Help with lenses

[golffballz]

Any advice on lenses to start off with? These would be for sporting events and family pix. I just got a Canon Rebel XT. Thanks.

[liza]

Which sport? There are different lenses for field sports vs. gymnasium sports. For indoor events, the 85mm f/1.8 is one of the best. For field sports, opinions differ. I just bought a 200mm f/2.8L with a teleconverter. Many others like the Canon or Sigma 70-200 f/2.8. Don't get anything slower than f/2.8, though. You need a lot of light to shoot at high shutters and/or in low light conditions.
By the way, both lenses would be good for family pics as well. The 85mm is fantastic!

[Woolburr]

Really would help to have some additional info about what you really want and what you can really afford. Are you looking to just take pictures for your own personal use? Website shots for family and friends? Going in to business? What sport do you want to shoot? If nothing else, get a 50mm f1.8...best bang for the buck. If you don't have a big budget, you could try the 28-135mm IS. Not a bad little lens for the price. Share a bit more info and I am sure you will be swamped with suggestions.

[condyk]

I'd agree with Liza given the basic information here but also, as Mr Woolburr suggests, some extra info would help hone things, esp. around budget and also whether you want to use it as an advanced point and shoot style camera or really get into maximising its potential.

[golffballz]

Hello. Indoor sports are swimming and basketball. Outdoor sports are softball, lacrosse, and soccer. What is the advantage of a prime lens vs. a zoom lens? You suggest an 85mm f/1.8. Thanks for your time.

[condyk]

Golfballz, if we knew what else you have then that would help ... and also where are you? There are several kinds of $'s and whether Aussie, Canadian, HK, US will make a difference. All we know is you have a 350XT. Most people need a decent zoom in the 24ish to 70-85ish kinda range. For outdoor sports like soccer you need a fastish zoom or prime at around the 100ish to 300ish range. Indoors a very fast prime will do the best job unless light is very good indeed when you might get away with a fast zoom. Primes are generally better image quality, tho' some suck so it's not a rule! The decision is really convenience v's the last tad of image quality. The 135mm L is a lovely lens for indoors and out. Add a 1.4 TCon and it gets you some useful extra length. 85mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.4 are also great lenses. 70-200mm 2.8 from Sigma and Canon are very good as is the 200mm 2.8. Tamron, Canon and Sigma standard zooms are all very good.