Need major help on choosing better lenses!

Oh my God! I am sop glad I found this forum! I wanted to thank anyone who's reading this and I would deeply appreciate if someone could help me pick the right lenses for my camera.

I have a rebel T3i and I love it. I take tons of pictures of my baby, dog, events setc and now I want better lenses. I love the blurry background so I need something that's going to be better than the standard. I want the person to almost look real in the photos so I need something like HD. My budget is $1000 so please anything above I can't really afford. It's just for my children, family and sports / family events.

Also, I want to shoot products for my blog. Nothing crazy, I have a beauty blog so I also need it for my face, makeup tutorials and small details of my eye makeup.

I've tried googling it but nothing seems to help and I don't want to spend a thousand dollars on something that's not for me then I can't exchange it.


I like the standard flash but what would it happen if I upgrated? I usually make the photos brighter on the settings then I raise the level of the flash so it gives me a lot of power. Is that enough?

Thank you so much for helping me!

look at primes, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm of course 85mm will be a bit long on the t3i. or a constant 2.8 zoom lens, canon 17-55/2.8, tamron 17-50 Non VC etc.

most of the non L primes will run $300 used, $400 or so new. you can check out the yong nuo flashes if you want to save a few bucks otherwise a canon 430ex would be in order.

mike_311 wrote in post #15241604
look at primes, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm of course 85mm will be a bit long on the t3i. or a constant 2.8 zoom lens, canon 17-55/2.8, tamron 17-50 Non VC etc.

most of the non L primes will run $300 used, $400 or so new. you can check out the yong nuo flashes if you want to save a few bucks otherwise a canon 430ex would be in order.

I'd like to buy them from the canon website, this way I have some sort of warranty. What is your favorite?
I don't care if it's big. I need the BEST one!

Thank you again!

Just slow down a bit. Being excited is good, but throwing away money is bad.

What lens(s) do you have now? Adding more power to the flash will just wash out everything. An external flash has a head that can tilt and swivel so you can bounce it off of the ceiling or a wall giving a much more natural and less harsh effect than the on-camera flash.

You seem to have a pretty good variety of uses, so looking at how a couple of lenses can really help you is a good idea.

lisaglamoclija wrote in post #15241638

| Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Also which category would these lenses fall under?

what do you mean by "categories"?

lisaglamoclija wrote in post #15241618
I'd like to buy them from the canon website, this way I have some sort of warranty. What is your favorite?
I don't care if it's big. I need the BEST one!

Thank you again!

I would not buy from canon. Buy from B&h or adorama. Or any other reputable reseller. Same warranty and product for much less

dont forget amazon, they all have the same prices. also canon refurbished lenses are very popular and cheaper, they also come with a warranty, albeit shorter but its a lens, you really dont need a warranty, if it breaks chances are you did it, if its defective you will know right away.

For around $1000 I would recomend the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 which is catatgorized as a standard zoom. This lens is highly regarded and will help you achieve crisp clear vibrant images. It will work great for indoor and outdoor photo's. As has been stated, you can save hundreds of dollars by buying from Adorama or B&H Photo, and still get a factory warranty. Both sellers are factory authorized dealers, and discount Canon products. Canon frequently has factory rebates and discounts that Adorama and B&H honor, plus since they are located in NYC, and depending on where you live, no sales tax. -rick

Keyan wrote in post #15241672
Just slow down a bit. Being excited is good, but throwing away money is bad.

Second this, before spending another cent on equipment take a look and see if there are photography courses available locally.

The T3i and bundled lens can take amazing pictures when used properly, assuming that's what you have.

I dont get what the T3i is? (But then we have a different numbering system in the UK). If its a crop sensor body, I can highly recommend the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 OS Macro. I have just bought this lens for my 7D and it's bloody fantastic.

As joeblack2022 said, kit lenses can take some amazing photos when used right. My daughter has an old 400D with kit 18-55 and 70-300 lenses and she often takes better shots than me with my 7D and brand new Sigma f2.870-200 OS and the new 17-70......Go figure.

Spuddyd wrote in post #15241955
I dont get what the T3i is? (But then we have a different numbering system in the UK). If its a crop sensor body, I can highly recommend the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 OS Macro. I have just bought this lens for my 7D and it's bloody fantastic.

As joeblack2022 said, kit lenses can take some amazing photos when used right. My daughter has an old 400D with kit 18-55 and 70-300 lenses and she often takes better shots than me with my 7D and brand new Sigma f2.870-200 OS and the new 17-70......Go figure.

T3i = 600D

I think the general consensus is that a high megapixel body is less forgiving of technique, I'd say swap cameras for a day and see what happens.

Keyan wrote in post #15241672
Just slow down a bit. Being excited is good, but throwing away money is bad.

x2

The easiest on the wallet will be a Canon 50 1.8. The ability to shoot at f1.8-f2.8 will give you that blurry background you want. Its not expensive because it's all plastic, but the glass is great.
Don't believe that you have to spend $1000 to get quality photos. Understanding your camera and the basics of photography will help you exponentially more than a $1000 lens you don't know how to use or if it was what you really needed/wanted in the first place.

joeblack2022 wrote in post #15241972
T3i = 600D

Got it. Thanks Joe.

IMHO better glass will help but there is nothing better than good technique. A 35 or 50mm f1.8 prime will get you that short DOF and not hurt the wallet too much but learn to use what you have first. When that gear is stopping you from creating what you want in a shot, THEN is the time to start shopping.

BrickR wrote in post #15242149
x2

The easiest on the wallet will be a Canon 50 1.8. The ability to shoot at f1.8-f2.8 will give you that blurry background you want. Its not expensive because it's all plastic, but the glass is great.
Don't believe that you have to spend $1000 to get quality photos. Understanding your camera and the basics of photography will help you exponentially more than a $1000 lens you don't know how to use or if it was what you really needed/wanted in the first place.

Guess I should have read this post first. Same advice, different words.