DSLR Finally!!

[returnofsid]

WooHoo...got my Rebel Xt last night!! It's used, comes with the kit lens and kit accessories and also included a 1Gb CF card. Now I just need to learn how to use the darn thing!! My first SLR camera. Oh and I also need to find a decent Macro lens!! Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!!

[charlie]

Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens


There you go!!

[Reefland]

Gene, Mike and Charlie will be all over this.

[Poseidon]

Hehe....

It doesn't get any better then the 100mm that Charlie linked to, but here is a slightly less expensive, but very impressive macro lens.

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens

[charlie]

Gene has been using that alot lately, hasn't he?

[Poseidon]

Yes, he has!!!!

Good thing too!

[zhenya]

Gene, Mike and Charlie will be all over this.

I don;t think I qualify to give advice on photography, it's Mike's domain. ;)

Having said that, I think the best advice I can give is to define a purpose for the lens you want to buy, and then quality and price. Both lenses mentioned can produce 1:1 reproduction it;s just a matter of working distance ( how close you need to be to produce such magnification). You abviously need to be much closer with the 60mm macro lens than the 100mm lens, so it is important to know the limitations you may have with a certain length.
I have both sizes, Sigma's 105mm and Canon's 60mm. Both can produce outstanding results but I honestly believe my copy of the Sigma's glass is too soft for my liking when wide open. Canon;s lens is tack sharp and I know that 100mm from Canon is probably the best out there, and probably the most convinient in terms of size for aquarium photography. I also heard it is an exellent portrait lens as well...

Did we confuse you enough?

[returnofsid]

The confusion level's definitely going up!! lol.

[zhenya]

The confusion level's definitely going up!! lol.

I know what you mean, I've been in the same boat since 2004 when I got my camera.

You know, I forgot to mention one thing. Don;t throw away your kit lens just yet. I know people knock it down alot( guilty myself) but if you got lucky and got good copy of it it is a capable lens for the money. Poor man's wide angle lens, so to speak. I remember having fairly decent results with it stopped down to f5.6 or even f8.
Here's an example. I took this shot while on the tank tour at MACNA in Washington (2005).The owner and keeper of the tank is copps(TOTM on RC). No enhancing of any kind aside from resizing.

[charlie]

Gene, if you are talking about that 18-55 lens, I used that quite a bit down in Las Vegas. It sure made things easier packing that around instead of all the other lenses that I have appropriated since I met you guys

[zhenya]

Gene, if you are talking about that 18-55 lens, I used that quite a bit down in Las Vegas. It sure made things easier packing that around instead of all the other lenses that I have appropriated since I met you guys

Yep, that's the lens I was talking about. It is acceptable lens if you don;t expect the same results as you would shooting with an "L" glass. And, you need to be lucky to get a decent copy of it.

[charlie]

If I not mistaken, I think you told me that when I got the camera.

[Poseidon]

Gene, if you are talking about that 18-55 lens, I used that quite a bit down in Las Vegas. It sure made things easier packing that around instead of all the other lenses that I have appropriated since I met you guys

Are you saying it is OUR FAULT>???

I need to get a good macro myself, maybe someday....

[charlie]

Are you saying it is OUR FAULT>???

YEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you and Gene feel real good about it too

[Yankee I Am]

i havent even asked questions and im scrathing my head....