Lenses for Digital Rebel

[feenomenal]

Bear with me here - I'll probably sound like a complete amateur because that's not far off. ;) I'm a graphic designer who enjoys taking photos, and bought the Digital Rebel to assist in freelance jobs and everyday photos. I've had a few photography classes at college, but that was quite a few years ago. So, now you're up to date.

I'm interested in upgrading the lens for my Digital Rebel. I have the kit lens, which is ok, but indoors I nearly always have to use the flash. I'd like a lens that lets in more light to allow more flexibility for indoor photos, without using the flash.

My wife uses the camera also, and her biggest complaint is that she'd like a greater zoom capability than the kit lens has.

So with these two things in mind, I wandered into my camera shop where I bought the DR. The lenses they had along these lines were $1200 and up. A little steep for me.

So my question to you is this: What lenses would you recommend for the DR? Just to sum up, I just want a faster lens and/or a greater zoom, without breaking the bank. :) That part is crucial.

[aliflack]

Many to chose from...sticking with Canon:
50mm F1.8 - very sharp prime lens, v cheap and v good! useful in low light
28-135 IS - moderate wide-moderate zoom, image stabilisation works a treat

Will leave the Tokina and Sigma options for others with more experience to comment on!

[Andy_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum, both of you :-)

Of course, the Canon 50/1.8 that was mentioned... if you like primes, there's also the Canon 28/1.8, if you need something wider (for indoors shoots), but it's also more expensive (300$)

The Tamron 28-75 /2.8 XR DI would also come to mind ... a zoom lens with image quality like the Canon 24-70/2.8 L at about 350$... will give you a bit more light and a lot sharper images.

Advantage would be that in order to get a sharp image, you can use f/4.0 or even f/2.8, while the kit lens is only really sharp from f/8 onwards.

The Canon 70-200/4.0 L will give you a lot more reach for about 600$, and it's a great lens that gives very sharp and contrasty images.

Best regards,
Andy

[robertwgross]

Many to chose from...sticking with Canon:
50mm F1.8 - very sharp prime lens, v cheap and v good! useful in low light
28-135 IS - moderate wide-moderate zoom, image stabilisation works a treat


EXACTLY my thoughts!

The 50mm lens is the cheapest fast lens that you can get, and the 28-135 has a very good range of zoom. I have those two lenses for just the same purposes.

---Bob Gross---

[tim]

The 50mm 1.8 with the 28-135 would be a great combination IMHO. You have low light convered, and have a general walkaround lens with a good range. I have the Tamron 28-75 F2.8, it's pretty good for low-ish light, my 1.8 just arrived today I have to go pick it up now :)

[feenomenal]

I was just going through the Canon website looking at lenses, and think I'm wrapping my brain around the various lenses. So far I've just been a guy that had a camera that I knew how to use fairly well, and it happened to have a lens on it. That was the extent of my knowledge about lenses. =)

A few questions I've come across while reading up:

What's the difference between the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II? I assume the 1.4 lets in more light. Are both the zoom and aperture fixed on these lenses? Why does the 1.8 lens have a II after it? :)

Sorry about the newbie questions, I really appreciate the help. I tried to ask questions in the camera shop but they had that "you're wasting my time" look on their face. :(

[Jon]

The 50 f/1.4 lets in about 2/3 stop more light (or lets you use about 2/3 stop faster shutter speed, if you like). The II on the 50 f/1.8 reflects that they redesigned it along the line; this is the Mk. II of 50 mm f/1.8 EF lenses. Neither of these is a zoom lens; they're what's referred to as a "proime" or fixed focal length lens. They are always at 50 mm. The aperture given in lens descriptions is the maximum aperture; most lenses have adjustable apertures, and can be stopped down to smaller ones if the light's too bright. So these have variable apertures, but the maximum aperture is fixed, if you follow. The 28-135 has a variable maximum aperture by comparison.

[feenomenal]

Haha, nevermind, I just found some prices for the 1.4 vs the 1.8. I like the 1.8 a LOT. :)

Jon, thank you. That actually explained a great deal to me. I greatly appreciate it!!!

[Conk]

Haha, nevermind, I just found some prices for the 1.4 vs the 1.8. I like the 1.8 a LOT. :)

Jon, thank you. That actually explained a great deal to me. I greatly appreciate it!!!

If money is an issue, also try looking for used in your area. You may find something here also. I bought a used 85-105mm used from a place at a great deal. It had 3 tiny nicks on the outer lens. Barely visible. There are so close the the focal plane that you can't possibly see them on an image.

[feenomenal]

I picked up the 50mm f1.8 II today. Works great. I was immediately shooting around the house in very dim light, so I'm thrilled. The autofocus is fast, but feels a little rougher than the kit USM lens (slightly more vibration). But I expected that based on some reviews I read. After I have a chance to get some decent shots, I'll post 'em. :)

Thanks again. I'll look into the 24-135 lens sometime down the road, maybe next spring or summer.

[IainB]

The 50mm 1.8 with the 28-135 would be a great combination IMHO. You have low light convered, and have a general walkaround lens with a good range. I have the Tamron 28-75 F2.8, it's pretty good for low-ish light, my 1.8 just arrived today I have to go pick it up now :)
Being in this remote part of the world also, Tim, I'm keen to know where you source your lenses. I'm close to buying the 20D, and the Tamron 28-75 is a warm favourite along with the Canon 70-200 F4 L. The nifty 50 may well be added as the consensus of opinion rates it. Can you tell me where you shop?

[tim]

Being in this remote part of the world also, Tim, I'm keen to know where you source your lenses. I'm close to buying the 20D, and the Tamron 28-75 is a warm favourite along with the Canon 70-200 F4 L. The nifty 50 may well be added as the consensus of opinion rates it. Can you tell me where you shop?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com

*MUCH* better prices than rip-off New Zealand, good service, and reasonable shipping rates. The only downsides are it takes a week to arrive with UPS, customs can be annoying (though not really), you have to pay GST, and it can take a couple of days for your order to be shipped - I expected it takes longer with NZ credit cards. Drop me a PM/email if you want a few more tips.