Everyday lens for canon t3

[BridetobeDisney]

Hi, I got a canon t3 for Christmas. It's my first step into the dslr world. I love my camera but I hate this kit lens. I only want to take one lens to disney that will fit many situations. I want to take close shots of food, merchandise, my son etc but also zoom in on animals in the safari, shows etc. Which lens fits this description? Thanks!

 

[BridetobeDisney]

Also as far as my budget goes, after I know what lens to look for I'll probably shop for a used one on eBay or use my best buy card. Definitely can't spend 300+ for a lens. Hoping for less than 200.

 

[photo_chick]

There's really not one lens that is ideal for every situation or even most situations. If there were then there'd be no reason for us to carry a bag full of lenses.

The all in one lenses, like an 18-200, will give you the focal range but they tend to be slower (that means they won't get a fast enough shutter speed in darker situations, like for food photography in a restaurant) so you have to use flash. But some of the longer lenses will block the camera's onboard flash, so you need an additional flash.... and you get into a lot more than just buying a lens really fast. The all in one lenses are also heavier than shorter focal range zoom lenses and they are not as sharp.

Honestly... if you want one lens with a broad focal range you're almost better off carrying one of the high end super zooms these days. They've got much more zoom and some have wider apertures overall. There are also a couple that produce very sharp low noise images.

 

[photo_chick]

Also as far as my budget goes, after I know what lens to look for I'll probably shop for a used one on eBay or use my best buy card. Definitely can't spend 300+ for a lens. Hoping for less than 200.

That changes things. If you go used check out KEH.com. Great prices, great service and they stand behind what they sell.

But under $200.... you may want to look at something like the 55-250 to compliment your 18-55 kit lens rather than getting a replacement. Or even consider the 70-210 f/4 used (this is NOT the 70-200 f/4 L).

 

[havoc315]

The all-in-one lenses are good for having a broad range outdoors. They will be nearly useless for "close up" photography, such as food in a restaurant.
There is a reason people invest thousands of dollars in multiple lenses. -- because there is no such thing as a perfect all-in-one.

There are fairly decent super zooms that will cover most of your outdoor situations. The better ones are a bit more expensive, though perhaps you could find a used 18-200 in your price range. Though I agree with Danielle, your money may be better spent on a 55-250 to compliment your kit lens, rather than replacing it.

 

[ford91exploder]

Also as far as my budget goes, after I know what lens to look for I'll probably shop for a used one on eBay or use my best buy card. Definitely can't spend 300+ for a lens. Hoping for less than 200.

How do you look at the world - lenses don't make the photograph the phoographer does. Do you like to zero in on a single detail, Or the broad sweep of the horizon. Do you like to get close or do you prefer to stand off at a distance.

Remember a lens is simply a tool to help you realize your vision.

These will all influence your choice of lenses, I also recommend KEH or and Hunt's has also treated me well over the years.

 

[boBQuincy]

Hi, I got a canon t3 for Christmas. It's my first step into the dslr world. I love my camera but I hate this kit lens. I only want to take one lens to disney that will fit many situations. I want to take close shots of food, merchandise, my son etc but also zoom in on animals in the safari, shows etc. Which lens fits this description? Thanks!

One question is: what is it that you hate about the kit lens? My guess from reading your post is that it does not bring objects in close enough. Canon's 55-250 will bring objects closer (technically more magnification at the same distance) and is just under your $200 limit. This lens is still not great for close-ups, with a minimum focusing distance of 3.6' it is about 25% better for that then the 18-55.

This would probably be your best solution unless you are dead set against changing lenses. In that case one of the 18-200 or so lenses would work but would not deliver as good a quality image as the 18-55/55-250 combination and would probably cost more. The 18-55 is a pretty good lens for sharpness.

 

[BridetobeDisney]

Thank you all for the great advice. It looks like I'll be bringing two lenses then. I'm going to look for the ones recommended. As for how I view the world as a photographer, I like detail and close shots. I love capturing moments like when my son grabs my DH's hand and I get a shot of just their hands with a blurred background. I'm new to all this but I'm an artist so I've viewed the world with a painters eye for a long time. I feel like it was a natural progression to photography. I'm looking into a class but it won't be before our trip so I'm reading blogs and this forum for help. My main concern with the kit lens is zooming in on far away objects. I like details and can't get what I want from the kit. It's great for close shots though. I really didn't want to bring 2 lenses to the park. I already carry a back pack as it is. But I'll look into the lenses you all mentioned. Thank you!

 

[photo_chick]

I really didn't want to bring 2 lenses to the park. I already carry a back pack as it is. But I'll look into the lenses you all mentioned. Thank you!

Put the second lens in your backpack. I carry mine in my pack with the ponchos and water.

 

[ford91exploder]

If you want the closeup with the background blurred you are going to need a 'Fast' lens I.e. something with a aperture of 2.8 or greater.

Best bet here is the Canon 80-200 2.8 used these are about 600-800 which I know is about twice your budget but is really the only type of lens which is capable of producing a shallow depth of field, Which is necessary for the type of photo you want to produce.

The consumer lenses have small maximum aperture which has two advantages for the average consumer 1 - small and light, 2 - large depth of field (area apparently in focus) at max aperture (lens opening)

Unfortunately #2 precludes the close up with background out of focus

Understand I am generalizing here so before the "pixel peepers" start yammering it is possible in SOME cases to take the kind of photo you want but it will be difficult and not yield the same result a fast lens at maximum aperture provides.

Also Camera bodies are transient a lens collection of quality lenses will usually stay with a photographer for a lifetime. It's the lenses which ACTUALLY make the image. The camera body simply records the image on film or a digital sensor.

Lenses are a long term investment, I have some favorites which have been overhauled 3-4 times over over the years because I like the images they create and there is no 'new' equivalent

Thank you all for the great advice. It looks like I'll be bringing two lenses then. I'm going to look for the ones recommended. As for how I view the world as a photographer, I like detail and close shots. I love capturing moments like when my son grabs my DH's hand and I get a shot of just their hands with a blurred background. I'm new to all this but I'm an artist so I've viewed the world with a painters eye for a long time. I feel like it was a natural progression to photography. I'm looking into a class but it won't be before our trip so I'm reading blogs and this forum for help. My main concern with the kit lens is zooming in on far away objects. I like details and can't get what I want from the kit. It's great for close shots though. I really didn't want to bring 2 lenses to the park. I already carry a back pack as it is. But I'll look into the lenses you all mentioned. Thank you!

 

[havoc315]

If you want the closeup with the background blurred you are going to need a 'Fast' lens I.e. something with a aperture of 2.8 or greater.

Best bet here is the Canon 80-200 2.8 used these are about 600-800 which I know is about twice your budget but is really the only type of lens which is capable of producing a shallow depth of field, Which is necessary for the type of photo you want to produce.

The consumer lenses have small maximum aperture which has two advantages for the average consumer 1 - small and light, 2 - large depth of field (area apparently in focus) at max aperture (lens opening)

Unfortunately #2 precludes the close up with background out of focus

Understand I am generalizing here so before the "pixel peepers" start yammering it is possible in SOME cases to take the kind of photo you want but it will be difficult and not yield the same result a fast lens at maximum aperture provides.

Also Camera bodies are transient a lens collection of quality lenses will usually stay with a photographer for a lifetime. It's the lenses which ACTUALLY make the image. The camera body simply records the image on film or a digital sensor.

Lenses are a long term investment, I have some favorites which have been overhauled 3-4 times over over the years because I like the images they create and there is no 'new' equivalent

Background blur-- depth of field, is about more than aperture. Need to consider focal length, distance to subject, distance to background.

If you are 8 feet from your subject, aperture of 5.6, and focal length of 150mm, depth of field is only about 3 inches. So lots of background blur. If you are 4 feet from your subject, you will get an extreme close up with only a 1 inch depth of field. (Less than 1 inch)

2.8 aperture is helpful, but not critical on a telephoto lens for background blur.