Any time.

Thanks so much for the information. It was very helpful.

Thanks Buck. Well many macro lenses ARE primes so you could do a two for one there. 100mm or 60mm are popular lengths for macro lenses, and those can also be used for portraits, low light, etc. So choose a lens that serves multiple purposes to get maximum value out of it.

The reason I recommended the 35 is that it will be closest to like a 50mm on a full frame. Yes true Canon’s crop factor is 1.6 and a 30mm is closer but there is no such thing as a prime 30mm lens so then you’re at 28mm. Honestly it’s splitting hairs and either will work just fine. For either you’re looking at the $450 or so price range.

The 50mm f/1.8 is a lot less but it’s a longer lens. So you may find it not as multipurpose as the slightly wider one. Shooting indoors with it you may find that you’re often too close and can’t back up. That would be the biggest issue. I sometimes find that with my 50mm ON a full frame so adding in the crop factor will increase that problem.

Thanks Suzy glad you found it helpful!

Thank you so much, you explained the lens and aperture range so good that a child could easily understand. Now I get it. I’ve been reading books and did not understand. I appreciate this site and you Darlene.

Thanks!

Hi Suzy – that is a tough question. Just an FYI for you as to those numbers on your lenses.

For the Tamron 75-300mm where it says 1:4-5.6 that is the aperture range wide opened. It means that when you’re shooting at 75mm you can open the aperture to f/4. But as you zoom in it restricts that smaller and at the 300mm end of the lens you can only get maximum of f/5.6 for aperture.

The 55mm 1:2.8 means it is an f/2.8 lens or that is the largest aperture that lens is capable of.

Right you have quite a bit of overlap with the 55-200 and 75-300 lenses. If you get the 70-200 (do you mean the f/2.8 one?) you’ll have even more. I’d suggest selling one of those others if you do get the big one, you don’t need 3 that all cover such a similar range. I’d say ditch the 55-200.

Your camera body also has a crop factor so the 300mm lens is more like using a 450mm. Do you shoot a lot of sports, wildlife or birds? So you really need such a long lens? If not I’d ditch that one as well if you get the 70-200.

As for what to put on all the time – I can’t answer that because each subject is different as is each situation. If you’re in a low lighting situation I’d use the 55mm. I’d probably use that lens for portraits on your camera also. If you’re doing wildlife or bird photography then one of the longer ones. There is no such thing as one lens does it all, sorry.

You could sit right in front! They are all good cameras just not as many of those out there.

Great – that’s what I was thinking 🙂

I would yes. I would never edit the originals and overwrite them. That’s “destructive” editing and you can’t undo it or go back later.

I think you shoot in RAW, but if you did shoot in JPG, would you keep the “originals” after processing?

Thanks Edmund, glad it’s of value for you!

The reviews of this lens (17-55 EF-S) said that it really would have the “L” badge of Canon’s ultimate glass had it been full frame. But when I read the reviews of the $1,000 Panny 12-35 the results are similar to my old kit lens at f5.6, worth a couple of hundred$ at the most. I have prime lenses with wider apertures for low light work.

So I think that the moral I have learned from Darlene’s excellent post is to get out there and take photos rather than to waste any more time fantasizing that spending more money on equipment will make me a better photographer!

Yes true nighttime is also a time you may get reflections inside so just take it off at those times.

Oh goodness no! That will get really expensive. Reuse them until you either need bigger ones or they fail.

Wow thanks again!. Yep, I have been reusing my cards even though I have a separate hard drive which I download my photos too but I have also been buying cards because I was uncertain about the whole process. Thanks again for clarifying things for me.

No problem!

Thanks!