Lens or Flashgun?

Hey,

I recently bought a 550D and am getting into photography. I am saving up some money but I don't know whether for Christmas I should buy a

Canon 430EX II; or a
Canon EF-S 17-85mm

At the minute I just have the standard kit lens and an old EF 100-300mm. I would like to hear some people's opinions if they were in the same situation

Thanks,
Matt

for those two options the flash for sure...the 17-85mm won't really give you much more than your 18-55IS kit is...if you were looking at a faster zoom, like an f2.8, or a prime it might be a harder call...

the flash will probably be the way to go anyways though

I agree with DreDaze, between the 17-85 as an upgrade to your 18-55 IS, or a 430EXII, get the flash. The 17-85 is only really giving you a bit more range and slightly faster focus.

If you want to upgrade your kit lens, and I assume you want more range for a cheap price since you were looking at the 17-85, take a look at the sigma 17-70 OS, it gives you better IQ, better AF, faster aperture, and more range.

If you want better portraits get better at lighting. For all around a lens that helps you do something that your current gear will not could be nice. Learning, trying to get better and shooting often is the cheapest way to take better pictures.

Unfortunately the norm is to buy something to fix a problem. Not always the best solution.

Not only should you get a flash but also learn how to use it properly. It's not just a matter of putting on the top of the camera and shooting away. Learn proper lighting techniques such as bounce flash, off camera flash, balancing ambient with fill flash, etc... those will change your pictures WAY more than any lens.

Definitely a good flash. Since photography is all about light, being able to manage that light yourself is a huge advantage

Between the two I would have to agree with the others and say go for the flash.

Okay, thanks guys! I've been looking at a flash for longer to be honest, I was just a bit unsure. Thanks for your thoughts!

Matt, I'm guessing you have an idea of what type of photos you see yourself taking. Is it taking pics of the kids outdoors? Maybe family shots at X-mas? If it's anything indoors, there's no question that having a flash is extremely useful. If that's what you go with, do a little reading on bounce flash. Your next family pics will be greatly improved by simply pointing the flash up at the ceiling. If you're mostly excited to get outside to take pics, maybe look at selling the 100-300 and replacing it with e Tamron 70-300 VC.

Definitely the flash.

Before you know it you will have that flash off of your camera firing it into a softbox and you will be happy you chased the light.

Flash without a doubt

My only concern with a flashgun is that I'm not a huge people photographer. Sure, they can be used for a lot of other things, some of which I'd definitely find useful however I wouldn't want to risk it becoming underused? Does anyone have any other suggestions for a different lens to upgrade to other than the 17-85?

What do you like to shoot?

Fast primes are always good.

There's no shortage of lens upgrades. How much do you want to spend and what will you be mostly photographing?