Inexpensive portrait lens?

[cloudless]

I am going to buy the EOS300D with the kit lens, however the kit lens seems to be slow and not so good at tele. Can someone please recommend a fast but inexpensive lens so I can take outdoor portraits with a shallow DOF? Is the 50/1.8 enough or I'll need the 85mm? By the way I can only afford no more than US$200.

[MediaMagic]

I am going to buy the EOS300D with the kit lens, however the kit lens seems to be slow and not so good at tele. Can someone please recommend a fast but inexpensive lens so I can take outdoor portraits with a shallow DOF? Is the 50/1.8 enough or I'll need the 85mm? By the way I can only afford no more than US$200.

Well, being limited to $200 you choices are a bit limited. The 85mm f1.8 is about $250 -$300 on ebay most of the time. I prefer that lens for portraits but you have to have room to work to use it effectively unless you are doing close up work. It can be a bit tight in a small studio/work area.

There's nothing at all wrong with the 50mm f1.8 mkII. The bokeh isn't quite as pretty as the 85 but that's less of a factor with digital/post processing. You could also check ebay for the 50/mkI which is the same glass with a metal rather than a plastic mount for a sturdier lens (but the picture quality will be no different than with the 50/mkII. Those usually sell for about $150 on ebay if my memory serves me.

I'd say go ahead and get the 50/1.8 (mkI or mkII) and then save your money to upgrade from there.

David

[Bruce Hamilton]

...however the kit lens seems to be slow and not so good at tele.
Since you've already decided against the kit lens, and the previous poster referred you to ebay, go there and search on Canon Digital Rebel... Many of the online retailers sell the 300D as kits with one or more lenses as replacements for the 18-55 kit lens. They're brands like Sigma or Tamron as opposed to Canon, but you might find what you're looking for.

[cloudless]

I am still going to keep the kit lens, but in addition to it I need a better lens for portrait. I'm still making a decision between the 50mm 1.8 and the 85mm lenses.