Canon lens for a beginner

B.E. Coyote

Ok, so I am about to leave the world of point and shoot and begin a new hobby.

I have decided to buy a Canon Rebel Xt. (well maybe an xti) The advice I read over and over again is to just buy the body and buy a decent lens.

Can someone give me a little help with what would be a good first lens?

Money is a consideration but sometimes being cheap costs more money in the long run. Quality but not actually a professional lens.

Mostly looking for something for day to day pictures of the kids, dogs etc. Don't need any big zooms right away.

Maybe more info from me would be helpful but I don't know enough to know what to include.

ziggy53

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC, Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro, and the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) are awfully nice lenses for a crop 1.6x Canon camera.

Of course the best choice, and the only one that I consider a major upgrade to the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC that I have, is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS.

B.E. Coyote

Thanks!

Another question if you don't mind, do you think it is worth the $150 difference for the xti?

I am not sure I need the increased resolution but the sensor self cleaning might be a good idea.

cmason

I think the differences btw the XT and XTi are so small, that if it means saving $150...do that, get the Xt, and use the savings toward another lens or a flash.

Really good starter lens is the 28-135 IS, especially if you only want one lens for a while.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/149629-USA/Canon_2562A002_Zoom_W_A_Telephoto_EF_28_135mm.html

But if you want a higher quality lens, that is a bit more limited in range, get the Tamron 28-75:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284399-REG/Tamron_AF09C700_28_75mm_f_2_8_XR_Di.html

Dogdots

I have the Canon Rebel XTI. I love it. Is it that much different then the XT? That I don't know, but I am glad I got the XTI. I also purchased it with the kit lens which I shouldn't have done. I don't use it or need it. And I didn't know better then.

I did invest in the Canon 24-105L lens after having my camera for a couple months. I love it and it has been worth every penny I spent. It will be a lens that hopefully will last a long long time.

So I would say buy which ever camera your comfortable in purchasing and get yourself a good lens. You will have the pictures you want of your children and pets. I wish I had had this camera and lens when my kids were growing up 20 yrs ago. Now I just take pictures of my dogs

~~~~Mary

ian408

I've moved this over to Cameras for some more eyeballs and opinions.

I think Ziggy's suggestion is a great idea. It meets your short to medium
ranges well.

Glenn NK

The suggestions by Ziggy are very good.

If however, you find yourself more "financially gifted", also consider the Canon 17/55 EF-S IS USM lens. It has superb quality, and is an excellent all round or walkabout lens for the Canon 1.6 sensor cameras.

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_1755_28/index.htm

I can personally vouch for this lens.

B.E. Coyote

Thanks for the replies!

I ended up buying a used xt here in the fleamarket. It is coming with a kit lens so I will play with that for a bit before I buy a new lens.

Heading out to the book store today to get a book or two.

ian408

B.E. Coyote wrote:

Thanks for the replies!

I ended up buying a used xt here in the fleamarket. It is coming with a kit lens so I will play with that for a bit before I buy a new lens.

Heading out to the book store today to get a book or two.

The XT will serve you well.

Have a look through the "Books" link just below the banner. There are some
great reviews there.

boulderNardo

B.E. Coyote wrote:

Thanks!

Another question if you don't mind, do you think it is worth the $150 difference for the xti?

I am not sure I need the increased resolution but the sensor self cleaning might be a good idea.

If I may add my 2 cents ... I just recently re-entered the world of photography myself. I was, like you, looking at the XT and XTi, but was then recommended to get a used 20D (or even 30D) for the same('ish) price. Boy was that the best choice I've ever made... The 20D is a (semi)-professional camera with all important controls available as knobs, turn-wheels, and buttons. The XT/XTi are still in the consumer category, IMHO, and thus don't provide the same level of controls (a lot of settings need to be changed through the menu). Another hugely important difference is the size and build quality of the body - a 20/30D being big enough to comfortably fit in your hand and of much higher build quality than the Rebel series.

Hope this helps!
bernardo

B.E. Coyote

boulderNardo wrote:

If I may add my 2 cents ... I just recently re-entered the world of photography myself. I was, like you, looking at the XT and XTi, but was then recommended to get a used 20D (or even 30D) for the same('ish) price. Boy was that the best choice I've ever made... The 20D is a (semi)-professional camera with all important controls available as knobs, turn-wheels, and buttons. The XT/XTi are still in the consumer category, IMHO, and thus don't provide the same level of controls (a lot of settings need to be changed through the menu). Another hugely important difference is the size and build quality of the body - a 20/30D being big enough to comfortably fit in your hand and of much higher build quality than the Rebel series.

Hope this helps!
bernardo

All good thoughts but I already bought a used xt. I think I actually like the smaller size as it will mostly live in a tankbag on my motorcycle.

I will check the book link. Hopefully the book I bought this morning will have a good rating

OsirisPhoto

And if you decide you want a physically bigger camera, the optional batery grip is a good addition. I use it with my XT. Good for portrait shots (I find the XT too small for vertical shooting without it), extra battery life and sits better on the chest when walking around.

SPACE

The XT is a very good camera. You will get some excellent shots with it. It will teach you a lot also.

rpcrowe

Two Recommended Accessories
"I ended up buying a used xt here in the fleamarket. It is coming with a kit lens so I will play with that for a bit before I buy a new lens."

The XT is a very capable camera and the kit lens produces some good imagery - especially when stopped down to f/8 or so!

I might suggest that you eventually consider a battery pack to use with the XT. The battery pack adds size and a bit of weight to the XT allowing it to balance better - especially if you eventually get a longer lens. It also gives longer battery life but, the battery life of an XT is so great that the extra juice is not really a factor.

However for now - think seriously about an after market camera strap. A strap such as the Tamrac Boomerang will make it much more pleasant to carry even a small light camera such as the XT. The Boomerang only costs about twenty bucks and is well woth it.

rpcrowe

I Agree With Cmason And Ziggy...
IMO, the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is a good piece of glass which often gets bad press. If you get a good copy, it can give you some very nice imagery. I do like the reach of the 28-135mm focal length and the IS (granted that this is the original IS version) can really help a new photographer! However, if you choose this lens, you may really need a second wider angle lens. The 12-24mm Tamron f/4 makes a great partner with the 28-135mm giving you 12-135mm in range. Another good but - not as wide, partner is the Canon 20mm f/2.8 prime. The 28-135mm and the 20mm were my first two EOS lenses. The advantage of the 20mm is that since it is not terrifically popular on 1.6x cameras; you can often pick one up in great shape, used, on eBay for a very low price. The 32mm equivalent and f/2.8 aperture make it a nice indoor lens for shooting people - especially using flash. The 20mm does not give the distortions which are inherrent in wider lenses.

20mm is equal to 32mm on a full frame camera. I shot for years with a Leica M-2 rangefinder outfit (which was standard issue in the Navy) that kit consisted of the M-2 body and 35mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses. The 35mm was wide enough to get some great shots and we did not have the digital advantage of being able to shoot panos.

IMO, if you want to rely on one lens, Ziggy's recommendations of, "The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC, Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro, and the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) are awfully nice lenses for a crop 1.6x Canon camera." are right on!

Any of these lenses will work very well as a single lens or in unison with either a Canon 70-200mm f/4L (IS or non-IS) or Sigma 50-150mm lens.

IMO, I would stay away from the 18-55mm "kit" lens because this lens limits your creativity.

k2butter

I got the XT when I was purchasing back in May, the reson I picked it over the XTI is because it had slightly better reviews/ratings than the xti. The XT beat out the Nikon that was released at about the same time, but the Nikon that was released about the same time as the XTI beat out the XTI in the ratings I read... I went through several review websites, I am not sure which ones....

bauerman

A little late probably - but I would probably also recommend the Sigma 17-70mm zoom as a good all around lens. This would get you a good macro mode as well.

That is a very useful zoom range.

Scott_Quier

I'm probably a little late to the game, but...

It appears to have fallen out of favor, but I really like the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Not as wide as some that have been listed here, but it is a very decent walk-around lens. I've had mine for a couple or three years and don't intend to sell it any time soon. There are a few applications that it meets better than anything else in my kit (check my profile pages for that list).