Need lens advice

[DDK]

I have an opportunity to nab a 50mm EF Canon 1.8 but I vaguely remember reading that these are a problem with my camera, the 1100D. What issues are there with using one of these on that camera?

[GrahamS]

I have never heard of any issues when using the EF 50mm f1.8 with a 1100D. There was a post on another forum once, reporting a front focus problem, but this can happen with any lens and camera combination. With the 1100D, the solution would be to have the lens re-calibrated to the camera, or try another example. My 50mm f1.8 has been bang on focus with every Canon camera I have ever owned way back to the 50e. For movie use, the focus mechanism is noisy and there is very little damping of the focus ring movement when using manual focus. If this bothers you, get an EF 50mm f1.4 USM.

[inkista]

... or the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM if you're strapped for cash. I actually tend to recommend the 40/2.8 over the 50/1.8 II for newbs, but I'm an outdoors shooter. It's slower and a bit more expensive, but it has a pancake build, is sharp wide open (and the 50/1.8 really only sharpens up when you get down to the f/2.8-f/4 range), a METAL mount (the 50's is plastic), and an STM focus motor. Also the field of view is wider, and closer to "normal" on a crop body than the 50's would be, if you planned to use it as a general-purpose walkaround, rather than a portrait lens.

Just a thought.

[DDK]

Just a thought.

An evil thought that confuses my poor, weak, little mind. Too late anyway, I'm pretty much locked in unless someone puts in a higher bid than me.

[inkista]

Look at it this way: you'll be happy if you win the auction 'cause you'll have a new lens. And now you'll also be happy if you lose the auction, because you'll have a chance to check out the 40. It's a win-win.

[rpcrowe]

I suggest that anyone bidding on eBay items use Esnipe ( http://www.esnipe.com/ ) to place bids.

Esnipe places your bid 3 seconds before the close of the auction. It will place the bid only up to the amount you have specified. You don't have to compete in the frantic bidding war close to the end of an auction.

You can group similar items and place bids on all the items. If your first bid is not high enough, it will bid on the second item in the group and then the third, and so on. However if you win the item, your successive bids are cancelled.

Another nice feature is that you can cancel your bid anytime up to five minutes before the auction time.

The fee is 1% of the purchase price. I have saved far more than that over the years and have often grabbed items at quite low prices. I snared a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Macro Lens at less than a hundred $ USD using Esnipe and more importantly, I have cancelled out on many items that I thought better of buying. The only time Esnipe charges you the 1% surcharge is when you win an item...

BTW: I have absolutely NO CONNECTION to Esnipe except as a happy customer!