Thread

About 6-7 years ago I sold my film SLR camera (Canon EOS 5) because the cost of film and developing was stopping me from using it. I’m now ready to get back into SLR photography and have determined that the Canon 550D (also known as the Rebel T2i) is the camera for me. I’m planning on buying it in the next 7-10 days or so, but do not know which lens’/accessories I would like to buy.

I’m interested in landscape/potrait photography primarily though I do like to dabble in macro. I have two young children that I would like to get pics of, but my wife and I do use our point and shoot for lots of kids photos.

Any photographers out there have some advice?

Thoughts on the remote? a flash (probably won’t buy with initial purchase, but at a later time) or other things?

Thanks for your thoughts.

I had a long reply typed out but I lost it ><

I love the T2I.  I have a 5D Mark II as well.  The T2I is a crop frame camera, so you have some options with the EF-S type lenses.  The T2i’s magic comes from it’s ability to shoot really cool 1080p video, with full depth of field control.  Lenses can run as much as the camera.  I love the L family of lenses but they are really expensive.  A nifty 50 for portraits should work.  The f1.4 50mm one.  The f1.2 is about 3 times the price.  Get a nice wide-angle, something in the 17-40mm range for those awesome landscape shots.  I believe one of those popular portrait lenses is the 85mm which also comes in a cheap version and a $2000 version.  Zoom lenses are all over the place as far as capability, light gathering, etc.  I have a 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM which I use for a lot of things, but it was as much as the 5D.

You’ll love Live View.  No more eyeball in a viewfinder unless you wish to do so.  Focus accuracy is much much easier with Live View.  Remote control:  I love OnOne’s software for the iPhone to hook up to your laptop, which is connected to the camera.  You can see what your camera sees on your iPhone and shoot shots remotely.  I used this to get shots of some timid birds that wouldn’t come by if I was near.

Loye,

thanks for your thoughts. I am definitely considering the f1.4 50mm lens. back when I had my EOS 5 I had a great 70-210mm zoom lens can’t remember the specs but it was super sharp.

Live view is one of the reasons I chose this camera - I’ve got a major lazy eye which makes viewfinder stuff a PITA.

Sean

Sounds good Sean. 

A couple more thoughts.  I use the 50mm 1.4 for wide field astrophotography.  In really dark sites (might be trouble in S. Korea) it’ll take some amazing shots.  For a tripod I swear by the Manfroto brands.  I can’t remember if the T2i has an internal flash or not.  I have a 530ex that I really like.

If you want to see some of the DSLR video capabilities, I have several posted on Vimeo.  http://www.vimeo.com/12523618 is part 1 of a video I put together for my mom. 

Good luck with it!  It’s a fun hobby, and it sounds like you are in a location where you could get tons of awesome photos.

Loye,

The T2i/550D has an internal flash, which is good ‘cause I’m not planning on buying an external flash until later.  I have a good tripod, though it’s not a manfroto - one of the accessories I didn’t sell along with my old SLR.

I do have a HD camcorder, which is great for home video and easy to use for my wife (Canon Vixia HG20 - my videos are on vimeo also http://vimeo.com/createsean), but of course it doesn’t let you control depth of field.

I did some more searching both online and offline and ended up getting a grey market Canon Kiss X4, which is the Japanese version of the 550D. I didn’t get the kit lens but ended up with the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 and a 50mm f1.8 I also got a third party battery grip.

Now I’m relearning SLR photography since it’s been a long time since I’ve used one. Having fun though… can’t wait for the kids to get home from school so i get some pics of them.

If I were you I’d head over to Photography on the Net -> http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

They have an awesome forum and everyone there is really helpful. I see you have bought your camera; still head over as they have heaps of advice and guidance for newbies.

Awesome choice of camera, i recently got one and whilst new to photography, absolutely love it.

Hows does this one suit you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0E-nZOlY_k 😊

Now back to reality - If you can afford them then L’s are a different quality of Lens. They are superior and you get what you pay for.

I’m also a big fan of the Canon Rebel T2i. I bought mine around the same time you bought yours Sean and I’m still using it today, though I’ve been thinking about upgrading to a 7D for a while now, as my skills as a photographer and knowledge of cameras have developed. I was wondering, are you still using your T2i as well and have you thought about upgrading to something more advanced? Also, what do you think about the T3i? It doesn’t seem to be as popular as the T2i was (and still is), though I do like some of the updates, but it’s certainly not a huge leap forward in my opinion. I know this is an old thread by the way, so if you don’t reply, I understand 😊

This training isn’t free, but as with most all Lynda tutorials they are top notch in quality and content.  Here’s a link to the Digital Photography Course. If anything its just a good primer to get all the technical stuff out of the way:

http://www.lynda.com/Digital-Photography-tutorials/digitalphotographyprinciples-thecamera/453-2.html

FYI I shoot the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D for my wedding photography business.  Let me know if I can give any advice on other equipment, it’s something I spend quite a bit of time with 😉

I would also recommend http://www.kelbytraining.com/. There’s some really good tutorial videos from some of the top photographers.