Please suggest a lense for 10D

[sigler]

Hello,

I'm really interested in purchasing a EOS 10D. I'm a video guy, so I don't know much about lenses for SLR cameras.

Are there any good web sites that explain the differences/quality/etc. of lenses for SLR cameras?

I would like a lense for "general" use...I would like to be able to zoom around 5X.

Thanks for any advice, and sorry for sounding like a newbie!

Rob

[PaulB]

Don't ever apologise for wanting to learn!
We all had to start somewhere and when you stop learning, you're dead - at least metaphorically.

If you are used to video then stills are a whole new ballgame.

You will not get the zoom range on most still lenses that video and cine are capable of - too complicated and expensive to make usually.
But 5:1 should be possible - look at the Canon 28-135mm IS which seems to be a favourite as a 'standard'
lens on digital. Good zoom range, the image stabilizer and price add up to a good starter lens.

If you need very wide don't forget the 1.6 multiplier on the 10D - bit of a pain but something has to be compromised - that 28-135mm translates to 45-215mm or thereabouts.

Lots wider = expense I'm afraid,

Many on this forum will point you in the direction of the 28-200mm or 28-300mm superzooms by other manufacturers but me? I'd stay with Canon

[raymond_anthony]

i have the 28-135 usm is lens and that thing is incredible. use it for 99 percent of my shots. but when im in the studio i actually use a cheap 50mm 1.8 lens. you can pick one of those up for 70 bucks thru b and h

[Longwatcher]

The only site I know of that comprehensively compared lenses was on photodoto.com , but the page is out of date and missing several newer lenses.

I highly recommend the 28-135 IS as a general purpose lens, but also recommend you get the 50/1.8 (or my choice the 50/1.4) for low light and later a 75-300 IS. This should give you a very good range, except wide angle, which the 17-40 or 16-35L would be the choices (that or a couple of expensive primes).

No matter what you do, I suspect you will find you will eventually need at least 3 probably 4 lenses to cover 99% of all situations. The 28-135 IS will cover about 50%, which is probably the best for a single lens.

[perfectpixel]

28-135 IS seems to command the majority vote.
just a thought: what is the penalty in battery power drain that yuo pay for an IS lens?
Also, does the IS add a lot to the weight of the lens?
thanks

[Longwatcher]

The IS seems to add about 6-8oz (150grams) to the weight (based on looking at the Canon lens chart)

While there is extra battery use, it does not appear to be significant, since I can still take over 500 pictures from a full battery charge. Of course I use BG-3D so usually I get tired of taking pictures before the batteries run out.

My 100-400 seems to suck up the most power, while the 75-300 seems to take the least. Not enough battery only use with 28-135, but close to 75-300. Sample to small to truly judge though.