How can I improve a Canon EOS 3000 performance?

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I am very, VERY new to photo world. Actually, it is my wife who is taking basic courses on the subject. Anyway, I bought for her a EOS3000 that from reading the answers in this forum, now I know is very limited and very entry level. It came with a EF 35-80 mm f/4-5.6 lens. The fact is that I could take better pictures, in quality of the images, with a manual. very basic, kodak camera, that costed me 20 bucks! I may not have any knowledge in how the camera works, but I can recognize when a picture has good image. I know the quality of the picture depends on the creative and artistic capabilities of the person and the correct speed and light, etc, but is there any advice on what lens (not too expensive, remember, entry level looking for a better picture), filters, etc, that can improve the performance, or am I bound to purchase another camera very soon, when she starts to get more demanding on the quality of her pictures? She uses the camera mostly for landscapes, but also for portraits or close shoots. Budget may be low, but I may start buying things for her slowly. One final question: am I asking something too stupid or too complex to answer? Thanks for your help.

-- Bernal (bernal_moya@merck.com), October 19, 2001

Answers

You will find my answer to be similar to responses to other questions on this site: buy her a 50mm lens. A simple Canon EF 50 1.8 II (< $90) is in most cases the best place to start learning photography techniques. I shoot mostly landscapes as well, and I shoot 80% of them with a 50mm lens - I am very pleased with it. The clarity and sharpness will far exceed the 35-80 your wife has now, and any other moderately priced zoom you can buy. Stay away from filters for now unless you are looking for a particular special effect. Many photographers like to keep a UV or Skylight filter on all the time to protect the lens. I prefer to shoot unfiltered - I feel I get the most out of my lens this way, and I am careful with the glass. The next step (according to your stated priorities) shoud be a short/medium telephoto for portraits. Canons 85 1.8 and 100 2.0 are popular, fast, portrait lenses and start at about $400, or you could step down a little in quality and gain versatility with Canons 28-105 3.5-4.5 for about $250. I prefer the primes for their quality and speed. Either way, start with the 50.

Upgrading the camera won't get you better images. The camera should be upgraded when the photographer feels limited by its capabilities.

And no, not too stupid or complex a question. I like this forum because when I ask what I feel might be a stupid question, I get factual answers, helpfull advise, and opinions that I feel free to dissagree with... nobody seems to mind.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), October 19, 2001.


I forgot to answer the original question: Practice.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), October 19, 2001.

I agree with the above. Get the Canon 50/1.8. Very inexpensive and very sharp. If you can't get good pictures with this lens, don't blame the lens or the camera. It's the photographer!

The 50mm is a great way to hone compositional skills. And the fast aperture is great for low-light photography. Plus, the fast aperture allows you get a shallow depth of field that the zoom is simpy incapable of producing.

-- PeterP (pphan01@hotmail.com), October 19, 2001.


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