Favourite lens

Yes thats right John. DSLR cameras come as a basic body with all the electronics and sensors. They then have an open mount ( big hole if you like ) on the front with some type of bayonet style mounting, which varies between makes, where you locate the lens of your choice. Google search for   Canon 1200d   for example and there will be images which will give the picture so to speak

OM1's and OM2's but he also used Hasselblads ...... drean on eh??

I had a couple of OM1's plus various prime lenses 28, 35, 50, 135, 200, 300 before making the switch to Canon. And it must be said that for several years after its introduction the Olympus Zuiko 50 mm f1.8 was one of the best 50mm lenses on the market

Edited by: Dave John at:9th March 2015 18:53

It's not being stupid at all John, just a way of learning things you don't know

I would suggesy something like Ruth is hedging towards Canon 1200d with basic 18-55 lens but also a 70-300 zoom lens but you will looking at something in the region of £380-400 if you shop around

 Canon for me. It is the thing you start with one and do tend to stay with the one marque. If they all made one standard lens mount it would be good for us lot but it would make life difficult for the camera brands. Having said that went from film Canon to digital but do not use the two lenses I had from those days any more.

 The old film canon I had was 300V so had EF lenses but of course the kit lens would fit the 550D but gave an odd range on the APS-C and the telephoto never had IS . The 550D came with a Tamron 70-300 but that never had IS either and so many of the shots of mine on POE are with the EF-S 55-250 which does have IS. I am still keen on the EF-S 18-135 STM as a more vesatile walk about lens-soon !!

When it comes to DSLRs, each manufacturer has a range of camera bodies and lenses  targeted at specific users i.e. beginners, serious amateurs, and professionals. Generally speaking, the lenses are interchangeable across the range of bodies made by the same manufacturer (although lenses which are specifically designed for crop-sensor camera bodies can never be compatible with full-frame camera bodies). The lenses which are offered as 'kit' lenses with beginner DSLRs are usually at the bottom end of the lens market, and it is only a matter of time before the fledgling DSLR user will want something a little more advanced. This is when 'lens addiction' can set in, where the sufferer will feel a sort of yearning for the 'pro' lenses. Such an addiction can seriously damage the wallet. If, like me, your budget is limited, it is still worth buying as good a lens as you can afford. For me this means buying lenses at  the mid-range price level just below 'pro'. Having said that, it is worth doing on-line research before buying any lens. Just because the manufacturers name is on the lens it doesn't mean it is good. I have had some Canon lenses which are real 'lemons'. Perhaps there should be a complementary thread to this which asks what has been your worst lens!

I don't know how old your Canon lenses are which you used with film, Vince, but if they are Canon 'EF' lenses, they will work with every Canon DSLR (except the very recent EF-M mirrorless cameras). The 'EF' lenses were introduced in 1987, and I still use some Canon lenses of that era on my DSLRS.

The good thing about the Canon EF lenses (rather than Canon fit lenses from third-party manufacturers) is that they will work with every Canon EOS Camera ever made, whether it be film or digital. If your Canon lenses are pre-EF (eg FD mount) then you could only use them with some sort of adaptor. 

Edited by: Edward Lever at:13th March 2015 10:18

As mentioned previously I have an adaptor for my FD lenses the only thing being that it puts you back to 'semi-auto' or manual operation .... which in these days of full automation is not a bad thing. Certainly slows you down when taking pictures.