Photography for Beginners....by Chan Teng Heng

High Performance Lenses on Entry Level DSLR Camera

A Wise Decision?
High Performance Lenses on Entry Level DSLR Camera

by Chan Teng Heng

This article addresses the age old question whether an enthusiast photographer, a serious amateur, with a limited budget should buy a good DSLR camera with a kit lens, or the same camera body with a better grade lens? For this trial, we were able to get our hands on a Canon 450D, a kits lens of 18-55mm IS f/1:3.5-5.6 specifications, and two high grade lenses: the zoom lens 24-70mm f/1:2.8 (macro aspherical large aperture standard zoom lens), and the prime lens 135mm f/1:2L, with the courtesy of Canon marketing in Singapore. Much debate on this matter has taken place in several forums. The conventional process for DSLR camera purchase is to buy an entry level DSLR camera (Nikon D40, Canon 1000D, Olympus 420, Sony α100) with the kit lens first. Gradually, as the amateur gains experience and understanding of photography, then upgrading should take place with the purchase of better grade lenses, and finally culminate with higher level camera bodies (Nikon D300, Canon 40D, Olympus E3, Sony α700) and even better grade lenses. The cycle of purchases does not cease and repeats with each newer model and technology introductions in the cameras and in newer lenses. Today, amateurs purchase very high end cameras which costs more than $4,000 (camera bodies alone). Recent cameras launched include the Nikon D700 (full frame camera, announced July 2008) and Canon 1Ds Mark III (August 2007). Other new cameras include the Nikon D90 (August 2008) and Canon 50D (August 2008). The new products launched feature new technology (movies in DSLR for Nikon D90) and new image processor and sensor (Canon 50D) such as the Digic IV, which eclipse the performance or even match the higher range of cameras. However, there are those who hold the view that owning top grade lenses are more important than top grade camera bodies, since technology upgrades will make the camera bodies obsolete much quicker than lens technology. Others may view that securing the latest camera bodies will overcome the handicap and constraints imposed with current range of high grade lenses. We tested this partially to see if the experience of photography using an entry level camera such as the Canon 450D but using near top-grade lenses will be changed.

The Lenses
The range of current prices (lowest street prices) of camera bodies and lenses are shown in the table below.
Based on reviews from dpreview.com and amazon.com, Canon 450D has a reasonably good rating, and was given an average rating of 8.42/10.0 (highly recommended), with a 9.0/10.0 for image quality (dpreview.com), while the lenses were rated an equivalent of 4.2 out 5 for the kit lens, 4.1 for the zoom lens and an outstanding maximum of 5 for the prime 135mm lens!. All 28 customers were extremely satisfied with the performance of the 135mm lens, something rarely seen. With this type of background knowing that a good entry level camera product is being used with good to excellent range of lens of a single make, we tested the lens by reviewing the finished images, view sharpness or chromatic aberration. We relied on simple visual examination of images with cropping of images and the feel of the speed of image taking. Not scientific but sufficient to make a conclusion. Reviews of each of these lenses have been tested thoroughly by other reviewers and we are not going to do that. We are testing how good lenses can change one’s perception of an entry level DSLR camera.

Performance and How Good Lenses Altered our Perception of an Entry Level Camera

We focused on the same objects, compared the images and did this over two weeks. The impressions we obtained were as follows:

Kit Lens
18-55mmIS f/3.5-5.6 We use this as the control lens, to set as the standard in terms of speed and quality of image. The IS (stabilizer) of the lens worked well to give us sharp images most of the time. However when cropped to 100% on some images, the sharpness or lack of it really showed up. Taking pictures in low light was acceptable with some delays in focusing and in acceptable quality.
Zoom Lens
24-70mm f/2.8 The quality of imaqes was better than the kit lens, and the speed was a bit faster than the kit lens. However, when taking the same objects under stadium lights, flare was found, which was surprising.for a lens which cost as much as 10x of the kit lens. The latter did not exhibit any flare. This zoom lens was much heavier than even the prime lens.
Prime Lens
135mmf/1:2L USM All pictures were extremely sharp; focus was extremely fast, even in low light conditions. No flare was found for objects under stadium lights. However, overexposure was experienced, which we could correct by altering the setting.

The kit lens made us feel that the Canon 450D was very plastic and image quality was not outstanding but acceptable. Even using the more expensive zoom lens did not change our mind of ditching an entry level DSLR for a higher grade camera. In practice, I did buy the Canon 450D but sold it after a short while as it did not give me a solid feel and handling. However, the use of the prime lens really changed our mind: a good prime lens, even though less expensive than the zoom lens, made picture taking with the entry level DSLR a different feel. We could feel “professional” about the whole experience. Focus was fast, and the picture quality (image color, especially skin color, was very natural; sharpness was very high). Had I used this lens with my Canon 450D which I purchased, I would have been much more satisfied, and would have kept the camera instead of selling it. No wonder, 28 out of 28 Amazon.com customers gave a maximum rating of 5 for this 135mm L lens. Some adjustments in picture composing have to be made of course. The 135mm lens need more distance from the objects to be photographed, otherwise it is ideal. When I used this 135mm lens for fast portrait taking, and the subject was a restless but very photogenic little girl, there were times when the camera froze for processing. It was at this moment, I wish I had a higher grade camera, like the 40D or the 5D. This moment came after I had taken about 6-7 portrait photos. With the 40D and 5D, I would not expect this to happen.

Our Conclusion

Definitely, a good prime lens such as the 135mm f/1:2 lens will make the ownership of an entry level DSLR like the Canon 450D value for money since it costs only slightly over a S$1,000. The speed of the high performance lens made picture taking a joy. Composing of pictures were fast, picture images were sharp, and certain fast moving objects could be captured (but see below). We tried using this lens to record some of the events during the broadcast of the Olympics over the cable TV, such as the opening and the closing ceremonies. The 135mm lens was the right lens and the 450D the right camera.

However, when we wanted to take fast action events, such as the BMX cycling events, the Canon 450D, even with the prime lens, was not fast enough to enable a good image capture. In low lighting conditions, the Canon 450D was also not that suitable, even with the 135mm lens. The other snag came when we took a series of live portrait photos described above. I believe that perhaps with a battery grip, and with faster file flush (time taken for the camera to “flush” the image to the storage card [1 GB SD card)), the frozen moments would have been lessened. It was under these conditions when I wished I had a higher end camera. For instance, the new Canon 50D which has a new Digic IV processor would be able process images so much faster than the Canon 450D. No fast lenses would be able to compensate for the speed needed under these circumstances.

Coming back to our basic question. Is it wise decision to pair up an entry level DSLR camera with a high performance lens, especially if costs nearly twice as much as the camera body? The answer is “it is not ideal”. There are limitations to this paring and it is at best a temporary measure to stretch one’s budget, to buy an entry level camera and a high performance lens.. As one gains experience in photography, there will be a tendency to upgrade to a better camera model, which would then be the ideal situation.

Article and Photos by Chan Teng HengA Biz Professor who like all things techie, imagery and digital.
Comparison of images from three types of Lenses 135mm. lens:135mm f/1:2,70mm. lens: 24-70mm f/1:2.8, and 55mm. lens: 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 with an entry level DSLR camera