60D Twin Lens Kit

chexiie

I just purchased the 60D twin lens kit. I'm wondering what I can expect to achieve with these lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm)? How can I get sharp, clear pictures and take photos in lower light situations?

Is there any form of portrait photography I can do with these lenses or will I need to progress onto something more specific later?

I am wanting to get to know these lenses as much as possible so I can use them effectively before I go buying other more expensive ones. I'm an absolute beginner, I've only ever owned a point n shoot before this!

MisterD

@chexiie
I'm sure that @liontamer and @PBked (both regular contributors here) will agree with me that you've bought a beast of a camera to upgrade with. I've had mine for over a year now and despite the fact that it's my fourth digital, I'm probably less than 25% familiar with it.

The Canon manual is informative but bone-dry, so I'd recommend books such as David Busch's (I have no connection, I just own a copy) to help familiarize yourself with the numerous and sometimes overlapping functions.

It is a beautiful beast and as long as you can concentrate on the shot and not the camera. You won't be unhappy with the results, so don't go spending on more kit just yet!

Happy shooting!

Moose

Howdy @chexiie - Welcome to the forum and congrats on the 60D! To answer your question, both the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm are ideal for hand-held shooting outdoors in bright light. They can also be used to shoot motionless subjects/scenes (landscapes, food, etc...) in low light with the help of a tripod.

As for capturing subjects (that move) and shooting hand-held in low-light, both of these lenses will struggle. Without getting into all the specifics, you can think of these lenses like dark sunglasses. Put them on your camera in low-light and it's hard for the 60D to "see." This results in subject blur and noisy images.

To combat this, you'll need a 'brighter' lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.8. The lens 'brightness' is determined by the maximum aperture or the lowest available f-number the lens can attain. Lower f-numbers = brighter lens.

For portrait photography, I would shoot in Aperture priority (Av) with your 55-250mm lens at the 55mm focal length with an aperture of f/4. Create as much distance between your subject and anything directly behind them. This will help make your subject "pop" off the background.

That should get you going in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)

Moose

@liontamer - This might be your best post ever...a combination of great advice and an 18-55mm lens / Uncle Ralph comparison. Priceless. :)

chexiie

Thanks everyone for your input, you've all been so helpful.
I wish I had known about this site before I made my decision to purchase the 60D, because I really knew pretty much nothing about DSLRs and felt overwhelmed by all the choices. I spent over a year delaying purchase because of this, and in the end (last week) I decided "screw it, I know Canon is a good brand and the 60D has great reviews and it fits my budget". So I bought it, because otherwise I knew I wouldn't make any decision at all. I have resolved to persevere with this camera even though I'm an utter newbie. I don't really have anything to lose; all I will do is learn learn learn. :)
Thank you @Moose for the practical tips on what I can use my lens kit lenses for.
Can anyone tell me what I would eventually need to buy if I want to do some pet photography? I really want to take some beautiful pictures of animals. If there are any lower end lenses that would give me good results for a lesser price, let me know. If not, I guess I'll save up, but that's a ways away. I think I'll focus my efforts on getting the best out of the lenses I have first.

chexiie

My apologies, I see that the Canon 50mm f/1.8 that @Moose recommended works well for pet photography.