If you can only buy one or two lenses, which one would you get?

[EnchantedPrincess]

I have a Canon Rebel XTi and only have the lens kit that came with it. I am thinking of purchasing another lens or two...and was wondering, which one would you recommend if you can only purchase one additional lens, and which two would you get if you can only purchase two lenses?

I like to take pictures of my kids, and also landscape/scenery shots and of course, when I am at Disney, I would love to be able to get some nice picture so of the castle at night, and the fireworks! A tripod is also on my list of things to purchase.

Thanks!!
J

 

[Nikel]

What's your budget? The 50mm 1.8 is a good lens for the price. (Around $80 new.) I don't feel the love for it that many seem to, but it works well for portraits, and is fast, so it's good for low light situations.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

What's your budget? The 50mm 1.8 is a good lens for the price. (Around $80 new.) I don't feel the love for it that many seem to, but it works well for portraits, and is fast, so it's good for low light situations.

Dh and I have budgeted about $500-$600 for the lens. We have heard great things about this lens: Sigma Wide Angle Zoom 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SG18200SEOS

Is that a good multipurpose lens, especially for use at Disney world?

We are looking at all our options right now...

 

[Master Mason]

That lens would work ok in decent light situations, or in low light for a long exposure on a tripod. Typically on a big range zoom like that your going to lose image quality at both ends a little, that is the price that is paid for having the greater range.

I would however IMO be abismal for things such as night parades, or inside of rides as it simply isn't fast enough.

If it were me, with your budget, I would take a look at the sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens. It will give you a fast zoom with a pretty good range. The canon version of this lens is my main lens I use. It will take pretty much your entire budget, but will give you a pretty fast lens, with a decent coverage range.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

If it were me, with your budget, I would take a look at the sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens. It will give you a fast zoom with a pretty good range. The canon version of this lens is my main lens I use. It will take pretty much your entire budget, but will give you a pretty fast lens, with a decent coverage range.

Can you provide me with a link to the sigma lens above, and also to the canon lens that you are using? I tried doing a search but just aren't sure which one you are refering to....keep in mind, I am still a newbie when it comes to dslr photography, and still learning. Thanks!!!

 

[Nikel]

I have the Tamron version, the 28-75mm 2.8, which I LOVE.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284399-REG/Tamron_AF09C700_28_75mm_f_2_8_XR_Di.html

Here's the sigma version:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/350973-REG/Sigma_548101_24_70mm_f_2_8_EX_DG.html

And here's the L glass:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/264304-USA/Canon_8014A002_Zoom_Wide_Angle_Telephoto_EF.html

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

I have the Tamron version, the 28-75mm 2.8, which I LOVE.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284399-REG/Tamron_AF09C700_28_75mm_f_2_8_XR_Di.html

Here's the sigma version:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/350973-REG/Sigma_548101_24_70mm_f_2_8_EX_DG.html

And here's the L glass:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/264304-USA/Canon_8014A002_Zoom_Wide_Angle_Telephoto_EF.html

Thank you so much! The price difference between the tamron/sigma and the Canon is significant!! I guess i should start reading reviews on them...I think I will get the fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens as well.

 

[Master Mason]

Nikel beat me to it, but yes those are the lenses I was speaking of.

I think there are a few others, but I am possitive that Deleated Penguin uses the Sigma version, and as you can see from his shots it is a very good lens.

The canon will rate higher on every site, but at almost double the cost, it will not provide you with twice as good results.

As Mark points out often, the incremental cost of lenses and other equipment will give you a reverse exponential increase in goodnees.

 

[Anewman]

Thank you so much! The price difference between the tamron/sigma and the Canon is significant!! I guess i should start reading reviews on them...I think I will get the fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens as well.

Fredmirandas forum has lots of reviews...

For the sigma


For the Tamron(which I have and think it is great).

For the Canon

 

[jann1033]

personally i'd forget the 50mm even though it is cheap if you are getting one of those above and add it to your future lens fund, you'll have the mm covered and the difference in speed is not Thatgreat( most reviews say its best over the f2+ range) plus i find it a devil to focus so rarely use it....( i know , gasp, i'm a heretic to speak ill of that lens)

while i think those are great suggestions, just to add a thought...for landscapes you want a wide angle ( which the 28 would probably be ok for, closer to 17 might be better) but if you want nature shots ie animals, you really need something at least 300...i was almost regretting my 70-200 f4( which i love usually) since i needed the extra 100mm of a say 70-300 and wished i had IS(mainly cause my hands have been extra shaky lately) when i was taking shots on vacation...the 1.4 teleconverter was ok with a tripod to get almost 300mm but shake shake shake with out it.....

course no lens is perfect for everything and i don't have the $$$$$$$$$$$$$ needed for a 400-600mm lens but i am thinking of "gulp" getting the 70-300 is if i can find it cheap used or free

i don't think it is rated nearly as good as the above and the aperture is not nearly as good but i did use my 28-135 IS almost exclusively last vacation and i think got a few decent shots...it's a little more range plus the is helps with low light, i can always get at least as low as 60 even with my shakey hands when at 135 so the stinky aperture isn't quite as bad as it seems

 

[Groucho]

I'd also recommend the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8. I'm pretty happy with mine, and I was looking at a couple comparison reviews a few days ago (I forgot the # of aperture blades and didn't have the lens in front of me to look at myself) and the Sigma version is apparently quite a bit heavier and as not as sharp, and it's apparently a bit sharper than the Canon 28-135mm IS, also.

 

[SharonLowe]

I have a Canon Rebel XTi and only have the lens kit that came with it. I am thinking of purchasing another lens or two...and was wondering, which one would you recommend if you can only purchase one additional lens, and which two would you get if you can only purchase two lenses?

I like to take pictures of my kids, and also landscape/scenery shots and of course, when I am at Disney, I would love to be able to get some nice picture so of the castle at night, and the fireworks! A tripod is also on my list of things to purchase.

Thanks!!
J

The most important thing in lens selection is what you shoot. Right now, it doesn't seem you are interested in a long lens but instead want a nice wide to medium length lens. Doesn't your kit lens cover the range you are interested in? If not, then you really need to think about what you want to photograph before looking for a new lens.

The 50mm is great with the cropping factor for portraits (though I use the f/1.4 version instead of the 1.8). The best portrait lens is the Canon 85mm f/1.8 but it isn't good for group shots. My walkaround lens is my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 (but I have a full frame camera). Many swear by the 24-105 IS but it is only f/4.0 and is also pricey.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

The most important thing in lens selection is what you shoot. Right now, it doesn't seem you are interested in a long lens but instead want a nice wide to medium length lens. Doesn't your kit lens cover the range you are interested in? If not, then you really need to think about what you want to photograph before looking for a new lens.

The 50mm is great with the cropping factor for portraits (though I use the f/1.4 version instead of the 1.8). The best portrait lens is the Canon 85mm f/1.8 but it isn't good for group shots. My walkaround lens is my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 (but I have a full frame camera). Many swear by the 24-105 IS but it is only f/4.0 and is also pricey.

Yes, the kit lens is great for my everyday use, but it doesn't seem to take that great of a picture in low light. I usually just photograph my kids, but dh is into photographing other things. He was pretty disappointed with how our fireworks/castle pictures turn out during our last trip to disney, and we also weren't able to get great pictures of the animals in the savannah. Also, last year we went ot the festival of the lights and with our kit lens, it was pretty hard to get nice shots of the lights. Some turned out OK, but nothing great.......

I was looking on amazon and some of those amazon lens are a lot cheaper than the other places......

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_g...alias=aps&field-keywords=canon+lens&x=10&y=24

is one with IS better? Yikes..I can see this as a hobby that gets expensive! Would the 50mm f/1.8 lens be good for taking pictures of christmas lights, etc? Thnaks!

 

[Master Mason]

There are 2 things to concider when taking low light photos.

1. Long exposure, this would be used for things like fireworks, christmas lights, buildings or other stationary subjects. What you want to do with them is to set your apeture at a fairly high number say 8 or higher, lower the ISO, and put the camera on a tripod for stablity, and you'll get a very long shutter speed, potentially many seconds. This will give you crisp color dark skys etc.

2. low light moving subjects. This is things like parades, inside rides, night sports. Since you can't have a long shutter speed, because the subject is moving and will blur, you will need to raise the ISO as high as it will go, open the apeture as wide as it will get, and hope that between the 2 of those you can get the shutter speed fast enough to stop the action.

Since you max ISO is controlled by your camera, the only thing you can do to assist this is to get a lens that has a very wide apeture. (smaller f/number)

So, your kit lens would be fine for christmas lights, fireworks etc, so long as your following the suggestion in #1. For senerio #2 your going to need a faster lens. The 50mm f/1.8 is a great cheap way to get yourself a fast lens, but it has limitations as it is a fixed focal lenght as well.

Examples
ISO 100 f/11 2.5 sec exposure

ISO 100 f/10 .5 sec exposure

ISO 3200 f/2.8 1/250 sec exposure

 

[jann1033]

is one with IS better?

the IS helps with camera shake ie you move but doesn't help from a moving vehicle or if the subject moves...imo it helps most if you are using a longer mm lens..thinking it is over 200+ that is getting difficult to hand hold ...you want a shutter speed that is 1/what ever mm length you are using PLUS with a 1.6 crop camera (like the rebel) you really need to have a 1/320 shutter speed with a 200 mm lens( 200x1.6), which isn't a problem in bright light but could be tricker in lower light...you can bump up your iso but then you have more noise. the IS lets you hold the camera steadier at a lower shutter speed hence more useful lower light capabilities( ie at 135 mm i can hold it at least at 60 at f5.6) . also just more sharp photos in general if you have a tendency to shake some. also a faster speed( over 500 or so) lets you stop action which is important for animals ect and the larger the aperture the better your chance of getting a nice fast speed for that

 

[SharonLowe]

I think Gregg summed it up really well for the night/low light photos. It is usually the operator who needs more practice for fireworks rather than the fault of a lens. Any lens can give you decent fireworks if used properly. An IS lens won't help for those or the moving objects - you need a higher ISO and a wider aperture (f/2.8 or lower) so you can get a decent shutter speed. For the savanna animals, something at least 200 mm long will do fine since you have a small sensor. Unfortunately, at your price range, you can't have both a long lens with a wide aperture.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Ok..I just ordered the "Understanding exposure" book by Bryan Peterson from Amazon, and it will be here on Thursday..to help me understand this whole photography thing better and hopefully take better pictures. I think I am going to put purchasing the lens on hold....I talked to dh again and he said he is willing to spend around $1500-$2000 for couple good lenses. So for around that price, what two lenses would you get? He's going to get it after Christmas.....so we have some time to shop around.

I think I am going to start telling him to do the research! Somehow I always end up doing the research for stuff like this.

 

[Master Mason]

If it were me with that budget

24-70 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8 then you have the entire range of 24-200 covered with a max apeture of 2.8. In fact I have this exact combo in the canon lenses. The canon version is probably a little over your budget, but the sigma option would fit quite easily.

 

[SharonLowe]

If it were me with that budget

24-70 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8 then you have the entire range of 24-200 covered with a max apeture of 2.8. In fact I have this exact combo in the canon lenses. The canon version is probably a little over your budget, but the sigma option would fit quite easily.

Ditto what Gregg says. I have both of those and they are with me almost 100 percent of the time. Add my 50mm f/1.4 for WDW dark rides and my kit is complete for most purposes. I have other specialty lenses but the first 2 are my work horses. Total cost for the 2 would be around $2500. B&H has "instant rebates" on them right now; Canon frequently offers rebates in late December/January, sometimes offering double and triple rebates.