Canon Lens Help

[JimbobJimbo]

I finally made the decision to move into the SRL world and just bought a Canon Rebel XSi. It came with a EFS 18-55mm IS kit lens, and was wondering what other lenses I should look to add(that are in a resonable price range). We are going to be going to WDW in a couple of months and want to make sure I get some good pictures while there.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

A Telephoto Lens? A "nifty-fifty" or something that would be better for low light conditions? That's where I'd start.

 

[JimbobJimbo]

A Telephoto Lens? A "nifty-fifty" or something that would be better for low light conditions? That's where I'd start.

I was looking into a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, what type of telephoto would be good? I just about broke my budget on the camera so I'm looking for a decent lens, it doesn't have to be pro quality.

 

[Debbru]

Take a look at the 55-250mm IS lens. It's getting very good reviews for a lens in its price range. (I have one & love it).

Debbie

 

[Mick00]

Another vote here for the 50mm 1.8. I also got the 55-250mm IS lens and it so far seems like a very good lens for the price.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

If you have $300 to spend on the 55-250 IS lens, I would go for it. If not, I would get a Sigma 55-200mm. It doesn't have IS (so you'll need a tripod for some shots) but it's a great lens....and is literally half the price of the IS lens.

 

[JimbobJimbo]

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it. I'll look into the Sigma 55-200 and also check out the 55-250 IS.

 

[JimbobJimbo]

Ok, one more lens question. Should I go with the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS or the Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM? Seems to me that the 28-135 would be a more versitile walk around lens, but will it be enough zoom for a day at animal kingdom??

 

[11290]

Should I go with the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS or the Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM? Seems to me that the 28-135 would be a more versitile walk around lens,

I ended up with both. Bought a new unused 28-135 (40D kit lens) for $280 and a 55-250 (new from Roberts Imaging) for $255 (plus tax) and use both of them.

 

[DizzyV6P]

The new kit lens with IS is actually quite good. If you're just starting out, I'd save the money and get your skills up to par first. I would also recommend the 55-250 IS as a nice starter zoom.

Although the 28-135 IS is a nice lens, there are others that are better. Namely, the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 etc... A lot of folks run through these lenses after the kit lens:

17-85 IS
28-135 IS
then end up selling either one of those and getting one of the f/2.8 lenses such as:
Tamron 28-75 f/2.8
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8
Tokina 16-50 f/2.8
or the king of the f/2.8's, the Canon 17-55 IS f/2.8 (around $1000 while the others run around $300 used and up).

All the f/2.8's that I listed above have better IQ than either the Canon 17-85 IS or the 28-135 IS. Although at first glance the 28-135 IS seems like a good walkaround lens, as your skill grows, you'll notice that its softer lens than some of the others.

Animal Kingdom is fine with the kit lens except for the Safari ride. Then you'll need something longer. That's where the 50-250 IS comes into play. Or, pay around $500 for a used Canon 70-200 f/4L. The Canon 70-200 L series is wicked sweet so you can't go wrong with any of them...except bust your budget, LOL.

If you check out a Canon forum, such as www.photography-on-the.net/forum you'll find quite a few opinions on which lens to get as well.

Good luck w/ your lense search. Soon you will have lens envy like the rest of us on the forum.

 

[AlienBrain]

I agree with the suggestions on the 50 f/1.8 and the 55-250 IS. My set of lenses is a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, Canon 50 f/1.8, and Canon 55-250 IS. Each of these lenses produce sharp images.

 

[JimbobJimbo]

Thanks for the help everyone. I decided to go with the 50 f/1.8 and the 55-250 IS