) flash could work for you?

 

[Alan Gales]

With regard to zoom ranges, what is the upper and lower end I should be looking at, like what will be useful versus not useful I suppose? Also does the range of zoom equate to the size of the lens?

I've never shot skateboarding but I have shot events. Let's say you are shooting a street fair. While walking around it's nice to have a 35mm or 50mm lens. You will also need a long lens (preferably a zoom) for let's say photographing musicians on a stage at a distance.

I've also shot Fast Pitch Softball at the Select, High School and College levels. When shooting Select, I used an 18mm to 200mm zoom on a cropped sensor Nikon DSLR. On your camera the equivalent focal length would be 28mm to 300mm. I had a lot of access since I was the assistant manager and team photographer. I could walk up to the dugout and shoot the girls at 18mm (28mm on a 35mm camera) or I could stand at the fence opening and shoot the pitcher, infield, and batters at a longer range of the zoom. The outfielders I'd shoot at full extension and then crop. For High School and College I had to sit with the other parents so I was always at the longer range of the zoom.

I don't know how close you can get to the skateboarders. AnselMortensen in post #39 said that 17mm was really popular but of course you would have to have close access to the skateboarders. A wide zoom could work for this. A moderate zoom could be better if you are farther back away from the action.

The longer the range of the Zoom the larger and longer it will be. Also the faster the Zoom the larger and heavier it will be. The faster the lens the larger the glass. If you find a used lens you are interested in then just google it. Check out the specifications to see the size and weight of the lens.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I like the combination of 28mm, 50mm, and 150mm lenses

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!![/cemter]​

For 35mm I have been using a Tamron 28mm to 300mm AF zoom lens, a Nikon 20mm to 35mm AF zoom lens, and a Niknon 28mm to 200mm AF zoom lens. For real wide I use the WideLux F7, Hasselblad 30mm Fisheye lens and the Hasselblad SWC.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

It is a shame you had to run into a curmudgeon on your inauguration here, but you handled it with aplomb...

The A2 was the first camera I ever bought. I've used Canon cameras off and on ever since. Usually the Canon cameras made the money, the others I used for fun.

My advice based on what you are intending to do is to get a wide zoom. With your budget I'd recommend the 17-40L like the poster above. It is a great little lens that will cover your skate shooting and your pub crawling. I'd recommend a flash for the pub shots, and for the skating too if that is a look you want. A decent compact flash contemporaneous with the A2 was the 300ez. The 420ez would be better but that is getting bulky. If you go the flash route, get an off camera shoe cord so you can hold the flash away from the camera. That will add quite a bit to your photographs. I don't have any other specific recommendations for lenses based on what you want to do but the one lens will tell you what you need after you get it. If you are never close enough for what you want, get a longer lens. I can't imagine you would want a wider lens than 17 though.

Hope that helps you, and welcome aboard...

 

[Autonerd]

I was recently gifted my grandfathers old EOS 5 (A2/A2e) and I wanted to pick up some lenses and equipment! I

Congrats!

Soooo, a lot of people will recommend against zooms, I think because early ones were pretty poor, but by the early 90s (when your camera was made) they were pretty decent, I believe. (Besides, a good picture is a good picture even with less-than-perfect optics.) So zoom isn't the worst idea. I use a zooms on my newer Nikon and Minolta cameras and quite like it.

Of course primes are nice too -- and lighter and easier to carry. I shoot almost all primes with my older cameras.

For friends, skating, etc. I like a nice wide angle 28mm. Lets you get right into the action, and they have a good depth-of-field so perfect focus isn't critical (of course, that's not an issue with an autofocus camera...). There is some noticeable distortion of close subjects but to me it lends an immediacy to the pictures, a real feeling of being right in the thick of the action.

Of course you'll probably want a 50mm, a nice all-round lens to have.

For friends a longer portrait lens lets you get in close without getting right in their face. 85-105mm. But primes in that range can get very, very pricey.

Can't tell you much about landscape photography as I do so little of it but I imagine a 70-210 zoom will suit nicely.

A thousand-Euro budget is probably way more than you'll need (though I don't know Canon lens prices). I bought a beautiful Minolta 35-105 Zoom for $20. More recently I got a Minolta 28-85 AF zoom with a like-new Maxxum 5 attached for $17. The bargains are out there, just keep an eye out.

Good luck and happy (ahem) shooting! Set up a Flickr page and show us some of your photos.

Aaron

 

[Autonerd]

is there any brand you think would be worth hunting for?

If it's a Canon camera, you can't go wrong sticking with Canon lenses.

 

[lantau]

A lot of good suggestions above. From what you say about your plans am I correct to assume that you need pretty light and unobstructive equipment and you may need to operate in low light environments (inside a pub)?

Telezooms like a 70-200 or even 30mm will most likely be too large for you to carry around all the time. And if you wanted a pretty fast one for anything less than good outside daylight they'll become massive. But then, if you go directly to an event and can't get close to the skaters you may need it. Then go home afterwards, or leave it in the car boot.

Originally I would have suggested a holy trinity of primes like 35, 50 and 90. The wide angle perhaps even wider. But posters above have suggested wide angle zooms, which I think you might come to like.

Patrick Robert James suggested a 17-40mm L zoom and said it isn't too large. Sounds perfect for your needs. Actually that is an amazing zoom range. 17mm is really wide and 40mm is almost a normal lens (mathematically it is probably close to the actual normal focal length). It has a maximum aperture of f/4. Should be good in during the day, not so good in the pub. But there is never one lens to rule them all. You'd need a certain ring for that...

I'd get at least one Prime Lens, a 1.4/50. That will be as good as it gets in low light. If money gets in the way get a 1.7/50. I needed to use an expiring roll of Kodak P3200 recently and used it indoors. Gave surprisingly good results with an f/2 50mm lens. But the deep shadows suffer from noise like grain when you really underexpose, as you'll do in a dark room. Quite noticeable when digitised, prettier but still there when I wet printed in the dark room. Still, it was worth it and I'll do it again! I also used the Ilford P3200 once at night for outside shots in central Hong Kong during Lumiere Festival. Worked great. The night picture of Jardin House (see Wikipedia, flood lit, of course) turned out really nice.

Another suggestion, to which you replied, was the Sigma 1.4/35mm Art lens. I just bought that one for my Minolta Dynax 7 (it works, btw). I was warned it is massive, and it really is. 660g and it is larger than my digital tele lenses, which admittedly are really small because it's Olympus.

I don't plan to carry around the Sigma all day, like you want to do, but rather when I really plan to use it. I'm thinking candle and log fire lit scenes at reenactment meetings. When we just sit around and enjoy the end of the day. Normally I'd use my digital camera for that. I hope it will be good enough for that with fast b/w film.

So my recommendation is not to get it. Unless you just want a really nice and heavy chunk of glas for the sake of it. That was pretty much what I decided!

Normally I use my manual Minolta gear. My f/2.8 35mm and 28mm lenses are tiny. The autofocus film SLR is somewhat special purpose for me. But really the right thing for what you tell us you want to do.

For the longer end I suggest you decide later, once you're a bit into it. But here my experience:

I use a 135mm on the manual cameras. A bit long when close to people but really good and cheap for my system.

On digital (Olympus) I have 45mm (=90mm equivalent) and 75mm (150mm equiv) primes (f/1.8) which are great to have. The first is a common focal length, and for good reason, the latter quite long, but probably the best lens I'll ever own, a really amazing paparazzi machine for good friends, who appreciate the frank results. Big aperture (for fast shutter) and capable auto focus make these really good when you are amongst friends/people. On 35mm film you'll suffer a more shallow field of depth/focus that on my smaller sensor, though.

For autofocus film I have a Sony 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 G lens. Only for good daylight, not small but not huge either. I originally bought it for reenactment battles, hoping the sun will shine.

 

[Bormental]

Get a 50mm and a 28mm with USM focusing motors. You do not need L-glass and you also do not need Sigma/Tamron and other 3rd party brands.

 

[ignatiu5]

...With regard to zoom ranges, what is the upper and lower end I should be looking at, like what will be useful versus not useful I suppose?

If it's easy on your side of the pond, I suggest renting for a weekend one of the wider end EF zooms that others have mentioned. Pay attention to what focal length(s) you tend to frequent. That will give you some insight towards where you should best direct your purchasing Euros. I think it might be a better solution than us trying to guide what range might be useful or not to you.