Help a newbie with a Canon 7D

[mavman04]

Just purchased a Canon 7D...I know very little about cameras but would like to learn and thought this camera would be a good match for my needs. I'll be using it a lot for action shots...triathlon, running, crit races. I'm sure I made a rookie mistake and bought the camera as a "kit" along with a EF 18-135MM f/3.5-5.6 IS.

Based on what I'll be using it for do you have any lens recommendations? In addition to sports, I'm sure I'll be taking a few of my 9 month old.

Second question - I'll be taking some pictures at a baptism this weekend in a church. Assuming that I don't have a ton of light to work with what are my best options in setting up my camera? If I increase my ISO between 2000 to 3200 to account for the lack of light do I need to increase my shutter speed as well? Am I even in the ball park of what I need to do?

Thanks for any recommendations.
Brad

[texkam]

Here are the trade offs in low light:
Higher ISO = noise
Slower shutter speed = motion blur
Opening up lens (aperture) = shallower depth of field.
Play around with these settings in "manual" mode and study the differences, then you'll have a better understanding of the camera's limits.

[dryicerx]

That kit lens is kind of lame, it's alright as a daytime walk around lens but not much more.

For your sports related activities, the 7D body is definitely a excellent pick. If you want your sports pics to be up close and personal during events, look in to picking up one of the 70-200mm lenses (the most basic is the 70-200 f/4L which is good if you're only focusing on daytime, and the best of the bunch is the 70-200 2.8 IS which is great for somewhat low light as well).

For indoor low light, the most basic lens is the 50mm 1.8 (it's like 100 bucks, although cheaply made and slow, but don't let the price fool you, it's a kickass lens). If you want something more durable and better, there is the 50mm 1.4, wonderful for low light.

[MT Stringer]

Speaking of high ISO, you can set a custom function to turn on the High ISO which will allow you to shoot higher than 3200; 4000, 5000 and 6400 are the next higher settings. I don't think you would want to try the "H" mode, which is 12,800.

In low light, you will need a high ISO and an f/stop like 1.8 or 2.0 to let in enough light so your subject isn't blurry.

Just a quick thought, but if this baptismal is really important to you, you might consider renting a lens for the weekend. The choices would probably be 85 f/1.8, 100 f/2.0, 135 f/2.0.

Good luck.

[biggin]

I find the 85 f/1.8 is hard to beat.

Before you but a lens check out:

Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)…

It is easy to find at most B&N or whatever chain bookstore. It will be your best friend.

[garykohs]

You'll enjoy the 7D. The 18-135 isn't the best lens around but it's tremendously versatile and you'll find there are many times when you don't know exactly what range you need before the shoot, so versatility is a good thing. You can surely sell it for what it cost you in the kit.

Starting with your most urgent need, the baptism. It sounds like it's not your church since you're uncertain about the light. Can you ask someone if flash is OK during the sacrament in this church? If so you might want to invest in a flashgun such as a Canon 430 EXII and a flash diffuser. [You'll want these for pictures of your kid also.] With a flash (even the pop up flash) use "P" mode and ISO 800.

If you cannot or do not want to use flash then you'll need to bump up the ISO. I'd set the ISO to "auto" and shoot in Tv (shutter speed priority) and set the shutter speed to about 1/200 sec. In auto mode the ISO will adjust up to 3200. Make sure that your aperture display isn't blinking, meaning you need a slower shutter. [You don't need to increase your shutter speed when you increase ISO, by the way. It's the other way around. Increasing your shutter speed reduces the amount of light going to the sensor and therefore requires you to raise the ISO, all else equal.]

Your biggest problem will likely be white balance. I strongly suggest shooting in raw so that you can adjust this later. If you shoot in jpeg you'll probably need to set a custom white balance and this is probably not the time to learn that skill.

If your sports shooting is all going to be outdoors and in daylight then you don't really need a "fast" (f2.8 or f4) lens. I'd consider the new Tamron 70-300 VC for $399. It hasn't been released in Canon mount yet but you can preorder and take advantage of the rebate.

Let us know how much you are willing to spend on lenses before we start recommending expensive "L" glass.

[ext237]

You would be well served with either if the two canon 50mm for day to day shooting.

The 70-200's have been mentioned by others.

However, and people may kill me for this, but do you need the quality level of 70-200 "L" glass ($1,200) if you can be well supported with the consumer 70-300mm *with image stabilization* for $600?

And next, if you will attend sports meets on a non-regular basis and the zoom will spend most of it's time on a shelf, consider renting. There are several national equipment rental companies and at least two here in Houston.

(Alert:self promotion ahead) The HoustonPhotowalks.com members get lens rental discounts. It's nice having access to a variety of lenses rather than sinking lots of cash into a single lens.

Finally, the most important investment you can make in your photography isn't new lenses, it's personal training. A lot of local (and often even free) clubs offer classes and workshops.


My 2 cents.