wide angle cameras.. need purchasing advice

[Kal]

Wow, that really sucks.

Its a pretty cool camera though.

[Deep 3.2TL]

50MM is not wide angle.

The only benefit you have with the 50 over the kit lens is that at 50mm, the prime lens (non zoom one) has a larger opening, so you do not need as much light to take a picture. That's it. You got snookered by the best buy rep if he said it was wide angle. Wide angle would be from 10MM to 16MM.

Deep

[Deep 3.2TL]

Oh and NO - it is NOT inferior, it is better, for the right purposes.

[Kal]

Originally Posted by Deep 3.2TL

50MM is not wide angle.

The only benefit you have with the 50 over the kit lens is that at 50mm, the prime lens (non zoom one) has a larger opening, so you do not need as much light to take a picture. That's it. You got snookered by the best buy rep if he said it was wide angle. Wide angle would be from 10MM to 16MM.

Deep

Yah I had a feeling that was happening when I noticed it was only $129.00 and talking to everyone on here it should be 5x more than what I paid.

[Axxe]

Your best bet for a UWA is a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. If you can find it in stock it goes for $600 USD. The "nifty fifty" (what you bought) is an excellent lens for the right purpose, like portraits without distracting backgrounds (5-blade aperture is harsh). The EF 50mm f/1.8 is what's called a "prime" lens, which means only one focal length, which leaves room for a larger (numerically smaller) aperture.

Your kit lens (great lens for what it is, IS really works great on it) and a tripod should take excellent pics inside, with the right composition.

[Axxe]

Oh snap, saw you paid $580 + tax for the XS kit? Return it and the nifty fifty, drive to futureshop, and buy the XSi bundle (kit + bag, extra bat, filter). $50 more gets you the Dig1c 5 sensor and a much better body (not to mention live view).

[JPTN]

Glass will always be expensive. It's just physics. You can only bend light so much with mirrors and optics before distortion comes into play.

I used to work for a real estate photography company (and do some freelance stuff occasionally) and have a 12-24mm wide-angle zoom. Your cheapest bet would be a Tokina 12-24mm which used is approximately $400 CAD on private classifieds.

Pair that with a cheap body like a Nikon D40 <$300 and that's the easiest.

[Deep 3.2TL]

Yea, but a cheap body will give you a cheap sensor, which will increase the need for light and/or a flash...

[JPTN]

You should almost (never) need a flash for something stationary.
i.e. real estate, architecture

Most real estate photos aren't printed beyond 4x6 so 6.1MP is more than enough. Online, it's even less.

If the object is inanimate and not moving, you shouldn't use a flash. If you can't hand-hold due to the lack of light, get a tripod or a monopod. I picked up an excellent monopod from FactoryDirect for $20.

My real estate photography work was with www.advirtours.com

[T.Dot_E30]

Originally Posted by jello_g

This "ef50mm" is a redundant purchase, as you're just discovering.

Everyone should still have a 50mm 1.8f prime lens, they are great for portraits and they are cheap compared to most low f-number lenses.

It's a good lens, just not for his use. It is no where near wide angle.
As everyone mentioned, he needs a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens or a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM. (Both of those lenses cost more than his XS body.

[Deep 3.2TL]

Originally Posted by JPTN

You should almost (never) need a flash for something stationary.
i.e. real estate, architecture

Most real estate photos aren't printed beyond 4x6 so 6.1MP is more than enough. Online, it's even less.

If the object is inanimate and not moving, you shouldn't use a flash. If you can't hand-hold due to the lack of light, get a tripod or a monopod. I picked up an excellent monopod from FactoryDirect for $20.

My real estate photography work was with www.advirtours.com

Yes, but for a real estate agent on the move, it might not be practical to have a tripod all the time.

Anyhoo - I wouldn't buy this just for my work, I'd end up using it personally, where the lowlight sensor would come in mighty handy.

Now to upgrade my D80....

[jello_g]

Originally Posted by T.Dot_E30

Everyone should still have a 50mm 1.8f prime lens, they are great for portraits and they are cheap compared to most low f-number lenses.

It's a good lens, just not for his use. It is no where near wide angle....

Everyone does not include the OP. No disrespect to the OP, but if he couldn't recognize that 50mm isn't a wide angle, he likely won't take advantage of it as a portrait lens (with the larger aperture) any time soon while his kit lens will do just fine.

Return the lens for a refund if possible, and whenever you become ready to add a fixed-length lens, for portraiture or whatever your specific needs, then you'll be in a better position to make that purchasing decision at that time. The 50mm 1.8 is crap anyways!