350D - which lens for a newbie?

[Speedie]

Hi,
I'm bidding on Ebay for an EOS 350D - body only. If I win the auction it will be my first SLR camera and I have to confess I have no idea which lens I should buy. I'm not that concerned about zoom as I'm able to get physically close to most of the things I photograph. Image quality and sharpness are more important to me. I'd be looking for a good all-round lens as an introduction to SLR photography. See my sig. for the type of shots I take. Any suggestions appreciated.

[prime80]

What's your price range?

Check these top-10 lists for good lenses:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=56752

[Speedie]

I guess around 100-200 UK Pounds (182-365 USD).

[condyk]

50mm II Canon (£65) or SH Sigma 24-70 f2.8 DG or Tamron 28-75 f2.8 ... might be lucky to get one or the other for £200. Dunno what else will offer the quality you talk about.

[DavidEB]

Some of your flower shots suggest you like doing macro or near-macro. The Tamron 28-75 focuses fairly close (see second shot in this post (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67922&highlight=everglades+business)) and might meet that need. If you want closer, you might need a true macro.

I really like your africa photos.

[Speedie]

I've read that fixed focal length lenses generally produce better photographs than zoom lenses. Is this right, and would I be better off with a fixed lens if I rarely feel the need to zoom?

[whchan]

Yes. For the same price range, fixed focal length lenses do a much better job (both sharpness and faster) than zoom lens. For the same quality, you have to use the L Zoom lenses (in thousands $$) in order to get the same sharpness and speed compared to a $300 prime lenses (e.g. 50mm f1.4, 85mm 1.8...etc.)