Just wondering if I could pick your brains for a little advice :)

My wife does quite a bit of photography and I was thinking of buying something for her birthday that would help her on her way...

We currently have a canon 350D

She does a lot of reasonably close up indoor work. So I think the light is a
the major contributer to poor results:

I was thinking of better flash than the built in one...
or one of those flash rings due to much of the work being close up...
but a tripod would also help in low light...
or perhaps a lens better equipped to handle low light... ???

I was thinking of spending a couple hundred pounds... but I'm also prepared to stretch further for something that you feel would be really really helpful :)

Any thoughts??? :confused:

A Canon EF-S 60mm Macro (http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_60_28/index.htm) is great for close up work, and the f2.8 maximum aperture will make the most of available light. It makes a great portrait lens, as well. Cost is about £280, or less if you buy it from kerso (http://bbs.scoobynet.com/photography-360/551979-cheapest-place-l-lens.html).

Even with the above, a tripod is still pretty much essential for macro work. Look at a Manfrotto 190PRO (http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/2050?livid=68&lsf=68&child=2) or 055PRO (http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/2277?livid=68&lsf=68&child=2) with a 488RC2 (http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/2306?livid=80|81&idx=83) ball head. Prices should be from about £80-£100 for the tripod and about £50 for the head.

You could also get a flash, but I think you tend to get better results using natural light. If you want to go down that line, try a Canon 430EX, about £180 :)

An amateur modelling session? :)

Best to ask her, IMHO.

A good tripod will help for still subjects, but if she's photographing kids, pets or other moving targets, it won't.

I'd consider a separate flashgun - say, the Canon 430EX (£180) - plus a cable to allow it to be moved off the camera (Canon Off-camera shoe cord 2 @ £40).

It's the ability to locate the flash away from the camera that's really important, you get a much more natural looking effect if you can aim it at a large, reflective surface (like the ceiling, for example). The macro ring lights are expensive and, though ideal for really close-up work, aren't so versatile.

Just give her your credit card and tell her to go shopping!!!

Thanks for the suggestions... very very helpful indeed.

For someone that plays with photography only a little, it is hard to know what will be a suitable yet versitle accessory.

Additionally, there are so many accessories out there, it is very easy to make a very expensive mistake if you don't exactly know what will be best...

:D

Night School ????????

:) :) :)

howabout an course?
Experience Seminars: Seminars (http://www.experience-seminars.co.uk/intro-seminar06.php)
I've done quite a few of these and they've been invaluable.
There's one specifically for lowlight and one for close-up

Macro lens (or fast standard lens)
Flashgun
Tripod

or even a lighting kit - eg tungsten studio lights or flash - there are several beginners kits which have all you need to get started.

If she's really keen, she will know what she wants so best to ask. She may be longing for a pukka macro lens like the lovely Canon 60mm EF-S but unless she's really into really close close-ups this will be overkill and blow your entire budget. Ditto ring-flash etc.

So my list would look like this:

Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, 70 quid
Hoya 52mm close-up lenses +1 and +2, 14 quid each
Canon lens hood, 18 quid (or rubber Jessops one for a fiver)
Canon 430EX flash, 170 quid
Lumiquest Ultrasoft flash diffuser, 23 quid
Manfrotto 728B tripod inc head, 80 quid OR
Manfrotto 190-Pro (must be Pro model with moveable centre-column for good close-ups) for 80 quid plus another 50 quid for a 484RC2 ball-head plus quick release.

It breaks your budget but that's a lot of nice kit that can really broaden her photographic horizons, and not just for close-ups. If money's tight, drop the tripod.

You copuld get it all delivered next day from Warehouse Express Online (http://www.warehouseexpress.com)

Cheers,

Richard.

Wow... that is a great shopping list!

Do you think you could throw a similar one together for my brother, mum, dad and my nephew for christmas too... that would save me a great deal of time and stress... :D

No, seriously... that is fantastic. Thanks for the advice :)

Looks like a very good list to me - personally I wouldn't bother with the flash diffuser (you can make one yourself out of cardboard, paper and foil like I did), but I would add the Canon off-camera flash cord 2 @ £40. If you're feeling flush, the wireless flash transmitter ST-E2 (£130ish) is a wonderful gadget that I use all the time indoors.

My pleasure mate :)

But Andy has a point about the flash extension chord which will give her a lot more lighting options. If you go that route though, she'll certainly need a tripod for either the camera or flash, unless you married an octupus.

Andy's a cheapskate on the Lumiquest though ;)

As you say, it's all about light and how it's managed. But with a fast lens like the 50mm f/1.8, tripod and flash, that's pretty much all the options covered. The rest is down to her.

Be nice to see some of her pics one day :)

Richard.

Cheapskate? Undoubtedly! But, if it works, don't mend it... ;)

http://www.cawte.nildram.co.uk/Softbox.jpg

That's a pretty tough question. My suggestion is NOT getting a lens unless you know exactely what kind of photography she prefers. My list looks as follows:
- 430EX flash (plus as suggested the cord) -> Great suggestion
- Photobook (National Geographic has great books)
- Gift coupon for a framed large print (she chooses the photo)
- Camera Bag (this could also be a tough one)
- Maybe a spare CF-Card (Sandisk 2GB extreme III) with Card Reader (Sandisk)
- A bigger TFT Monitor
- Photoshop Software (if she doesn't have it yet)
- Photocourse
... or a combination of the above. ;)