Rebel XT; what lens to get?

[z28quetzal]

My head is splitting. I have been reading, reading and reading some more. My budget is being really pushed, but after hard reading I have decided on the XT Rebel (not the 300 Rebel) - unfortunately I can't afford the 20D.

So, I bought me some mags and done some Google searches. I see plenty of places that offer 'kits'. I also see for example, amazon.com where they have the 'stock' 18-55 Canon lens.

My question: being a newbie what is my best option for a lens? I want to buy me a better lens but for now I have the bucks for only the initial purchase. Should I ditch the 18-55 lens for something else? I am leery about getting an off-brand lens, especially since I am 'new' to all this.

Folks, this is a great place to read. I have spent hours reading and hopefully you guys won't mind if I ask a few dumb questions. After all, I'm in the process of spending approx a grand (US$) so I want to make my research as good as possible.

Thanks for your patience...

joe

[tim]

Welcome to the forum Joe :)

The kit 18-55 lens is great value, and it's a cheap wide angle lens too. I recommend getting it, and perhaps get the 50mm F1.8 lens too, it's about $70 great for low light and narrow depth of field experiments (ie making the background blurry). You won't go wrong with those lenses, you'll learn with them, by then you'll know what you want in a lens. You can sell both those lenses for very little loss later if you don't want them any more, but I kept mine, still use the 50mm, and use the 18-55 occasionally.

I'd also recommend a beginners photography course if you can find one in your area, mine was invaluable.

Edit - the XT is a good choice, 95% the camera of the 20D at what, 60% the price?

[z28quetzal]

Tim

Thank you sir. I appreciate the response. From what I have read the stock lens is pretty decent for the price; can't go wrong there.

About the second lens you mentioned, does it have to be Canon? I mean, are there decent affordable lenses available for the XT? I know, decent and affordable is a broad topic!! Sorry for the question.

Among the many reasons I want to by an SLR is to be able to change lenses and so forht. Among the things I want to do is take closeup shots of jewelry and beads. Given a decent camera like the Rebel XT, what would be a suggested lens for taking closeups like these?

thanks,
joe

[pcasciola]

About the second lens you mentioned, does it have to be Canon? I mean, are there decent affordable lenses available for the XT? I know, decent and affordable is a broad topic!! Sorry for the question.There are plenty of 3rd party lenses that give up very little and in some cases outperform more expensive Canon lenses. I think Tim mentioned the Canon 50mm f/1.8 because for $70-80 it's unrivaled, and is very good optically, especially in low light.

Check out our starter lens thread. It's not all Canon.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=56747

[z28quetzal]

Thank you Phil. I appreciate the link. I still need to do sooo much research and reading.

Sorry for asking so many questions. Again, thanks for the link.

regards,
joe

[Cobra351]

The kit lens mentioned is actually capable of great shots, so don't worry about that. I'd recommend buying the kit with this lens, use it for a while and get used to the camera. Then you'll better know what size lens you need that best suits the pictures you like to take.

Hope this helps.

[eosster]

50mm F/1.8 heard lot of good stories with this one.

[johnbs]

M Should I ditch the 18-55 lens for something else?
joe

A lot depends on what sort of pictures you want to take and your budget.

I started with a 18-55 lens on my 300D, but I no longer use it since I bought a Sigma 18-50/2.8 which I find a much better standard lens which is not too expensive (less than US$400). For primes, you should consider the Canon 50/1.8 for indoor portraits, the Canon 35/2 for general indoor use or the Canon 85/1.8 for close-ups. These are all excellent lenses at a reasonable price which you will not outgrow quickly.

John

[dave_bass5]

I have the XT kit and am happy with the lens and have just got a 420ex as a lot of my shots are of my young kids indoors.
my question is would i notice much difference if i got the Canon 50/1.8 with this type of shooting.
what puts me off is that i already have a lens that does 50mm and other ranges and i feel i could be wasting my money duplicating the kit lens, although i believe the 50/1.8 is a sharper lens.
thanks for any advice

dave.

[RAitch]

The 50mm is a sharp lens... however, I've been having some problems getting sharp clear images consistently from close up. The AF doesn't seem too tight (or accurate) sometimes so manual focus is best... but open it up larger than 3.2 and the focus point seems to shift forward considerably. What I see in the viewfinder in focus ends up a blur.

You can't go wrong with the price... but from my experience so far, results are flaky at close range.

[RAitch]

I have the XT kit and am happy with the lens and have just got a 420ex as a lot of my shots are of my young kids indoors.
my question is would i notice much difference if i got the Canon 50/1.8 with this type of shooting.
what puts me off is that i already have a lens that does 50mm and other ranges and i feel i could be wasting my money duplicating the kit lens, although i believe the 50/1.8 is a sharper lens.
thanks for any advice

dave.

The benefit is the 1.8. When you open that lens up, the DOF is so fine, it's obviously hard to focus. This allows you to make your subject *snap* from the background. You can make the background a blur even if it's not too far away.

What you'll lose is the zoom flexability. If you're indoors, it seems to be a great focal length for head shots.

[Medic1]

As said a few times, I also started with the 18-55 only, but rarely use it anymore. Its still a good lens for what it is, its just that type of photography I'm mainly doing right now requires a longer focal length.

Theres lots of good third party lenses out there. I'm kinda brand loyal, so I mostly stick with Canon. Also, (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but I think Canon lenses AF much faster than third party lenses do.

Keep reading this forum. I am by no means a pro, but the people in this forum got me through my first couple months of the world of DSLR photography.

A word of warning though: this forum may induce large amounts of camera/lens envy, which can lead to (if not treated promptly) large sums of cash mysteriously dissappearing from your wallet...lol

Welcome..good luck and have fun!!

[soupdragon]

I know you said $$$$$'S were limited but, if you can get one, I recommend the 100 2.8 macro. I got one of these about three weeks ago and have not taken it off the camera since. In fact the lens I got produces such amazing images I am surprised it's not marked as an 'L' series.