Hi Everyone!
Just joined this community and wanted to say Hi, and to ask some suggestions if you can spare a moment of your time?
I have owned a canon 550D forever it seems, and had several lenses that I used, just to play. I suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder, so trying to keep the information in my head on how to get a really good usage on it has always been a severe problem, but I really love taking photos of beautiful locations and things like that.
After a really long and messy divorce from my abusive husband, I was left with a little money that I wanted to invest in something for myself for once, so put it aside for that perfect thing. Meanwhile, I decided that I should try and find something useful and proactive to do, to help me build my self confidence up again, and to help me feel like I was good at something...I went out with my dear old canon, its tamron 18-270 lens, and see what I could do, with a long weekend away in a really pretty part of the UK. Tho my framing was pleasing to my eye, I found on closer inspection that the photos themselves were not sharp, and every one of them desperately disappointed me.
My dream is to sell a landscape photo somewhere, just so I can say to myself...'see...you arnt the useless piece of *##* that you have been told you are for so long', but to do this I really needed to up my game quite considerably, and although I know that I would have to take a hundred more shots than the average photographer, who can understand (and retain the info about) the settings, I really think I can do this.
I did hours of online reading to try and find out what I had done wrong, and it seemed that the camera was a half frame, and tho good, it possibly would never quite get to the level of professionalism that I hoped to attain. I looked at the money I had put aside, and then started looking for the best camera the web would recommend for what I was hoping to get out of it. Many sites recommended the Canon 5DSr, so I went for it. (trawled the net and finally found one in France that came out as the lowest price, saving enough to consider investing in more)
Then I found that the tamron lens didnt want to work with it...it too was half frame (shame, I loved that lens!)... so had to look for a selection of new lenses too...
Wide angle was the obvious - that one would take in sweeping hills, mountains etc, and anything else making them look pretty awasome..., Telephoto seemed obvious too, especially as that was the one I was used to, so those were my first two..Everyone seemed to say go canon, best glass, etc...(I am sure you all know that bit!!)
I dipped into the pot again and purchased
Canon EF 16-35 2.8 L III USM
Canon EF 100-400 4.5 L IS II USM
I went out with these two, and was blown away with the difference in quality...one very happy bunny I can assure you! To help give me inspiration, I went to a site on my calendar, and think I pretty much nailed the shot as good as the one on there...
As the weeks went on, I found that I continually wanted more close up shots of things such as flowers or even bugs. Neither lens seemed to quite work, so I used some more of the money to invest in a macro lens
Canon EF 100 2.8 L IS USM
Now, with this lens, I am finding that I cant quite get the type of shot I was hoping for. I seem to have to still be quite far from my subject, which feels a little off putting, as the Tamron, back in the day seemed to allow me to get close to the flowers and bugs. Is this because the 100mm means that is the closest I can get? Did I goof up getting this lens as the Zoom is also 100mm?? This might have been an expensive mistake if it was...!!
This lead me to my next problem. I went to a butterfly park with a friend, and we both tried playing with our cameras Like complete novices, we both struggled, and I got continually frustrated with the distance I had to get, before the autofucus would try and focus on my subject..we moved from there to a hide to try for bird photographs, and between the two sites, I just felt like I was missing a lens...something that could give a good mid range selection just for the lighter days of play..
SO.. my big queston to you guys. What lense would you recommend next?...and in fact, what sort of lenses do you think I should aspire to own in my kit, so that I can try a variety of subjects? I am thinking an extender for the bird shots as I really struggled to get visually close enough to ensure a crisp focus...
Any help and advise would be appreciated!!!
Sandy
Becoming the woman I would proud to be
