Lens question...

DeathToDigital

I've got the XSi and Im not totally set on what I want to be shooting, I just know it's going to be a wide range of different subjects, from people to plants and animals, street randomness, close ups and far away. So, I was thinking ... Since the XSi came with the 18-55mm, would it be a good idea to go and get the 55-250mm lens? The trouble Im having is deciding on those two over a 28-135mm & 75-300mm. I really love that 28-135mm that comes standard on the 40d but I dont want to be overlapping my focal lengths.

Keep in mind I am very new to photography, still honing my skills and figuring out my favorite subjects. I was just wondering what a better combo would be so, which do you think? 18-55mm & 55-250mm or 28-135 & 75-300mm?

All opinions greatly appreciated!

Moogle Pepper

I would sell off the kit lens and go with the 17-55 or 24-105 if you are going to do walk around shooting. Oh and welcome to Dgrin!

Art Scott

Welcome to DGRIN and if it were me I would sell the 18-55 and opt for a Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 and either a Sigma or Canon 70-200f2.8 ....great lenses and sigmas of course cost way less than canon does and you may even find a great deal on Sigma lenses on Ebay.......I have in the past.........

DeathToDigital

Thanks for the welcome guys! And uhm, what's the quality like on those Sigma lenses? How do they differ from Canon?

ziggy53

On the crop 1.6x Canon cameras I am loving the combination of:

EF-S 17-55mm, f/2.8 IS USM
EF 70-200mm, f4L IS USM

It is rather pricey but the results are consisantly good to great.

If too much money, a viable alternative is probably the Tamron 17-50mm, f/2.8 XR Di II coupled with the Canon EF 70-200mm, f4L USM (non-IS).

Tee Why

The 18-55IS and 55-250IS are both new design lenses with very effective IS system and a great optics. It's build quality is so so at best. Probably the cheapest way to get 18-250mm coverage with great IQ and IS.

The 28-135IS is an old lens with so so optics, old IS system but a great build. I had the lens and found it not wide enough and the optics a bit too poor for my tastes. The Canon 75-300mm is probably the worst lens that Canon makes and I would not recommend it.

Check out photozone.de if you want to go over some lens reviews. If it was me and money is a factor, I'd go for the 18-55 and 55-250IS.

Good luck.

Scott_Quier

DtD - Welcome to the club!!

Something that would help all of us out in providing you with recommendations would be some idea of your budget for glass.

The 17-55 f/2.8 IS is one sweet lens, and Canon know it - you can get one new for about $1,000 and I don't think you'll find a used one anywhere - or at least not very often. Those that have them (like me) love them.

The family of Canon 70-200 lenes are a litter of best of breed and, again, Canon knows this. The lens recommend by Ziggy (who's opinion is aces in my book, btw) goes for about $1,100.

The EF 24-105 f/4L is a very, very nice outdoor walking around lens. Good build quality and excellent image quality. For indoor work, it might be a little slow. It also has a pretty good close focus abilty - they call it macro, but I don't know if it quite qualifies for that.:D

The Sigma lenses can be stellar performers. In addition to Art Scott, Urbanaries has been shooting with the Sigam 70-200 f/2.8 for at least a year to two and has nothing but good to say about it. There are, however, some internet rumors (take them for whatever you think they may be worth) that Sigma has recently been having some quality control issues in their lens production. On the other hand, they do have a very good service policy and warranty.

Another lens that has a wide and long-lived following (I count myself among them) is the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. I've had one of these for a number of years and find it's optics to be stunning. I'll not soon part with it. I have a friend (another wedding photographer) who uses this lens almost exclusively for his wedding work. It's a very good walk-around lens, both indoors and out. It focuses sharp, true and, under most conditions, very quickly. In very, very dim environments (like a reception), it can hunt a little bit but it will eventually get you there. It can be had from places like B&H and Adorama for about $350.

HTH

BVardy

I don't know how you are set for cash, but the 24-105 f4L and 70-200 f2.8L make a phenomenal kit, and you won't have to upgrade your lenses even if you decide to upgrade the body and/or go full-frame at some point.

DeathToDigital

Awesome suggestions guys, I'll be taking all of them into account. Budget is a big factor because I'm just starting out and dont want to toss the piggy bank around too much. In my first post, I lied. I said, "I've got the XSi (... etc.)" and at the time, it wasn't true. Today was the first day I've had it and I'm freaking out!

I'm really excited to start developing my style with this camera. I think the next step is to just head down to the camera shop and try looking through the different glass they have. See which I like best and narrow it down. After my first day of shooting, it's apparent I like lower-light shots. Blue hour and night time are my favorite so I'm really looking into the f/1.8's and f/2.8's

I've still got a lot to learn before I can give some constructive criticism to any of you guys, but judging by your photos, this looks like a good place to learn!