Hey guys I am going to Japan soon to visit my dad and wanted to buy something that I could bring to take pictures of japan with. I have the stock 18-55 kit lens which I don't use and the f1.8 50mm lens hoya filter which I am planning on bringing. My question to you guys is should I get the rokinon 8mm fish eye lens since almost all the reviews are saying its worth the price tag or the canon 430exii speedlite. Pros for the fish eye is that I could get cool looking pictures and especially with the 1.6 crop factor it would be a more wider angle then the 50mmm Pros about the speedlite is that it would allow me to use either lens indoor or outdoor without having to worry about light. Also if I ever needed to take pictures indoor after Japan I would have it. Thanks guys
Yes you will be getting a fish eye effect but your camera being a crop sensor will not add to the fact, it takes it away. 8mm lens times 1.6 crop (or whatever crop the t2i is) and thats closer to what it will be. If you get a flash you wont be so restricted at night to using only your 1.8 the 18-55 isn't a bad lens..I think it is what you make it. Is the fish eye and add on stacker type lens or is its own lens?
If it were me, I'd probably go with the flash. I don't have one yet and really wish I did. It would be nice to have for off camera work (product photography, experimental photography, etc...). It would also be nice for interior and portrait work. All in all, having a flash is like having a pretty universal tool in your camera bag. One thing to note about the Rokinon, it has no auto focus. It's purely a manual focus lens. So if you rely a lot of AF or don't really want to do without it, that might be a deal breaker. If you find your 50mm f/1.8 is doing a good enough job in low light and you don't really need a flash or desire one that much, go with the lens. If the 50mm isn't always cutting it and you think you could gain a lot out of owning a flash, go with that.
Yea I ended up getting the speedlite and its supposed to be here tomorrow so I can't wait. GDP I think the lens was actually made for the crop sensor but it does't matter anyways. Thanks for the advice guys.
Oh... too late... I was going to suggest getting the fisheye because with a fisheye, you could get a good shot of the buildings in Japanese cities. I think the buildings in Japanese cities would be very tall and crowded, hence making interesting angles for fisheyes to capture.