Canon 1000D

[Julius]

I am learning photography I have just purchased a Canon 1000d with a 18 to 55mm lens that came with it, and think i may have bought a duff.
The f stop does not go lower than 4.5 ?

Does this limit considerable what i can do?

[Donald]

I am learning photography I have just purchased a canon 1000d with a 18 to 55mm lens that came with it, and think i may have bought a duff.
The f stop does not go lower than 4.5 ?

Does this limit considerable what i can do?

Julius

No, you probably haven't bought a duff. You've bought what could be described as a 'starter pack' .

One of the first places you need to go to understand what your lens is about is here, Sean's tutorial about understanding depth-of-field.

Does it limit what you can do? Well, that depends on what you want to do.

If you are going to be shooting in low light and you don't have a tripod (i.e. you'll need to hand-hold and use relatively faster shutter speeds), then, yes, there will be limitations. If you want to shoot creative images with very small depth-of-field, then, yes, there will be limitations. But if you want to undertake what constitutes probably 99% of 'general' photography, then, 'No', you won't be limited.

The 18-55 is not one of Canon's top-end lenses. But it can still help you create quality images. The rest is up-to-you. And that's about learning and practicing ... and then learning and practicing some more. Then you can start thinking about other lenses, if you want. But, first of all, learn what you can achieve with that lens.

[carregwen]

Julius

Silly question, I know but when you say it won't go lower than 4.5 was that at the widest setting of 18mm? The lens is rated at f3.5-5.6 , but those f-numbers are based across the range of focal lengths. To get 3.5 you probably need to have the lens wide open. If it's not that then, yes, it must be faulty and you should arrange to get it returned.

[Julius]

Thank you, i turned the lens down to 18 and yes I got a f stop of 3.5. Can you help me with a choice of lens I can buy to uprate my camera, I want to take photo'sof birds and close subjects?

[rpcrowe]

Hi Julius,

Congratulations on your new acquisition. Regarding the purchase of an additional lens... Perhaps you might want to work with the lens that you have right now and see where it lacks... if it lacks at all... Do you have the IS version of the 18-55mm? It is said to be quite a bit better than the previous non IS version.

Regarding close up work. Your 18-55mm IS lens can reach a subject/image ratio of 1:3. That means that you can cover a subject area as small as 45mm x 67.5mm. That is relatively small and you can fill the frame with many small objects such as most flowers...

The one area in which the 18-55mm is somewhat lacking is the maximum aperture. Many photographers prefer a zoom lens which has a constant aperture of f/2.8 so they can work in lower light levels. The choice of these lenses varies according to the price you are willing or able to pay. An alternate to purchasing a faster lens is to get a hotshoe flash and use it with a reflector diffuser. Probably the best flash on the market for an entry level unit is one of the Canon 430EX series. However, there are third party flashes such as the Sigma or even the Chinese Youngnou units that seem to work quite well. Using a hotshoe flash and a reflector/diffuser can give you natural looking light and alllow you to shoot with slower f/stops (larger f/numbers). The advantages of shooting with smaller f/stops are a wider depth of field and the fact that you are shooting at the aperture at which most lenses produce their best image quality.

Regarding birds, etc. If you want to shoot birds, you will need a longer lens than your present 18-55mm. The selection of a longer lens depends on the thickness of your wallet and how much you want to reduce that thickness by purchasing a lens. If you are heavily into bird photography; then a lens of around 400mm is great. The 400mm f/5.6L and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lenses are probably the very best lenses for general bird photography. However, these lenses are quite expensive.

The Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS telephoto lens is often partnered with the 18-55mm. This is a relatively reasonable telephoto lens which is light in weight and which will accept the same size filter as your 18-55mm. While, it is certainly not a super birding glass, it is a relatively good general purpose telephoto lens that won't break most budgets.

Good luck with your camera...

[Julius]

Richard, thank you very much for your help. I thought photography was fairly simple, how wrong i was. By the way how would I find out if my lens is the new IS you mentioned.

Julius

[Colin Southern]

Richard, thank you very much for your help. I thought photography was fairly simple, how wrong i was. By the way how would I find out if my lens is the new IS you mentioned.

Hi Julius,

If you look at the front of the lens it'll say something like EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS (if no IS is mentioned there then it's not an IS version).

[Julius]

Colin, my lens at the front says "canon zoom lens ef-s 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II

Is that the IS version?

[Julius]

Thanks for your help with the lens, have ordered the canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

[Donald]

Colin, my lens at the front says "canon zoom lens ef-s 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 II

Is that the IS version?

Julius

That is NOT the IS version. Hope you enjoy both it and the new lens.