Lens advice: what should be my second lens?? So I purchased the Lumix DMC G1, and it comes with the Lumix G Vario14- 45mm f/3.5-5.6. What will be an all around good lens to purchase as my second option. I'm not taking pictures of big landscapes; it will be mostly used for taking pictures of the kids in all kinds of lights settings. Also I like to snap nature.ThanksLigia Lens advice: what should be my second lens?? So I purchased the Lumix DMC G1, and it comes with the Lumix G Vario14- 45mm f/3.5-5.6. What will be an all around good lens to purchase as my second... » Read More Lens advice: what should be my second lens?? So I purchased the Lumix DMC G1, and it comes with the Lumix G Vario14- 45mm f/3.5-5.6. What will be an all around good lens to purchase as my second option. I'm not taking pictures of big landscapes; it will be mostly used for taking pictures of the kids in all kinds of lights settings. Also I like to snap nature.ThanksLigia « Show Less
267124
I'm not a G series owner "yet", but I think there are very few real choices for lenses. The 45-200 is the most likely choice for telephoto. And the 20mm/f1.7 "pancake" for indoors/low light. I'd think the lense you have is probably the better overall for average use, especially if the EZ zoom feature works as well as in the FZ series. I would think you could reach @150mm at 5EZ. The EZ zoom feature is supposed to be able to double the focal length, bringing the 14-45 (28-90) to 28-90 (56-180). And it is "free".Unless you need the long reach of the 45-200mm (90-400mm), which I can't do without, why spend the money? I'm not a G series owner "yet", but I think there are very few real choices for lenses. The 45-200 is the most likely choice for telephoto. And the 20mm/f1.7 "pancake" for indoors/low light. I'd think the lense you have is probably the better overall for average use, especially if the EZ zoom feature works as well as in the FZ series. I would think you could reach @150mm at 5EZ. The EZ zoom feature is supposed to be able to double the focal length, bringing the 14-45 (28-90) to 28-90 (56-180). And it is "free".Unless you need the long... » Read More I'm not a G series owner "yet", but I think there are very few real choices for lenses. The 45-200 is the most likely choice for telephoto. And the 20mm/f1.7 "pancake" for indoors/low light. I'd think the lense you have is probably the better overall for average use, especially if the EZ zoom feature works as well as in the FZ series. I would think you could reach @150mm at 5EZ. The EZ zoom feature is supposed to be able to double the focal length, bringing the 14-45 (28-90) to 28-90 (56-180). And it is "free".Unless you need the long reach of the 45-200mm (90-400mm), which I can't do without, why spend the money? « Show Less
267125
Well I must say I love my G1!! I was thinking the pancake 20mm f1.7 should be my next purchase, it just hard to convince myself about cashing $400 for it, but for what I have read it's the most versatile of them all. Now that the EZ zoom is based on digital zoom right? I try not to use the digital zoom since I don't like the lost of quality. I'm not big into telephoto as of now at least, so I think I'll go for the pancake. It's suppose to be 40mm as equivalent to a 35mm camera. And the reviews say it's versatile enough for dimly lit scenarios.Thanks for your reply!!
301032
If you want something good all around (but not really good at one single thing) then there's the Panasonic 12-35mm 2.8. It's wide enough to get nice landscapes, but the zoom will give you a more normal range too when you want it. If you want something smaller/ cheaper then the other lenses people have mentioned are good too. Don't get the Olympus 12mm F/2. I have it and the camera constantly mis-focuses.
2187920
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf3/4505-6501_7-34834956.htmlGo online and look at the reviews of this lens. Depends on what birds you want to shoot and what detail you want.. Take a look at some online comments and youtube reports. Here's a couple.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O87bPSQ246Eand http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_g_vario_100_300mm_f4_56_mega_ois_review/Photoblogs are helpful in this regard because they will give you a feel for how people are using the lens...
1463261
Did you ever get a lens? I'm making the same decision now. If so, what did you buy? Are you happy with your decision? Is there anything else you would add that would help me make a decision. Thanks!
2173346
The best review of these two lenses in on Ken Rockwell's website. I currently have the Canon35 1.4 and the 35 2.0 non-is. I also had the 35 2.0 IS but sold it and then got the non-IS on eBay. Why? The IS is great but big and I was looking to put together a lighter combo than the 5DMK3 and 1.4. I have a 6D that fits the bill and thought the new 35 IS would work well as an everyday combo to carry around. The image quality is very good but it is big. So, I sold it, found a good version of the non-IS, and in combination with the 6D it meets all my needs. Good quality images, smaller lens, less weight.
405
Thanks everyone for your help. You've explained a lot and it really helps. After your explanations, I looked at my past photos. I'm thinking that maybe the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 will fill my needs. Thanks again.
56283
That depends on what you intend to do with it. If this is a transitional step toward a higher-end body, by all means get it. Note, however, this should not be the first (or second) lens in your arsenal. It is too big and too heavy to be a walk-around lens. The SL1 body is a bit smaller than the rest of the EOS bodies. I would be a bit concerned that this lens may be hard to hand-hold with this body. I do not have an SL1, but I have had a number of T-series bodies before I switched to the 60D and 70D bodies. I am currently using this lens with the 60D and 70D bodies and love it. That depends on what you intend to do with it. If this is a transitional step toward a higher-end body, by all means get it. Note, however, this should not be the first (or second) lens in your arsenal. It is too big and too heavy to be a walk-around lens. The SL1 body is a bit smaller than the rest of the EOS bodies. I would be a bit concerned that this lens may be hard to hand-hold with this body. I do not have an SL1, but I have had a number of T-series bodies before I switched to the 60D and 70D bodies. I am currently using this lens with the 60D and 70D bodies... » Read More That depends on what you intend to do with it. If this is a transitional step toward a higher-end body, by all means get it. Note, however, this should not be the first (or second) lens in your arsenal. It is too big and too heavy to be a walk-around lens. The SL1 body is a bit smaller than the rest of the EOS bodies. I would be a bit concerned that this lens may be hard to hand-hold with this body. I do not have an SL1, but I have had a number of T-series bodies before I switched to the 60D and 70D bodies. I am currently using this lens with the 60D and 70D bodies and love it. « Show Less
1037163
I have to respectfully disagree with the recommendation for a 16-85mm VR. I have that lens, use it with my D90 and it's great for outdoor situations. Indoors, the 16-85mm is fine if you are using a flash. I can see using the 16-85mm for some interior church shots, but most of wedding shots are going to be of people. things, little details like bouquets, etc. You will want a lens that can handle low-light and can isolate a subject well (subject in focus - remaining areas blurry). You should check out primes. Fast zooms are nice, but they will defintiley set you back a lot of money. Look into these lenses: 1. Nikkor 50mm 1.8 - The poor man's lens for low light, decent bokeh, depth of field interestingness. $100 Everyone should have at least one fast lens and since this one is cheap, it's a good place to start. 2. Sigma 30mm 1.4 More money, but since it's wider than the above lens, a little more versatile, especially with DX sensor. $300 or more 3. Nikkor 85mm 1.8 - Like the 50mm but is more telephoto, so this is good if you are standing far from your subject but want to fill the frame with your subject. Good for concerts, theater, etc. 5. Nikkor 85mm 1.4 - This is a money-making lens for pro wedding photographers and portrait photographers. People fall in love with and worship this lens. Do a web search and you'll find out why. Very, very pricey. $1K but worth it. One thing about primes is that there is a definite learning curve to using them - especially at the wider apertures since the depth of field is SO narrow. You have to really work on learning to use them to maximize the number of keepers you have. BUT, these fast lenses help you to examine more work more critically, to look at your composition, technique, etc in ways that your kit lens never will :) Good luck with your photography!
1398789
It is a great portrait lens! The BEST lens for portraits? It depends on what "look" you like. For the price, this lens is spectacular. Would I buy it again? You know, honestly, I would probably invest the money in purchasing a 35mm 1.4g if I had to do it over again. But if you don't have the grand to throw down on a lens, then this puppy will still give you amazing and beautiful photos. :)
2227374
Since this is your first DSLR I will recomend the Canon 18-135 as a good all around lens. Overtime you may find the need or desire for other lenses like primes and L but to get you started the 18-135 will do a good job.
241545
If you are looking for a great portrait lens then go with the 85mm 1.4, it's fantastic. The 35 mm is a great lens too but better as a walkaround lens for general photography. You definitely want longer focal lengths for portraits.
1135873
We carried both on our European honeymoon. The 50 mm f/1.8 lens is GREAT for portraits when you want to blur the background, but it is not good for landscapes or where you need to stand pretty close to the subject but want a normal field of view. We found that it was hard to just carry the 50 mm lens without having the 18-55 lens in back-up, but the pictures with the 50 mm lens are our favorites. If you really wanted to just carry one lens, you could probably get by with the 50 mm lens plus a camera phone.
1441507
i have the d80 with the 18-70 dx, the 70-300 ed, and the 50 1.8 d nikkors, plus the tokina 12-24 and the tamron 28-75 f/2.8. what glass you put on your d80 to start with should depend on intended uses and experience level. if all you want is an all-in-one lens, go for the 18-135 kit, unless you can afford the 18-200 vr. the 24-120 VR is another sweet after-market option if you go body-only and just want one lens, but you'd probably be better off, however, with either the 18-55 or the 18-70, plus the 55-200 vr. for the size, weight, and cost, they're very good for plastic consumer lenses. the downside is they're fairly slow for (D)SLR lenses, due to narrow apertures at the long end. if low-light photography or action sports is your bag, skip the nikkors altogether unless you can afford the 17-55 2.8 and/or the 70-200 VR. get the d80 body and grab a sigma or tamron 2.8. if w/a is your thing, i'd get one of the 18s (-55, -70, -135, -200) and pair it with the tokina 12-24 or the sigma 10-20. if you're more of a telephoto person, get the 18-55 or -70 and pair it with the inexpensive 70-300 non-vr g lens. the money you save over the ed or vr versions can go toward a good tripod -- unless you really think you're gonna be doing a lot of handheld shooting at 300mm. for macro and portrait work, consider again going body-only with the d80, getting the $100 50 1.8 prime, and maybe the sigma 30, the nikkor 60, and the tamron 90 to round out your selection, which would give you a nice, sharp range. if all of this seems too complicated, look at a fixed-zoom P&S or the d40/18-55 combo.
1773128
Well if your camera has only supports AF-S lenses then you might take one. If your camera has a autofocus driver motor then you can choose between the two (assuming you WANT autofocus). I haven't ever used the D version but many like it. Right now the G version is on rebate so if you want it get it SOON before its over (probably done March 1st). The G version will hold its value as it is highly regarded and one of the sharpest lenses Nikon makes. If it were me I would probably go with the G version while it is on rebate.
910058
Photofun123-I am in a similar situation. What did you decide on and what do you think of it? I will be getting a 50d and only one lens. My main subject will be my toddler. I am considering 24-70 and 24-105. Thanks.
173413
Between these two I would recommend the 14-45 for general purpose use. Micro 4/3 cameras like your GF1 have a 2x crop factor... Which means the 14-45 will be a 35mm equivalent of 28-90. The 45-150=90-300mm. So you will have more opportunities to get good photos with the 14-45, which is also a sharper lens.
1585359
I meant lens baby composer with tilt. Got it at Adorama. Then I bought an open box gh1 with the 14-140 lens for $899.00 Will then probably turn around and sell the camera and the 14-45 lens. Great deal for a great lens.