When to swap from the 18-55 to the 55-250 lens, more guidance please.

[Mr Micawber]

I have been asked why I only use my Tamron 18-270 lens and never make use of the alleged better 550D kit lenses.
My answer is always two fold.

1. I sometimes suffer from arthritic fingers which can lead to the dropping of lenses onto the unforgiving hard ground. Lenses do not bounce very high!

2. Being a DSLR and general photographic 'idjit', sorry, novice, I really am never sure in what circumstances I should change from using the 18-55 mm lens to using the 55-250mm lens.

I know that it is to do with the distance of the subject and the type of shot I wish to take. I just don't know at what distance to change lense. As a rough guide can anyone provide me with this information, please?

[wave01]

hi i will try and answer. first i would look at the the shots you have taken with your 18-270 and then look at the focal length that it was taken at. you will find find this if you open DPP and then look at the info it will tell you the focal length.
the other way to look at it is if the subject is to small then its time to change lenses. the longer lens can also be used to isolate the subject without getting to close.

[donoreo]

Your 18-270 is a great compromise. It takes ok images at a wide range of focal lengths and you do not need to change lenses very often. However, usually, a lens with a shorter focal range will take better images.

You can do a test for this. Take a photo of something at the same focal length with your lenses and then zoom in on them to 100% and see which looks sharper, has more contrast, etc.

[Frank-Kautz]

Hi Mr Micawber,

I have a similar problem. I generally prefer to keep the Canon 18-200 mm lens on my camera. It is much more versatile than a smaller lens would be. However, that being said, the quality of the pictures will increase as the zoom range decreases. I have noticed that I get a lot better pictures with my 17-85 mm in the 20 to 60mm range. So, there are reasons to change now and again.

Frank

[Mr Micawber]

Thank you all for the invaluable information. It has assisted me in deciding my next venture in deciding a new camera/lens compilation. I have decided to invest in the 650D plus 18-135 kit lens.

I would like the 650D because of the ability to take handheld night shots. I would hate using the tripod on holiday abroad, so it would be a great help in that instance.

My reasoning for the 18-135mm lens is thus. I could still keep my 18-270 Tamron for any longer shots and use the 18-135 for everyday shots, if that makes sense. Also the 135 is exactly half of my 270 lens.

[hssutton]

[QUOTE=Mr Micawber;89688]

I would like the 650D because of the ability to take handheld night shots. I would hate using the tripod on holiday abroad, so it would be a great help in that instance.

I'm intrigued.

Would you care to explain reasoning as to why the 650D will enable you to take night shots, whereas the 550D won't.

Harry

[Mr Micawber]

[QUOTE=hssutton;89717]

Originally Posted by Mr Micawber

I would like the 650D because of the ability to take handheld night shots. I would hate using the tripod on holiday abroad, so it would be a great help in that instance.

I'm intrigued.

Would you care to explain reasoning as to why the 650D will enable you to take night shots, whereas the 550D won't.

Harry

As I understand it, you really need a tripod to get decent night shots using the 550D. Whereas the 650D has the ability to do nights shots handheld.

On page 54 of the manual the instructions for night shots seems to be a little ambiguous. On the one hand it suggests using a tripod for night portraits while just below it say that as camera shake is prone to occur with night shots, shooting also with full auto is recommended.

I can't see how to use both the night scene mode and the full auto mode at the same time. Or doe this mean that to take night scenes I just use the full auto mode? I'm going to give this a try later on.

If you know better than I would be muchly grateful if you would provide me with the relevant information.

[hssutton]

Some cameras are better than other for low light, I'm talking full frame cameras here, but only because they handle noise better at high ISO's,
That said you will see virtually no difference between the 550D & 650D in this respect. You could improve matters a little by using faster lens i.e f/2.8, but even then you will need support when the light drops. I've taken night shots in London without the aid of a tripod, but I always find a wall/lamp post or some other solid convenient place to stand the camera on or brace myself against.

The 650D does benefit from an higher ISO, but no doubt at the expense of much higher noise levels.

Have a look at the advantages of both cameras side by side http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-EO...Canon_EOS_550D

Harry

[Mr Micawber]

Thanks for your help, Harry, it is appreciated. I shall look at the comparisons after the Everton match has finished.

[Frank-Kautz]

Hello Mr Micawber,

If you want pinpoint sharp night shots with low noise, you will need a tripod. Unfortunately that is the name of the game. I don't think that there is a camera out there on the market today that will be able to do otherwise. However, if you want to just get the shot, crank up the ISO to as high as you can get it, widen the aperture as much as possible, and hope for the best. Unless you can get the shutter time down to 1/80th of a second (assuming your hands are steadier than mine) or less, your picture will be blurred. If there is any movement, that will probably be blurred too. If you are just looking for a snapshot to remember your holiday by, that may be enough.

That being said, the newer cameras with higher ISOs are great for a number of reasons. The higher that the ISO reaches, the better the camera is at the lower ISO shots. Canon (and the other companies) are constantly improving the ISO abilities of our cameras. I am holding out hope that one day we will be able to take quality night pictures hand held.

Good luck,

Frank