Horror story about commissioned salespeople! I need some real unbiased lens advice

[Phrasikleia]

Article quote
"There are some zoom lenses that are just as nice as their prime cousins"

Go to a pro camera store and ask for a prime zoom. They would show you the f2.8 zooms.

Sorry, but you're going to have to let go of that term. Perhaps to be polite a salesman might make a lucky guess as to what you mean, but there is no such thing as a "prime zoom." Anyone using that term is doing so in error. Consult any text on photography if you don't believe me (and the others in this thread having a good chuckle at your expense).

 

[Designer Dale]

Sorry, but you're going to have to let go of that term. Perhaps to be polite a salesman might make a lucky guess as to what you mean, but there is no such thing as a "prime zoom." Anyone using that term is doing so in error. Consult any text on photography if you don't believe me (and the others in this thread having a good chuckle at your expense).

Agreed. The folks at this camera shop are splitting "constant max aperture" away from "constant focal length" and it won't float my boat. 70-200 f2.8 is a "straight through" or "constant aperture" zoom. 50mm is a "prime Lens"

Look it up in the dictionary. I'll do it for you...

"The term prime has come to be used as the opposite of zoom; that is, a prime lens is a fixed-focal-length lens, while a zoom lens has a variable focal length."

Dale

 

[sidewinder]

Article quote
"There are some zoom lenses that are just as nice as their prime cousins"

Go to a pro camera store and ask for a prime zoom. They would show you the f2.8 zooms.

For the last time: There is no such thing as a "prime" zoom because there is no such thing as a "fixed focal length" zoom.

You have made an embarrassing mistake here. Just own up to it and move on.

S-

 

[El Cabong]

Article quote
"There are some zoom lenses that are just as nice as their prime cousins"

Go to a pro camera store and ask for a prime zoom. They would show you the f2.8 zooms.

I went to a pro camera store and asked for a prime zoom, and the guy started laughing at me. THANKS A LOT.

Just kidding. Actually, I bought myself a nice little large format APS-C film camera. It's made by Cuisinart. It's also a toaster.

Thanks for the ammunition, by the way. Keep it coming.

 

[pageerror404]

Good god I'm so confused now, its my first real upgrade since I bought my DSLR.

I have approximately $700 at my disposal... and if I were to buy another body then I could probably sell my D40 for $400 but I would have to give the kit lens away with it. Let me be a little more detailed on my needs so I can get a good suggestion. You all know a lot more than I do.

-Portraits are not a concern of mine. I don't like taking pictures of people who are posing for pictures (not in a creepy way, you know what I mean lol).

-I understand the limitations of my camera and don't really shoot at night because it gets noisy really quick.

-I don't shoot sports, I have no interest in it.

-I occasionally shoot landscapes but I have found myself mainly shooting stationary objects and finding beauty in things we would normally look past. A good portion of my photos are taken withing a couple feet of the subject.

-The idea of an external flash interested me, just to try some creative lighting techniques.

-My hands are big and the D40 feels very uncomfortable me me, it cramps up my hand pretty badly. I even ordered a battery grip to make it bigger, but I have no objections to selling it with the camera... it was only $30.

-Although I shoot with a Nikon right now, I was playing with some other models in Best Buy and the Canon 50D was the the best feeling camera I have ever held. It was the perfect size and weight and seemed completely natural, almost felt like an extension of my arm.

-I have no brand bias towards DSLRs. I bought a D40 because I didn't have a lot of money at my disposal at the time and it was cheaper. So I have no reason to not buy Canon if its a better choice.

So yeah I have juggled the idea of buying a Canon 50D kit, since the lens covers a pretty wide range. I can get it new of adorama for about $1150.

Opinions anyone?

 

[Jaro65]

What the heck is a "prime zoom"??

Exactly!

 

[xkRoWx]

Good god I'm so confused now, its my first real upgrade since I bought my DSLR.

I have approximately $700 at my disposal... and if I were to buy another body then I could probably sell my D40 for $400 but I would have to give the kit lens away with it. Let me be a little more detailed on my needs so I can get a good suggestion. You all know a lot more than I do.

-Portraits are not a concern of mine. I don't like taking pictures of people who are posing for pictures (not in a creepy way, you know what I mean lol).

-I understand the limitations of my camera and don't really shoot at night because it gets noisy really quick.

-I don't shoot sports, I have no interest in it.

-I occasionally shoot landscapes but I have found myself mainly shooting stationary objects and finding beauty in things we would normally look past. A good portion of my photos are taken withing a couple feet of the subject.

-The idea of an external flash interested me, just to try some creative lighting techniques.

-My hands are big and the D40 feels very uncomfortable me me, it cramps up my hand pretty badly. I even ordered a battery grip to make it bigger, but I have no objections to selling it with the camera... it was only $30.

-Although I shoot with a Nikon right now, I was playing with some other models in Best Buy and the Canon 50D was the the best feeling camera I have ever held. It was the perfect size and weight and seemed completely natural, almost felt like an extension of my arm.

-I have no brand bias towards DSLRs. I bought a D40 because I didn't have a lot of money at my disposal at the time and it was cheaper. So I have no reason to not buy Canon if its a better choice.

So yeah I have juggled the idea of buying a Canon 50D kit, since the lens covers a pretty wide range. I can get it new of adorama for about $1150.

Opinions anyone?

Have you considered a used D300? Canon's 50D is a 2 years late response to Nikon's semi-pro D300. D300s was just released late 2009 and a lot of people are letting go of their D300 for roughly $1000. Personally speaking, I'd get the D300 over the D90 (if you're considering staying with Nikon) because it is slightly bigger (fits big hands!), better weather sealing and insane 51 autofocus areas. The D300 cannot get any cheaper than what it is right now, and the value will retain for quite a while.

I haven't personally used the 50D but it has been a general consensus that Canon's in-camera menu is very unintuitive for those who came from Nikons. The only real plus side to the 50D compared to the D300 is the higher resolution and it's only useful if you crop a lot of your shots.

Also, lol @ "prime zooms"

 

[pageerror404]

wont it end up being a little pricey when I have to buy the lens as well?

 

[El Cabong]

If your primary concern is the size and feel of the camera, you can save yourself a bit of money by going with a used 20D or 30D, as the ergonomics of the x0D line is pretty consistent. The body would cost roughly the amount you'll get by selling your current kit, and you'll be able to put all of your original budget towards a lens/lenses. The 28-135mm lens that comes with the Adorama kit costs about $400, so the cost of a used body + lens will be $700-800, leaving ample room ($300-400) for you to buy a nifty fifty or some other lens, if you so choose.

Of course, for simplicity's sake, and for the comfort of buying new rather than used, you might be better off going with the kit.

 

[anth]

Actually, rangefinder style cameras with electronic viewfinders are virtual SLRs. I think we will see a lot of these in the future, especially if the quality of the electronic viewfinder part is similar to optical.

If it lacks a reflex mirror, it cannot be a SLR. Single-lens? Yes. Reflex? No.

 

[JeepGuy]

Him - *Rolls eyes* Well its best not to take those reviews seriously and instead listen to someone with experience who has been using and selling the lenses for years. The latest ones are made with much newer technology and YOU (yes he emphasized the word) will not notice any difference in clarity. In fact they give better pictures.

Oh and I should take advice from a lowly salesperson, the fact is more often than not, they know less than you do, yes there are some specialty stores that have an in house experts, but they are few and far between, and I have been doing the digital thing since the Kodak DCS-620, now there was a beast of a camera small was not it's problem it took 2 men and a boy to carry it.

Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera Body Kit, 15.1 Megapixels, Black with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

This lens is just average, I have a buddy who has this combination, and he's not happy with it. I would just buy the body, and get a better lens separately. Have you looked at the Nikon 18-200 VR it's gotten good reviews.

Joe

 

[snberk103]

To the OP:
Find a pro camera store, a good one.

A good sales person knows what they are talking about, and wants to solve your problem. They want you to come back. With cameras, once a good store has earned your trust you will be back - and back - and back with your money to buy all the accessories you "need". Cameras are like that, they need constant feeding. A good camera store knows that.

The store I like in Vancouver used to let you "rent" you the lenses you are interested in so that you could determine whether they suited your needs or not. (I haven't lived in Vancouver for a number of years, so I don't know if they still do this so I won't name them - but it was common in Vancouver). If and when you bought a lense the "rental" was credited to the purchase price so if you actually purchased it didn't cost you anything extra.

Good camera stores, judging by posts I read, are few and far between - but once you find one they are treasures. You won't get the best prices from them, but you will save money in the long run by not buying inappropriate equipment. Actually you won't save money... we photographers know that equipment purchases expand to fill any available cash.

Good luck - find a better store.