Please Help Me Decide!!!

shannonec

Okay, I am new to digital slrs but I really want to buy one. I am currently using a cheap Kodak Easyshare and want something better. I love taking photos and most are of my son. I have been looking at getting the XTI and now just need opinions on lenses! I will be getting the 50mm 1:8 for sure but heard the standard lenses..I think it is the 18-55 is no good. So I am going to buy just the body and then a good standard lenses. Most photos are indoors as well so I have to consider that. Any opinions?

Shizam

shannonec wrote:

Okay, I am new to digital slrs but I really want to buy one. I am currently using a cheap Kodak Easyshare and want something better. I love taking photos and most are of my son. I have been looking at getting the XTI and now just need opinions on lenses! I will be getting the 50mm 1:8 for sure but heard the standard lenses..I think it is the 18-55 is no good. So I am going to buy just the body and then a good standard lenses. Most photos are indoors as well so I have to consider that. Any opinions?

The 18-55 is actually a not-terrible lens for how much it costs, I'd go ahead and say that for the around $100 zoom area its a fantastic bargain. And I'm a huge gearwhore, so thats sayin' something Of course, if you had $500 to spend on extra gear I wouldn't touch the 18-55 w/a 10' monopod, get a 17-85. And a 430ex, once you go external flash, you never go back.

Sam

ziggy53

The Canon XTi and a Canon EF 50mm, f1.8 would make a nice starting combination for larger rooms indoors or many outdoor opportunities.

For more indoor situations, one of the zooms with 17-55mm-ish, f2.8 might be a better choice as a starter lens.

Take a look at:

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical (IF)
Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro

Don't forget an external flash (or two) for inside work. Used properly it can make the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.

Tee Why

As nice as the 50mm f1.8 is, unless you have a specific need for that lens, I'd skip it for now.

If you are looking for a relatively cheap lens, then the new Canon 18-55 with IS at about $175 at B&H is optically better than the non IS version.

Going up to about $350, Sigma 17-70 is another nice and versatile lens.

At about $450 is Tamron 17-50, another nice lens. If you can spare the dough, Canon has a $900 17-55 with IS.

Good luck.

If money is tight the 18-55IS, if you can spare the dough the Tamron would be better since it's a faster lens.

claudermilk

I don't necessarily agree with skipping the 50/1.8. Sure, it's a little long for indoors, so get one of the 28mm or 30mm primes instead--those are $300 instead of $70. I found that the year my 50/1.8 lived on my 20D was very educational.

We don't know budget, but I assume not unlimited since you're looking at an XTi. So I'd probably look at the Tamron, it gets good reviews & is frequently recommended. The Canon 17-55 IS is a $1k lens--quite an investment to start with. I'd suggest looking at the photozone.de site & read up on the reviews, he has a pretty good range of lenses reviewed.

ddkphotos

I bought the xti - skipped the kit lens and started with the 50 mm 1.8... (great minds think alike!)... A short time later I picked up the Tamron 28-75 2.8. It's a great lens!

Scott_Quier

ddkphotos wrote:

I bought the xti - skipped the kit lens and started with the 50 mm 1.8... (great minds think alike!)... A short time later I picked up the Tamron 28-75 2.8. It's a great lens!

To my way of thinking, this is a very good approach. The XTi is a very capable body and the 50 f/1.8 is a good (especially for the price), inexpensive way to start. It will allow you the opportunity to better define your shooting style and, thereby, define for you the lens(es) you are most likely to use in the future.

After the 50 f/1.8, though, I would concentrate on buying the best quality you can afford (saving if you have to). From personal experience, it really bites to buy something not up to standard, sell that at a loss so that you can afford to buy the glass you should have acquired in the first place. Sure wish I had paid better attention to Andy's advice, "Buy it right, buy it once!" (or was it the other way around? )

As for the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 - I bought that some time ago and it will be a long, long time before I sell it. The f/2.8 is nice to have, it's the right length for a "longish" walking around lens, and the "macro" mode is good enough for all my "macro" needs. Oh, I almost forgot, the optics are very, very good - not OMG stellar, but very, very good. Getting sharp images with this lens is not just a possibility, but a high probability.