[pinger]

Hello everyone. I am looking for some advice, I am looking to buy two lens for my new T2I



I have a original digital rebel, so I had a few lens.



I did not get the T2I kit because I had the 18-55MM already.



Also the reason I upgraded, besides being a photo nerd, is that my wife is a potter and she wants to start selling her pottery online, and I need to start taking better pictures, the slightest issue with color really shows up when taking pictures of glazes. I currently have Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro lens.



So Question 1: Does any one have a suggestion on the next lens I should buy for taking pictures of pottery, and/or what sorta light box I should upgrade to.



Question 2: I am also looking for a nice vacation\Walking around lens, for when I take the small camera bag (1 or 2 lens) Am I am looking for a good lens to fill this need. Right now it is between the



Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM



and the



Tamron AF 18-270mm



Any thoughts between these 2? Any other lens you might suggest?



Thanks

[edge]

If it's the reflective nature of the glaze that is causing the problem, maybe you need to get a circular polarizer.

[wim]

[quote name='Pinger' timestamp='1282316777' post='1968']

Hello everyone. I am looking for some advice, I am looking to buy two lens for my new T2I



I have a original digital rebel, so I had a few lens.



I did not get the T2I kit because I had the 18-55MM already.



Also the reason I upgraded, besides being a photo nerd, is that my wife is a potter and she wants to start selling her pottery online, and I need to start taking better pictures, the slightest issue with color really shows up when taking pictures of glazes. I currently have Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro lens.



So Question 1: Does any one have a suggestion on the next lens I should buy for taking pictures of pottery, and/or what sorta light box I should upgrade to.[/quote]

Considering you have a 550d, I would recommend a TS-E 45 or TS-E 90. Since you have the 50 CM, I would probably go with the TS-E 90, but in that case you will need a fair amount of space in order to fill the frame with the pottery.



Alternatively, you could try a Tokina 35 F/2.8 Macro, which is a lot shorter, and will need even less space than the 50 CM you already have (and which is an excellent lens BTW). Do note that the Tokina is a little softer in the corners than in the centre for normal shooting, but that clears up nicely by F/4 IME.



As to the light box: I'd suggest you get a foldable light tent, minimum size of 3 ft cubed, preferably more. Any brand will do, really. The only thing I would recommend you look for in such a tent is that it actually has two openings (which you should be able to close both), as that makes it great for outdoor macro work as well (just place it over a flower, through one opening, take a photograph through the other).



My next light tent will probably be 4 ft cubed <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />. I find that my 2 ft tent is too small often even for small objects.



BTW, for lighting I'd recommend a bunch of old used flash units, which you can likely get for free. Add a slave unit to each, and use your main flash (off camera) to trigger the other ones. Adjust lighting by moving the slave flashes further or closer, lower or higher (or by lowering the output as well if that is a possibility), etc. Personally I have quite a few of these, and some tiny tripods and clamps, and that works really well, and doesn't cost a lot.

Question 2: I am also looking for a nice vacation\Walking around lens, for when I take the small camera bag (1 or 2 lens) Am I am looking for a good lens to fill this need. Right now it is between the



Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM



and the



Tamron AF 18-270mm



Any thoughts between these 2? Any other lens you might suggest?



Thanks

Well, it depends on your needs. For a 18-270 the Tamron is quite good. However, a 15X zoom on dslr is a rather extreme compromise, both for IQ delivered and for aperture. This apart from breathing (shorter FLs when focusing nearby), which is generally considered not to be great for videography.



The EF 70-300 IS is an excellent lens, although you could also consider the EF-S 55-250 IS. The 18-55 IS plus 55-250 IS is a better combination than the Tamron, and the 55-250 IS is probably about as good as the 70-300 IS, just that it doesn't have USM and has a build that is a little less sturdy.



Another lens you could consider is maybe a 70-200 F/4L. No IS, not as long FL-wise, but of truly excellent IQ and build, and probably only a little more expensive. although used it may come in under th eprice of the 70-300 IS.



I would only recommend the Tamron 18-270 if you really want a single lens holiday solution, otherwise I think you are better off with a two lens system. 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS would probably be ideal here: small and light.



HTH, kind regards, Wim

[popo]

Just to add a little on question 2: how big is big? Do check out the lens physical sizes if that may be an issue for the small camera bag.



I used to own the Tamron 18-270 for over a year. It's really compact, and really is one lens to cover most situations if you don't know what to expect. At the end of the day, image quality is a compromise. Particularly if you expect to use the longer focal lengths a lot, do look carefully at samples and see if it is "good enough". To me, it was more than good enough on the wide end, but the long end didn't do it for me.