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Need advice

waimon wong jr

New member
Didn't know where to pose this question. So I thought the gear sections was appropriate.
I have a question, my current equip is this
EOS rebel 4ti
Standard kit lens and a 50mm lens
My preference is for portraiture, should my next purchase be a lens or flash?
I would guess flash but was leaning toward a 70-200 lens
Thanks for any input.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Didn't know where to pose this question. So I thought the gear sections was appropriate.
I have a question, my current equip is this
EOS rebel 4ti
Standard kit lens and a 50mm lens
My preference is for portraiture, should my next purchase be a lens or flash?
I would guess flash but was leaning toward a 70-200 lens
Thanks for any input.


For portraiture, if you have good window light and a white reflector foam board, you don't need flash. By positioning the card, you can brighten the darker side or reflect up from bleow or both. aslo with a black card, one can decrease environmental reflections to the other side.

As for buying flash, one can use one in an umbrella, shooting through it and again and again balancing light with a white card. But I'd prefer to get a longer lens. A used 70-200 f4.0 L is all you need. That should be about $400-450 and then IS a little more.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well, not so fast, look at the 85mm 1.8. It's plastic but a brilliant performer!
Perfect for portraits.

The other bargain is the 50mm 2.5 macro which is one of Canon's best ever lenses, $239.99 direct from Canon!

ef50_25compactmacro_1_l.jpg

I promise that you will be so proud of you photographs. Just be patient as it's slow at focus.

In fact you can do weddings with this lens. Just be deliberative!

Asher
 
Well, not so fast, look at the 85mm 1.8. It's plastic but a brilliant performer!
Perfect for portraits.

The other bargain is the 50mm 2.5 macro which is one of Canon's best ever lenses, $239.99 direct from Canon!

ef50_25compactmacro_1_l.jpg

I promise that you will be so proud of you photographs. Just be patient as it's slow at focus.

In fact you can do weddings with this lens. Just be deliberative!

Asher

I have to agree with both of Asher's recommendations here - both are fantastic lenses at bargain prices. Since you are looking at portraiture, the 85mm should be high on your list.

If you are looking for something a little less telephoto than the 85mm on your camera - and even more versatile - the Tamron 60mm f/2.0 Macro is a fantastic, often-overlooked lens worth investigating.
 
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