Reddit mentions of Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Standard AutoFocus Fixed Lens - White Box(Bulk Packaging)

• Canon T2i
  
• Rode mic
  
• 50mm lens
  
• Tripod
  
  Dslr cameras are the best thing in a price range of $4000 or less. The canon t2i is lower end but has huge bang for buck. You really do want an external recorder for them. Dslr audio is horrible but that rode mic will really improve it, just not as much as external recording. The 50mm lens is the best starting point it is very cheap but looks great. You need a tripod for a dslr because they look horrible hand held unless you have a good stabilization rig or steady cam.

The Book Thief DVD, camera case, and camera lens from her "Amazon Bomb Suggestions" list add up to just under £100!

It's cheap in the UK too dude.

Here's the album.

If you like this, check out what else we've done.

A side note: a few people have asked about the camera I use; most of the pictures we've posted were shot with a used Canon t2i and a 50mm, $100 lens. The camera records at a maximum resolution of 18 megapixels, which generates large, detailed images, but I think they're worth the hard drive space.

I'll do my best. I don't know many technical terms, and I'll likely be editing this as I remember more things, so beware. Also I'm including solutions to a lot of mistakes I made, so this is long:

Setup:

• Before you go, take a picture of a distant object (building, tree...whatever), and make a mental note about where the focus ring on your camera should be. For my 50mm lens, I need to have the focus ring rotated nearly all the way to the left. This will come in handy later. (http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/media/upload/tutorials/stillcams/rebel_lens.jpg)
  
  
• Download Stellarium (http://www.stellarium.org/) and check to see what the sky will look like when/where you plan your shoot. Also make sure you understand which direction the stars will be drifting in. In N. California, at 9:30 at night, on Sept 18th, facing NE, Andromeda drifted upward and slightly to the left.
  
  
• Next, you'll need a dark area. Use a light pollution map like http://darksitefinder.com/maps/unitedstates-15color.html. I live near San Francisco, so I had to drive 90 miles to get to an area that was dark enough for decent pictures ("green" on the light maps).
  
  
• Make a list of what you need to be sure about: Camera, set to RAW, charged battery, memory card, tripod, tripod head...
  
  Taking pics:
  
  
• I setup my camera and tripod, and aim it towards the first star I see on my screen. However, if your camera isn't focused at least a little, the stars will be so blurry you can't find them. So it helps to know roughly where your focus needs to be (that's why we made that mental note about it earlier). Once you've found a star, adjust your focus as necessary and get it as pin-point sharp as you can.
  
  
• Helpful: An android tablet or laptop. There are free DSLR apps that will give you a live view from your camera, instead of relying on your camera's tiny screen. REALLY helps with focusing and reviewing your images. You can often adjust the camera settings from them too.
  
  
• Now that I'm setup and focused it's time to find Andromeda, so I aim my camera towards it. Problem: I don't know if I'm aimed directly at it, so I take a long exposure at a high ISO. This makes the galaxy much more obvious, so I can find it when I review my picture.
  
  
• Because the earth rotates, the stars drift. Remember when we checked Stellarium, Andromeda was drifting upwards and slightly to the left. I try to aim the galaxy towards the bottom of my frame so as the galaxy moves across the sky, it moves from the bottom of my frame to the top and I don't constantly have to re-adjust my camera.
  
  
• For the 50mm 1.8 lens (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Standard-AutoFocus-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411340725&sr=1-2&keywords=canon+50mm+1.8+lens): Once you've got your aim and focus ready, check that you're taking pictures in RAW, set your exposure to 6 seconds, set your ISO to 1600. Longer lenses will need more light, and offer you shorter exposure times, but you'll get a larger view of the object.
  
  
• I use a remote trigger, lock it in the "take pictures" position, and let the camera fire for 10-15 minutes. Then I check the most recent picture and make sure the galaxy is still in the frame. If it's not near the top of the frame, I keep going for a bit longer until the galaxy starts to get close to the opposite edge of the frame. (Remote: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KDQPWM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
  
• If you need more pictures, re-adjust the camera and keep going. I shoot until I collect at least 500 shots.
  
  
• Now that you have your pictures, you'll need dark frames. We'll use these later to correct errors the camera makes. Put the lens cap on, and with exactly the same exposure time, and the same ISO, take at least 20-30 shots. Don't wait too long, these frames work best if the camera's sensor is still hot from the previous shoots.
  
  
• Now you need bias frames. Again, we'll use these to correct camera errors. Keep the lens cap on, and set your exposure time to the fastest your camera offers. For my T3i, that's 1/4000th of a second. Take 20-30 shots.
  
  Processing:
  
  
• Helpful: When I load my pictures onto the computer, I make 3 folders "Light" "Dark" "Bias". Sometimes I'll find I have high ISO, high exposure "looking for the galaxy" pictures mixed in with my regular pictures. I find the easiest way to identify them is to view my pictures in Windows Explorer and select View - Details. This lists the pictures along with the date they were taken, file size, etc. I add Exposure Time, Focal Length, and ISO to the detail columns and now I can see exactly which pictures are throwaways. I put the pictures of the galaxy in the Light folder, Darks in the Dark folder, and Bias in the Bias folder.
  
  
• Use Deep Sky Stacker, load your Light Frames, and click "Check All". Then load your dark frames, then your bias. These will check automatically. Then click Register Pictures.
  
  
• Under Stacking Parameters, I use Mosaic Mode under "Result" and Kappa Sigma Clipping for the Light, Dark, and Bias frames. Click OK
  
  
• Click Recommended Settings and click any link that's blue. This will automatically pick the best setting for you. Click OK and start stacking! This should take at least a couple hours from start to finish.
  
  
• You'll end up with a picture of nearly NOTHING! But now when you brighten it up the stars and galaxy will emerge and you'll end up with FAR less noise. Deep Sky Stacker used those dark and bias frames to identify what in your pictures is just useless noise, and eliminated it. Deep Sky Stacker also has a very crude adjustment tool to brighten images, but you can use Gimp, Photoshop, Lightroom, or another image editor to really play with the brightness, levels, and curves to get the best image possible.
  
  
• Helpful: If DSS goes through the whole process, and ends in an error, look through your pictures. Make sure the darks are all dark, the lights are all light, and delete frames that look funky (airplane flying through them or something). Maybe try stacking just the first 50, or the first 10...play around with it until you find out what's wrong.
  
  Did I leave anything out? Any questions?
  
  VERY HELPFUL VIDEO: http://youtu.be/e0JSTF8SGi4

You can buy $12 extension tubes, and a $100 50mm 1.8 lens that will take good macro pictures for your Rebel. Those tubes will probably work good with your kit lens, too, if you want to save even more money. Unless you really want a new point and shoot, this would be the route I'd take.

I had posted this in a similar thread a week or so ago. Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V:

I am sure there are some amazing photographers in our midst, but I am not sure how many of them will see this post and reply. So, I will give it my go. Disclaimer: These are my views only.

I will reiterate something that you must have glazed over countless times while doing research in your quest for a DSLR. Just having a good camera/lens will not get you amazing photos. A lot of it is in the eye, but that is what not I am stressing upon too. With any gear, you need to experiment with its functionalities. I live in a city that is teeming with tourists most of the year. Most of them have cameras that look like they'd sprain their necks. But when I look closely, I see many of them shooting in auto mode. If you are going to be that guy, then refrain from spending so much.

That said, my apologies if you do not fall in the above category and are willing to experiment and understand the 'Manual' mode. Now, get some things straight:

1. Kit lenses are mostly not-so-awesome. So, it is better if you buy Camera 'Body Only' and choose lenses separately.
   
2. Choosing Nikon or Canon is totally your choice. Both make amazing cameras. One thing you might want to consider is the brand your friends have. This gives you a choice of borrowing lenses.
   
3. Unless you are into specific kind of photography viz. Sports, Macro, Low Light, you just need a basic walkaround lens to begin with. And maybe one to shoot nice portraits with.
   
4. My experience of third party lenses is that they are not so bad, and in most cases really good - while being a lot cheaper.
   
   I am a Canon 550D guy and nearly 4 years after it's purchase I am rarely tempted to upgrade. I have shot with more expensive cameras too, and beyond doubt they are awesome... but the kind of jump that you make from a basic P&S to a camera like 600D, you should not expect from 600D to say 60D, even though the price almost doubles.
   
   So, looking at your budget I'd suggest you go for Canon 600D with 18-55 kit lens (I'm amazed it is this cheap, even the 'Body only' price on Amazon is higher) or Canon 600D with 18-135. Do get the 50 mm Prime lens for sure. You'll be glad you got it.
   
   Another thing I would like to tell you from my (not that vast) experience set is that lighting makes world of a difference in photography. So if you are going to be serious about it, try and invest in a decent flash soon. By decent, I mean a flash whose head can be tilted for bouncing the light around, and one that can enable you to use it 'off the camera'.
   
   Whateve comes, do not get intimidated. The best camera is the one that you have in your hand when you are about to capture a precious moment. Happy shooting!

As an owner of both a 18-55mm lens and a 75-300 mm lens, I'd suggest those two. I've used the 18-135mm too, and I wasn't really blown away by it. The zoom isn't anything special, and the same thing can be achieved with the 75-300mm lens. Plus, you get a bag and tripod. If I were you, I'd look into shelling out an extra $120-$130 and invest in a 50mm prime lens, which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Standard-AutoFocus-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426302153&sr=8-2&keywords=50mm+lens
as a DSLR filmmaker myself, I'd argue that the 50mm is probably Canon's best kept secret, since you can get some really beautiful looking shots for a fraction of the price of some of the other lenses out there on the market. Hope that helped!

gadget bag

50mm 1.8

I've made due with this one, as it's good for the $100 range, but the focus ring is tiny and there's no distance indicator thingy. Again, I've done okay with it so far.

EDIT: Here's my videos, I believe I used the lens in most of the Toy Bombs video and anywhere in my videos where there is more depth of field. Sadly, I didn't use it in the Slenderman video, even though it was night, because I needed to zoom in and out quickly and it's in Las Vegas so, there's light everywhere. Just remember the 50 would have looked way better there.

If you can spend $400, this one has a better focus ring, the indicator, and it lets in more light so you can shoot at night a little better. I have a short that I recently shot using this lens (borrowed) but I haven't released it online yet. (waiting on music) We shot at night using only streetlamps and reflectors and it worked great.

EDIT: Sorry, I can't link the video, since it's not done, but here's a screengrab from Youtube:

Honestly, neither lens is awesome, but you'll want one of them while you figure out the camera/photography. As a T2i owner, I would say get the cheaper package and a 50mm f/1.8 II.

Le 80D a quelques petits trucs de plus, il est aussi tropicalisé (tu peux prendre des photos sous la pluie et en environnements humides tranquille). T'as plus de réglages de balance des blancs aussi il me semble.

En tout cas, si tu veux lui offrir un petit truc bonus en plus de son nouvel appareil photo, prends un 50mm 1.8 "nifty fifty". Ouvert à fond, il fait des très beaux portraits.

This one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-50-1-8-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415599687&sr=8-1&keywords=50+1.8

And I wonder what's the difference to this more expensive lens?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-50mm-1-8-Lens-Mk11/dp/B00006H1R6/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1415599925&sr=8-8&keywords=50+1.8+canon

I got the 500D last year, Have been happy with it ever since. Have got better as i have learnt the functions and know what to do with them. There is still tons of stuff to learn but i think i have the basics for sure. I jsut look on flickr and sort by camera and i am constantly blown away by what people can do with it.

To be honest 18-55m is okay but i went for this lens first. Nice all rounder, got a bit of a zoom on it for those travel photos, the lens is nice and wide so takes in plenty of light, zooms far enough out so you can get some wider shots. pretty happy with it. get a filter for it though as you will hate to scratch the lens.

but yeah go for it, but save some money for the lens as well. I know a lot of people have liked this lens as well. Fixed but really low f function allowing for great low light shots if need be.

I would go with a Canon t3i or t2i in your case over a D5100 only because of magic lantern. The pixel difference between 16 and 18 doesn't matter. If you go with Nikon you'll be just as happy and appreciate the boost in dynamic range.

As for lenses I'd recommend getting a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 only $350 new on amazon. Manual focus only but much wider and faster than the kit lens. Abandoned buildings don't move very fast and It's available Nikon and Canon.

Canons 50mm f/1.8 are cheap and fast but pretty tight on a crop sensor for shooting indoors but worth $100.

A good tripod is also a good investment, and if you buy your camera body used you'll have more money to spend on one. Fredmiranda is a good forum to buy used.

I cannot speak for the GH1 or 2, however I love my 600D/t3i I have got great results from it and have used it on numerous occasions.

It is the only camera I used for this project

And it will be the only camera I shall be using for my projects I have coming up.

With the addition of the Nifty Fifty you can get some great stuff with it.

And of course Magic Lantern

This Canon Lense and Black Camera Case and The book thief!

Canon 50mm f/1.8 II $95

Something like this?

I would start by buying a cheap 50mm prime lens. They run for under $100, and I'm sure you could pick one up for less on ebay. http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Standard-AutoFocus-Lens/dp/B00005K47X

You should definitely get the 50mm canon lens, it has no zoom feature but has great depth-of-field and is I think one of the cheapest you can get. Its great value for money, apart from that however I use the kit lens too. Here's a link to the 50mm.

Thanks for the reply!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-50-1-8-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345492272&sr=8-1

Is this the one you mean? I think a prime would work well in film. I don't think there'll be much zooming. If that's the one you recommend, which of the other two would you recommend for photography? Will any work?

Two of them for now. I have others that I was shown that I'm making grabby hands at, but they'll have to wait.

I'm looking at this 50 1.4 and this 50 1.8. They came highly recommended.

I think i'll follow your adive, what about this lens ?

And what do you think of the camera ? Thanks a lot for taking the time answering my questions !

When it comes to the close up and extremes you'll be looking for a macro lens. My goto on the job is the 100mm 2.8 L (the non-L lens is a pretty good place to start. I've actually got a used and abused one going, get in touch if you're interested). You might also want to consider the 50mm 1.8 (you can find a better price than that). It won't give you the super close ups but it will give you some real depth of field to start working with.

Lighting... that kit might be slight overkill with the backgrounds. Those lights also don't let you use new modifiers as you continue your journey. You may find you prefer the look from a softbox than an umbrella and you're kinda stuck with those. I would consider these if the price stays low...
Having said all that, it's important to start somewhere and that's not a bad place at all!

There aren't really any steps to follow to get into the business. The best advice I can give is to shoot! Keep shooting! Learn, ask, watch youtube videos. Start looking at the photos you like and try and work out how they were lit. Look into food styling.

When you're confident in what you can do, try going into a local restaurant and offer them a little shoot for free. Maybe offer them 1 photo and the option to buy the others if they like them. Work breeds work.
That's all the advice I can think of at the moment but you can message me if you have any questions!

edit: Links and bits

I love the T5i! It's a fun and quality camera that shoots pretty good video (as well as some great photo). In my opinion it's not as good as the D7100, but it's not trying to compete with that. The T5i compares to a Nikon D5100.

In any case, I think it's a great camera. For this deal specifically, the 18-55 bundle is good, but I'd get the bundle+free accessories and this lens; then you're all set.

I'll warn you though that there's a slight learning curve if you've never used a DSLR before - the folks (and sidebar) at /r/photography definitely can help you there!

If you'd prefer a much simpler, but quality camera I'd recommend looking into a mirrorless system. They're all the rage nowadays and are quite excellent for the "people who want good cameras but aren't photographers" group.

I have an entry level Canon DSLR. Want to buy a new lens which would be better than the kit lens for night/low light photography as well as general use. I have found 2 possible choices, I understand the 18-55mm has image stabilisation so would that be the way to go? Any other suggestions appreciated.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Zoom Lens

Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens

Are you aware that neither the Canon equivalent, nor the Nikon equivalent has stabilization, right?

For what I've read (And tested, as a coworker lend me for a weekend the Canon 50), both lenses are more or less equivalent. The only thing the Yongnuo is inferior is the materials used for the construction. The only problem I see with this kind of lens is that is a very, very limiting lens: too much light can put you on chromatic aberration avenue, get yourself in low light condition and you will go through shaking street.

But go for those close up, almost macro shots, and you will get some quality stuff.

Can anyone tell if there is a difference in these two lenses besides the price?

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406836212&sr=8-1&keywords=Canon+EF+50mm+f%2F1.8&dpPl=1

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Standard-AutoFocus-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406836212&sr=8-2&keywords=Canon+EF+50mm+f%2F1.8&dpPl=1

I currently have a Canon 1000D (EOS Rebel XS) with the 18-55 IS kit lens, a 55-200mm telephoto and a 50mm f/1.8 prime. The new mirrorless cameras (e.g. Sony A6000) have caught my eye. Will they provide a noticeable increase in image quality or other substantive benefits beyond their smaller size?

If I pick up the A6000, what lenses are recommended? My potential budget for camera and lense(s) is around $1000.

Premiere is my main editing software for this project. I would suggest you learn a bit of Photoshop and After Effects as well, if you have the time. The 3 programs work seemlessly together and you can create some very cool stuff.

Lenses: Canon 50mm

Standard 18-55mm that came with the T4i

Opteka Fisheye

External mic: Cheap 30$ mic I ordered from china. The resulting audio is surprisingly good.

Manual is the way to go with video, usually. As long as you arent going in/out of well lit/shady areas, so you adjust your settings to adapt to your surroundings. It takes more time to prepare, and takes alot of practice so know what to adjust and when, but in the end your shots will come out exactly how you see them on screen.

Believe it or not, I have very little experience with camera manipulation. I consider myself more of editor. This trip was one big experiment for me to test out what it would be look to haul camera gear around on my first trip ever. I think its apparent in the footage that my camera work did get better over time.
As for shooting/travelling advice:

-Test out your gear before you leave

-Bring extra batteries, memory cards. Depending on where you're travelling too, it could be hard to find a power source or computer to charge your camera or backup your footage.

-Watch your footage after filming it, it may not have come out like you wanted it to. Adjust settings for the next time you shoot.

-Everyone has a shooting style, I liked to leave my tripod still and get shots fixed on a certain area, seeing as my shitty tripod made most camera movements look bad. Please, for the love of god, when taking still shots, do not move your camera before less than 4 seconds. Its very frustrating to have a nice shot in your footage but it only lasts 1.5 seconds.

-Dont bring a shitty tripod.

-Again, I dont know what your goal is in documenting your travels, but as akward as it may be sometimes, try to capture human interaction, especially with those you are meeting/just met. I regret not filming enough of these encounters because it means I missed out on alot of good content.

Thats all for now, if you got any more questions, shoot!

Hey all,

Years ago I purchased a Rebel T2i that came with a 18-55mm IS lens. I then added on a 55-250mm IS II and a 55mm.

I haven't shot with them as much as I should have, but i'm now getting back into it. I'm about to add hood lenses to all of them (tip from a Youtube video I saw) and I will get out and start shooting more. My interest range from landscape, structures, portrait and anything really. I do have two questions though!

1. I'm thinking about adding a wide lense, specifically thing one Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS What do you guys think about that one? Looking at this as a general "do-all" lens for normal shooting.
   
2. Any other tips/hints for me?
   
   Thanks!
   

Ok, ok. What do you mean exactly with kit lens? Is it just a regular lens? And why not just buying the body + the kit lens all in one?

Here's what I found:
For example if I choose the canon 1200D camera, here it's the body + 18-55mm: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-EF-S-18-55mm-Digital/dp/B00IB1BTWI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405024144&sr=8-2&keywords=Canon+1200D

Then I would buy the 50mm f/1.8 lens additionally: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Standard-AutoFocus-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405024183&sr=8-1&keywords=+50+f1.8

Or do you mean I should just buy the body: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-T5-Digital-Camera/dp/B00J9SH1ZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405024439&sr=8-1&keywords=Canon+1200D


Can you explain me what you mean with shooting in raw?


I would be very thankful if you could check the canon 1200D out :)