Have you got a glossary there Andy?
Who me? Which terms are a prob? Just ask.
cos working in public sector there's far too many acronyms as it is.
And you think there ain't any in the private sector? I started in the public sector, then we got privatised. I can't believe how much things have changed. Yes acronyms, buzz words and micro management. I feel at times I'm just about surviving in a whole sea of the stuff.
Lenses? I wouldn't worry about em if you are just starting out. If you catch the bug, then's the time to worry.
The EF 50mmf1.8 mk2? I used one for years, brilliant lens. I gave it away with a 5D I sold, and upgraded to the EF50mmf1.4. I miss the f1.8 version, it's just got something. I suspect it's being super sharp but only having five blades, it gives it a slightly different look from everything else out there.
The good thing about getting the EF50mmf1.8, if you do get the bug, is that for not a lot of money it shows what a sharp lens is all about. There ain't many optical bargains out there, but that is definately one of em.
My two best three tips for anybody getting keen would perhaps be.
1. Always remember it's about the photograph, photographers take photographs not cameras. The worst lens I have ever used was a Canon EF28-90 USM kit lens. Seriously rubbish. But a very underexposed frame, taken with that crap lens on a roll of then poorly processed Ilford EXP2, which I in turn spent a few hours working on in the darkroom (a recovery job as I knew I had something a wee bit special on that neg) ended up as a book cover.
2. Learn the basics. Exposure is about shutter speed, aperture and ISO (your sensitivity setting) Get out of programe modes as soon as you can. Getting it right always saves time (see above) Also autofocus systems need to told exactly what to focus on, they cannot read your mind.
3. Often the difference between a dull picture and top notch image is in the finishing. Capturing the image is the start of the process not the end of it. Today that means time spent with image manipulation software.