buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Hello;
I want to make the "BIG JUMP" into producing high quality images from my Canon 70D.
UNFORTUNATELY since I don't have a consistent income, funds are limited.
What types of used lenses should I look for. (And where?)
I want to do Nature, (we own 11 cats!) close ups, (such as flowers,) and landscapes with brilliant colors..
Thanks for any advice..

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

It would all depend upon your budget. "Fast" lenses get very expensive, very fast. If most of your shooting is outdoors, you can get by for a lot less.

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Let's say it's mostly outdoors..

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

You have lots of choices, the Canon 18-135mm "kit" lens is a very adequate performer and may have come with your camera if you bought the kit. Look at the Tamron 16-300mm and the Sigma 18-300mm lenses for great range in a single lens. Canons 17-55mm F2.8 is very nice, but you will want to add a second lens like maybe the Canon 70-200mm F4L IS, then you will be carrying two lenses though.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

You are going to have to tell us an amount of money you are willing to spend. The third sentence tells us you may not know what is available or what you want. You will be swamped with suggestions for what you have asked. For "close ups" of your cats and flowers look into a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens. One of the most Inexpensive of the "L" series lenses, the best. Look to KEH, Adorama, and B&H Photo for used equipment. You can find copies of the EF 70-200mm f/4 USM for around $525.00usd. That lens will really open your 70D-eyes. Realize that the "BIG JUMP" can lead to "BIG DOLLARS". Read as much as you can about a lens of interest in "the-digital-picture.com". This is one of the best references for Canon, primarily and other brands in general. Do your research and watch places such as UHH for used gear sections (we do have one). Suspect E-Bay with every breath! Good luck, you are embarking on a wonderful journey that can be extramely rewarding.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I have quite good luck with ebay. I have also bought from sellers with 99.3% and higher ratings. I have not been burned yet.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You'll get as many answers as there are lenses to choose from ... Thinking in terms of budget and a great lens for a cropped sensor, consider the following primes used:

Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM Lens
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens

They're all 'fast' lenses and among Canon's sharpest at all apertures. All three can be used for macro / close-up photography as well as tight framing of people, plants and animals. All are useful for general purposes except where a wide to normal focal length is needed. You didn't mention your current lenses, but I'll assume from the nature of your question that you are not currently shooting with a prime nor any of Canon's mark II versions of their L lenses. Therefore, any of these primes will clearly surpass your current zooms at a relatively modest investment. All three have been out for a number of years generating many copies available in the used market from KEH, ebay, etc.

I'd suggest too working on your technique and / or getting a tripod for your work on flowers. Your Hibiscus from last August from your yard is extremely well-framed. But, the focus is too soft and the colors too muted. I would have placed a single focus point on the stamen with a narrow aperture (f/13 or smaller) to capture most to all of the flower in perfect focus. Your focus on this image seems better on the lower petals and the background leaves. The colors are very pleasing but too muted where more luminance would make the flower seem to jump off the screen. Technique is important regardless of the equipment used.

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Thanks for your reply. Yes I do have the 18-135 mm kit lens.

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

As little as possible, but I'm saying under $900

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Thanks for taking the time to reply.. (Under $900, PREFER to be around $500)
Isn't f/4 a jog f-stop for a lens? Who do you think are the better OM lens makers?

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Hello Paul;
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and your advice on the lenses. And I do appreciate the fact that you took the time to look at some of my past images before making comments.
I looked at some of the images on your site and I must say that they are SUPER sharp. Good work.
I am both a painter (mainly abstract ) and a image "gatherer" (In other words i just SHOOT...)
I have work that I don't bore the UHH membership with, that merges the art of photography and painting.
You mention a flower that I shot (last August?) but I can't seem to find it on UHH. Can you be a bit more precise and/or send the image to me.
Now I have ANOTHER favor to ask of you..
(I'm computer DUMB, so excuse me..) But (when you have the time,) can you please go to: Facebook.com/DOA17
Check out some of my work, and give me some feedback or suggestions, PLEASE...
I'm "getting up there" in age, (my father AND grandfather both died at an earlier age.) So I need to KEEP working.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Sorry William ... August / April ... I seem to be getting up in the years myself with silly errors ... see http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-382627-1.html

I'm seeing about 100 ish timeline photos publicly on your facebook page. I'm happy to be asked to have a look. From the images I can see on FB, I like the saturated colors and many of the compositions. I didn't see images with technical flaws other than a lack of fine detail that appears to be too heavy noise reduction that will blur the fine details in a image. For example, there's a portrait of a monkey within a few images after the 'banana GTO'. I wonder what this image looked like before the heavy processing? The transition from photo to painting just isn't my style. For fun pictures, your timeline has lots of great ones such as the Naked Cowboy, the cat doing cat stuff, and the woman in jewelry identfied as DJ.

I went to your UHH gallery posts to see where you're starting from relative to a 'big jump' aspiration. Based on the perspective of the images from FB, the suggested 60mm or the 100mm primes would probably feel most natural to your existing style. (The Hibiscus used as an example was shot at 76mm.) Purchased used, either suggested prime would eat half or less your stated budget. A solid tripod remains the next suggestion. A hibiscus such as this one in your backyard has amazing potential where you can work on your capture skills and continue through the post processing. Assuming the flower is in bloom with good light, you can work on the capture and processing skills now without any new equipment (the idea I wanted to raise in the second half of my earlier comment).

/paul

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

For a completely unbiased and thoroughly tested review of a whole host of lenses, you simply cannot beat the reviews of Gordon Laing. Once you've narrowed down your list, take a look at his website for the ones you're considering:
http://www.cameralabs.com/lenses/Latest_DSLR_Lens_reviews.shtml

To save on money if you're considering the Canon lenses, go to its refurbished website and see if the lens you want is available. All lenses have been returned to Canon for one reason or another but have then been reconditioned to the point of being as good as new and also come with a one-year warranty---you can't beat it!
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/lenses-flashes/refurbished-lenses

buddah17 Loc: The Bahamas

Thanks for taking the time to check out everything and offer your constructive advice.
You hit the nail on the head regarding the noise. Coming from The Bahamas I tend to gravitate towards a colorful image.
But a lot of times I end up with additional noise after PP. I am JUST now TRYING to work the image, leaving out the HDR process, but "it ain't easy!"

Billy Bob

Shop ebay, I do every day.