Newbie Lens Recommendations (Canon)

[alicia080979]

I have had my Canon XSi for 2 years now but still have a ton to learn. Have read a couple books and play around when I can but the majority of use has been our Disney trips the past 2 years. We leave again in a little less than a month and I am trying to decide if I should buy a new lens or rent something to play with while on our trip.

All I have now is the kit lens and the 50-250mm zoom lens. My wish list includes a Macro lens & Wide Angle lens but I really don't know where to start. I would love to be able to take pictures on the dark rides, nighttime parades, etc. Budget is a concern as I only use my camera for personal/hobby use and can't spend ~$1000 right before vacation but I'm not opposed to renting something either. Any suggestions?

 

[bob100]

I have had my Canon XSi for 2 years now but still have a ton to learn. Have read a couple books and play around when I can but the majority of use has been our Disney trips the past 2 years. We leave again in a little less than a month and I am trying to decide if I should buy a new lens or rent something to play with while on our trip.

All I have now is the kit lens and the 50-250mm zoom lens. My wish list includes a Macro lens & Wide Angle lens but I really don't know where to start. I would love to be able to take pictures on the dark rides, nighttime parades, etc. Budget is a concern as I only use my camera for personal/hobby use and can't spend ~$1000 right before vacation but I'm not opposed to renting something either. Any suggestions?

I would try and decide what is most important to you then rent and try it out, e.g. for a wide angle lens look at the Canon 10-22 or Sigma 10-20. Or you could spend $80 and buy a used Canon 50mm 1.8 for low light shots.
Or you could spend just $5 for an extension tube or reversing ring for macro shots!

 

[mom2rtk]

If low light photography is important to you, then consider the Sigma 30mm f/1.4.

 

[Frantasmic]

The sigma listed above is probably your best bet for low-light. The 50mm f1.8 is inexpensive, but it can still lack on the dark rides. Canon's 28mm f2.8 and 24mm f2.8 are both good bets too.

For wide angle, the f2.8 by Tokina is great as evidenced by all the people here; however, it is expensive (worth the money though). If you are on a budget and want a good wide angle, look at the Tokina 12-24 f4.0. Most wide angle shots are probably going to be either in daylight or via long exposure at night, so the f4.0 shouldn't be too much of a hinderance.

 

[photo_chick]

There are a lot of choices out there for lenses. It can be daunting if you don't have a clear idea of what you want. My advice, don't buy until you do have a clear idea of what you want. I've seen a lot of people lately pick up a lens because someone tells them to then they end up not liking the lens and feeling as if they wasted money. Because we all shoot differently, we all like different lenses for different reasons.

The only lenses I don't usually hesitate to recommend is the Canon 50mm f/1.8 simply because it's a great little lens and it is the least expensive lens Canon makes. It's plenty fast enough for dark rides, though it gets a little tight on some. One feature many overlook is that it offers shallower depth of field than shorter lenses, but how much shallower depends on the comparison. However, if you have more budget than $200, you might want to consider other options as well because like I said, there are a lot of lenses out there.

The Canon 60mm macro is a nice lens, and will also work for dark rode photography though it's even tighter than the 50mm. The 100mm f/2.8 macro (both L and non L versions) are nice lenses. They're fast telephoto primes that have a really nice, shallow depth of field along with great optical quality. Obviously, the L series is better but the non-L version is also a really great lens.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

If low light photography is important to you, then consider the Sigma 30mm f/1.4.

I'll second this ... I just got one for my birthday (and Christmas ), and I already love it.

It's my first non-Canon lens. I have a Canon T2i and the kit lens, 55-250, 75-300 (awful!) and nifty-fifty (great for $100).

The Sigma is probably the best-engineered out of all my lenses and it's focus speed is amazing even in the light of a single hurricane oil-lamp (we've got no power after Irene!).

Just shooting stuff around the house leads me to believe it will be nearly the perfect range for Disney dark rides and night parades/character greetings!!

 

[boBQuincy]

If you are looking to rent a low-light lens give Canon's 35mm f/1.4 L a try, it is sharp and fast focusing. Canon's 28mm f/1.4 is also good.

Another option is to rent a wide angle, Canon's 10-22 works great on a Xsi:

 

[alicia080979]

Thanks everyone to all the wonderful responses! It is daunting when you don't know what you are doing yet but exciting at the same time when I see some of the pictures on here!

I have looked at the 50mm 1.8 and thought about just picking it up bc it is so cheap but wondered if bc it is so cheap, I would be disappointed. I think I will go ahead and order it just to play with. Now having the 50mm 1.8 for some dark rides, macro shots, etc. which Wide Angle should I rent? Should I go with the Canon 10-22? I have been drooling in the wide angle photos thread and I want to be able get some of those shots!