Hello everybody I'm an EOS 600D owner, I've nothing got to offer, there's nothing much to take, I'm an absolute beginer... And obviously, I have a lot of questions to ask... Cu, Axel.
Welcome to the forum, Axel, may I suggest you just grab your camera and just walk around taking photos.
Thanks for the advice Craig. I own this camera for about 10 years, I taked a bunch of photos since I get it I still have some questions, especially about lens selection, maybe about some settings. Regards.
What sort of photography do you enjoy or want to get into as this will effect your camera settings. A lot of people use the auto function on your command dial, that is the green square, there are others to use. This will allow you to have some control over one part of the settings and the camera does the rest. The aperture priority is another one to consider. As you open your aperture up it effects the depth of field and the camera does the rest of the settings, eg. F16 is good for landscapes as it allows for a deep depth of field, that means how far you can see into your image. Shutter priority, this allows for faster or slower shutter speeds. Dfferent lens can be use on different situations, 50mm F1.8 is a good walk around lens and can be used for darker situations as you can open the aperture up to allow more light onto the camera's sensor, 75 - 300mm, these are good for longer distance shots. My most used lens is 28 - 105mm and a 28mm used for landscape shots.
For some reason the forum does not allow me to post the link of the topic where I detail the use I (want to) make of my 600D. Long story short, I own currently a single lens (Tamron 18-200 zoom f3.5/6.3) which was perfect for random family use. But I started filming a while ago, mostly overhead DIY stuff and final product photos/closups with a little help of two daylight soft boxes, and I really dislike the Tamron for this use as it does not catch a lot of light a it is not really good for short depth of field shootings, despite it does pretty descent macros. So I'm still wondering which will be my next lens. The Canon 50mm EF f1.8 II you mentioned is a possible choice, but some 35mm and 80mm may also be interesting for this purpose. Maybe a 80mm will stand a bit too far from me, but I'm not sure...
Before going to far with choices, I would advise that min focus distance will possibly be an issue for you. When working with lighting tentsoftbox I pefer to be able to isolate the subject easier without the lens being right next to the object, for example set your zoom at 35/50/80 and see how you like the distance from subject and how easy it is isolate it from the surroundings as you need. Then also take note of the distance from the subject your lens is where you WANT it to focus. For example the 50mm 1.4 focuses at 0.45 meters, the 85mm 1.8 focuses at 0.85 m.. the 50mm 1.88 focuses at .35m so t may be better at that option, however I am not a fan and find anything wider than 2.8 to be pretty soft. However what i am getting at here is you can use the zoom to gauge what mm lens you would find best to work with for your shots and how close you would be to the subject generally speaking. I have all three of those lenses but I typically use my 100mm macro for things in a lighting tent since i find 50mm too wide to get close enough to and the 85mm doesn't focus very close.
Axel, one thing that was not mensioned was cost, except for one lens, all my lenses are secondhand. Now if you can afford a new lens this is an advantage, if not but wish to have a 85mm 1.8. To get around the distance you are shooting at, purchas a close up filter, the come in various sizes, again cheap chinese one work well for me, may I suggest a 85 F1.8 lens from china. I purchased a new one that was cheap, It had no autofocus but I easily can get around that using the live-view screen at the back of the camera and the + button to zoom into the subject to get accurate focus. Not everyone likes these lenses but they suit my useage. The 50mm F1.8 can be found at a cheap price due to the many variations that are around the secondhand markets. My suggestions are based on what I can afford and use, it may or may not suit your use and needs , if you purchase a new one, I suggest you go along to a camera shop and try the new lens you may be interested in so you can see what it is like on your camera.
Thank you for this wise advice. I share the same opinion about lens with higher focal which rarely shines, and that's the main issue with my actual Tamron. I also like to be as close as possible. The size of my subjects may vary, from the size of a fist to the size of a coffee table, roughly. That's why I plan first to get a general purpose lens, then the need of a dedicated macro lens would probably come next. The Tamron focus at 0.2m at 18mm, 0.5m at 50mm, which is not bad for small objects actually, and still acceptable for bigger subjects. At 80mm, the distance of the subject starts do be too far for my purpose, especially on bigger subjects. My studio is not any big. The suitable focal is maybe between 35 to 50mm. I'm a bit afraid of the distortion you can get with a 35mm, especially on close ups. I had a 50mm on my first reflex (Olympus OM20), but I never owned any 35mm. Anyways, thank you, your advice opened my mind.
Thank you for your advice. The close up filter is a pretty good idea, I did not know it even exists. I will have a look. Most of the time my 600D is filming. Taking pictures comes at the end, but the close up filter may help for final shots. If I were rich, I would probably own a prestigious brand camera with the best lenses, but unfortunately I'm not. On the other hand, I will probably avoid Chinese lenses mostly because of the noise of the lens focusing which can be a no go for filming. I planned to buy mostly second hand, especially if I chose the 50mm f1.8 you mentioned. This lens have an overall good reputation by the way, and it's a possible option. Anyways If I make a wrong choice, I can still sell the lens for a better one, it's no big deal and I may not lose any money.
Axel, this may help, I have used my 60D for filming purposes with my cheap chinese lens on it and there is no noise from the focusing as it has no auto focus on it. The image below is a lens I purchased from a Sunday market here where I live. I went along the rows of sellers and had seen the pistol grip of the lens in on barsket and moved farther along the row and then purchase the lens. I went back to my car and had a closer look at the lens and the missing bit seem to be the same as the pistol grip I had seen earlier. I took the lens back with me and the pistol grip was the missing piece of the lens all up cost was 10 Australian dollars. The trigger operates the aperture so you can open and close it while filming. It has a M42 mount on it so I fitter an EOS adapter to use it on my 60D . On the bottom of the pistol grip is a place to mount it to a tripod. The handle on it ( it looks like a siverbotton in the image as you can see it end in the image) allows you to smoothly zoom back and forth from 85 to 210mm focal length. The aperture an be preset by locking it to the desired F stop or use a locking lever to unlock it open it up using the trigger to o to F4.8, this function could be used for closing the end of the film. I this is the only example of this lens I ave seen but I think it looks preety cool.
Wow ! what a great find ! The autofocus function is necessary for my purpose as there the focus point vary when I film overhead. My crafts are constantly evolving from big to small parts, and sometimes I bring an item closer to show people a detail. I guess the auto-focus is working many times within a minute. My hands are also very busy and the camera have to film alone. I just check from time to time if the action is roughly centered and if everything is OK. I tried an action cam for the same purpose, as it is always focused, but as it is an ultra wide angle, the action cam is always on the way standing just above my hands, there's also no mic input and the plugged screen is not very handy. Ideally, I would like the 600D to be at eyes height of just above, leaving enough free space to work. But I keep in mind the close up filter for final shoots, while I can take my time making good photos. I try to be creative with several lights, good composition, and switching different lenses and filters is no big deal.
