Taking a holiday - new lens in order?

This is my first post here and I was wondering what I would need in terms of lenses to make the most of it. I have a rebel xt currently, but found a used 40d for a great price that i am picking up tomorrow locally.

We are going to the Kootenays, Banff, Jasper, and some other places in BC with lots of opportunities for some great landscape shots.

I have a 18-55 mm kit lens and a 50 mm. Would I be good with what I have already or is there a *must* lens that would be great for this?

Thanks in advance.

Do you have a working budget?

For starter you could probably get 18-55mm IS to replace your kit lens to get better IQ. IF you have more budget a 15-85mm should be good enough to cover most of the places you will go into.
add a 55-250mm in case you would want a longer reach...

Holidays is the best reason to "invest" in a new lens!!! it works with my wife... lol...

how about a UWA such as the Tokina 11-16 2.8?
else, a zoom such as the 55-250 may be nice...

thanks everyone. 55-250mm is about my price range. I have heard good things about it too.
so what is the diff. between an IS and the kit in the 18-55 mm?

I know the 55-250 has a 4 stop IS...the 18-55 has a 3 stop i think...maybe

The 18-55 IS is better than the non IS in many ways.

thanks again.

well, i didn't end up getting the 40d for a number of reasons. i will probably stick with xt body (maybe) and get some lenses. thanks everyone.

the 70-200 mm f.4L is on sale near me for 769.00 (not sure what reg. price is at the moment). has no is though. will i see a big diff between is and non-is lenses? just asking if i should go 70-200mm non is, 55-200 mm w. is, or save save save for the 70-200 mm with is. thoughts?

The 70-200 f/4L is a great lens! I upgraded to it after owning the 55-250 IS. Both lenses are great, of course the L is better if you have the money, but I got tons of great shots from the 55-250 IS.

I'm not sure what the currency market is like in BC, but a good 70-200 f/4L non-IS can be had for $500-$550 US. So if you can wait for shipping, you could probably save yourself a good bit of money. Just keep watching the classified: sale section. They pop up pretty often.

Edit: Since you're on a 1.6 crop, I've found that as long as you use 1/320 of a second or faster on the long end (since 200mm x 1.6 = 320mm)you won't miss the IS at all. The pictures should still come out plenty sharp. I miss my 70-200 and am keeping my eye out for another. I would never had sold that lens if I didn't need the money.

thanks Jbravo. although I am going to be taking scenic shots coming up on our holiday, 90% of my shots are of my kids. how do these lenses handle fast moving kiddos and portrait work?

i guess basically i want a lens that will give me great results with both situations.

bumping.

you still haven't stated a budget...might as well do that when you are bumping the thread...you mention the 55-250mm being in your budget...and then bring up an L lens that costs 2-3X as much...

how much do you want to spend...what are you looking to do?...if you're looking for landscape shots i think there are better options than the 70-200L...

1) Replace your kit with a fast zoom - like Tamron 17-50 or 28-75
2) Get Telephoto - Canon 70-200 f/4L can be had for around $500 used, and is a killer lens
3) Get ultra wide lens - Sigma 10-20mm is a good budget option
4) Fast primes - Sigma 30/50 or Canon 85/135 will do great.
5) Finally: Go shoot!!!

budget - around 700$