Canon advise

[JoshBoy]

Hi all,

Just need a little advise from Canon users out there. Currently my whole set up is Olympus and im looking to move over to Canon in the next month but would like some tips.
I am looking at the 7D as it is a little quicker than the 5D and i think i would prefer that over the larger sensor.
My question remains around the lens and the flash. My understanding is it offers remote flash on it, what is the better flash model to go for and in regard to the lens I need one for real estate photography (i was thinking the 15mm) and one for portraits and action.

Does anyone have any tips?

Cheers

Josh

 

[VirtualRain]

For the real-estate shots, you may want to consider the Canon EFS 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM.

One of the better all-purpose lenses that Canon makes is the EFS 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM.

If you need a telephoto for sports, you can't beat Canon's range of 70-200mm lenses (and there's one for every budget), but even the affordable 70-300mm IS USM that I have is great for casual use.

This is one of the best resources for Canon lens reviews... http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

 

[aaaaaaron]

580EX II is the better flash

and all the lenses already recommended to you are great, unless you want to go with primes. though zoom lenses will offer the versatility it seems you want.

but otherwise, all good picks.

 

[toxic]

for real-estate: start with an ultra-wide zoom - Canon 10-22, Sigma 10-20, Tokina 11-16, or Tokina 12-24. eventually, if you do this enough or get paid, you will want a slightly longer lens (20-30mm) and stitch, or use a TS-E. either way you should get a good tripod if you don't have one already.

portrait/action: Canon 55-250, 70-200, or Sigma 50-150.

the popup flash can trigger compatible flashes optically. this might be limiting, but it's a cheap way to get started with off-camera flash. I know the Canon 430EX and higher flashes will work, dunno about Sigma/Nissin/Metz flashes.

 

[funkboy]

Lots of good advice here already.

Not sure what your budget is, but as you were considering a 5D at some point I'll assume that money's not too much of a problem.

The 7D's a great camera. With the 60D looking distinctively consumer-grade it's pretty clear that the 7D will be Canon's best APS-C camera for a good while (if we assume that the 5DIII will be announced around a year from now then perhaps we'll see a 7DII in 2012; of course this is all just speculation). There are several nice new features that together make the 7D a very complete camera.

BTW I agree with your choice of APS-C. Where FF really shines & proves its worth the extra cash & weight is in low-light and portraiture (and really any other application where you need maximum light gathering and/or minimum depth of field). Obviously professionals requiring top-end image quality will use it for much more than that, but those areas are where the differences are most noticeable (low-light should be obvious, portraiture because you can get closer to the subject with a longer lens so the background is more obscure).

You mentioned that real estate is your primary subject. I shoot a lot of interiors of small european apartments for friends' rental businesses on my 40D, and the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 is a champ here. Especially in the winter the available light in apartments tends to be pretty poor, so the f/2.8 aperture helps a lot vs. the f/4.5-5.6 type ultrawides out there.

For portraits, start off with a 50mm f/1.8. It's the cheapest, smallest, lightest lens Canon makes, and it's perfect for getting started shooting portraits on an APS-C camera. If you get one, it'll be the fourth one that this forum has sold for Canon this month . Scale up from there once you get more experienced. The 85mm f/1.8 is an excellent step up that doesn't break the bank.

Action-wise, it depends on your budget & what you're shooting. The 55-250 IS is easy to handle & delivers very good bang for the buck, but it doesn't have the features of the higher-end telephotos. If you've got the dosh go for the 70-200 f/4L IS and maybe a 1.4x teleconverter to go with it if you need more reach.

If you don't have a lot of cash leftover for lighting, find yourself a used 550EX flash in good shape for about $200. It's the top-end flash from not too long ago, and I'll take one over an equivalent-priced new flash any day of the week.

Good luck.

 

[Full of Win]

Look at previous lens/flash rebates to see if there are any on those list you might want. Canon has a habit of recycling lenses of these rebate list.

 

[OreoCookie]

I don't think we can give you any advice if you don't tell us your budget. You seem a little body centric, a beginner's mistake (no offense): glass is much, much more important than bodies. My oldest lens is roughly 20 years old and still works perfectly.

Furthermore, you need to specify a little more clearly what you mean by `action' photography: is it a particular indoor sport? Is it outdoor? How important is it?

In all likelihood, you won't be able to use the portrait lens for sports, the focal lengths and typical working distances are way too different. For indoor sports, you may want to forgo Canon's 70-200 mm f/4 which is optically excellent, but too slow, for instance.

For many portraits, the nifty 50 is a good start if you are getting a crop sensor body. It will give you good head and shoulder portraits. You can use that in addition to a bigger zoom (70-200 mm, for instance) which will cover the rest.

Regarding the wide end, I'm not sure you necessarily need an ultra-wide angle lens: a 17-50/55 mm lens can do the trick already. 17 mm corresponds to a classical wide-angle focal length, 28 mm. Ultra-wide angle lenses will give you plenty of distortion, they will make things appear a lot more spacious than they actually are. If the shots are for a business, I'd rather underpromise and overdeliver than the other way around.

If you shoot indoor real estate, an external flash which can be tilted is IMO a must.

 

[JoshBoy]

sorry for the late replay as I was in Tonga doing a few shoots. My main issue at this point as mentioned was around moving from Olympus (that i know very well) over to canon, i felt by asking the question from users who have used the lens would be the best way. At the start my budget for a body, two lens and a flash is $3500.

The other reason i was not specific on the type of photography is I do a lot of different events ranging from indoor sports to out door to corporate events to family shots or head shots for actors.

By moving into Canon i know i will still be reliant on the olympus until I can afford to replace the last 6 years worth of purchases.

Thanks to everyone for their advise, on my way out now to shop

 

[JoshBoy]

Just as an update i got the 7D, I also got the 10 -22mm, a 50mm and a 70 - 300mm. I bought the battery grip and 580EX II Flash also. I am really happy it and the choice, I also got it all plus a new tripod, bag, batteries well under budget at around $3500 (Australian)

Thanks to everyone for their advise.