Poor man is poor. Looking at affordable zoom lens.

So I only have a 50mm f1.8 on a T2i. I don't have much money and so my budget is super limited.

I was thinking of picking back up the kit lens that came with the T2i (I sold mine for $80 to get the 50mm for $90). I've also thought about trying to get a cheap 28-135mm off of craigslist that comes with the more expensive kits. But I don't know. I need something wider for sure. The 50mm is way too narrow for me on a crop body. I find myself wanting to not step back but just get more in the image where I am standing. It's impossible to get any further back in a lot of situations too. So I am even left thinking maybe the 28-135 is the wrong choice because it only goes to 28, but it also goes all the way to 135...

Another problem is that I would like it to be a faster lens but that's asking too much at my as low as it gets price range.

What lens should I be considering here? And what if I jumped my budget to something like $500(it will never be that much, but hypothetically speaking).

Right now my budget is probably closer to $200 with an incentive to really get as low as possible.

New or consider used?

This is probably the best standard zoom , new, for $200.

For $500 you can have this new.

Or look at sigmas 17-70 if you want more range and image stabalisation (at the cost of f2.8 constant)

Get back a kit lens for what you can spend... Or save up more and get the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 used. That, or try manual focus lenses like those from Olympus and Nikon, with an adapter

I'd like to have the constant f/2.8 aperture but, again, those are just waaay out of my budget. The $200 sigma is looking OK to me, but I would like to find it for cheaper (used likely). :/ And some reviews are looking badly on the sigma 18-50mm 2.8-4.5... Some think the kit lens is better. The kit lens will be cheaper. (Slower too though, but whatever)

Sell your 50 1.8 to fund Tamron 17-50, perhaps?
Ever since I own the Tamron, my 50 1.8 rarely go out LOL

For now, just get yourself a used EF-S 18-55mm IS for about $100. Later you can add a used 55-250mm IS for about $150.

The combination of 18-55mm, 50mm 1.8 and 55-250mm is a VERY good set-up that will cover almost every situation you can imagine.

Later when you have more money, you can upgrade to more expensive lenses, but in reality, the increase in Image Quality will not be equal to the increase in lens cost. You will be paying more for things like faster focus, faster aperture, non-rotating front element, Full Time manual focus, etc. None of those things are really necessary to make a great image. They are nice to have, and can make life easier, but only if you can afford it.

msowsun wrote in post #13063586
For now, just get yourself a used EF-S 18-55mm IS for about $100. Later you can add a used 55-250mm IS for about $150.

The combination of 18-55mm, 50mm 1.8 and 55-250mm is a VERY good set-up that will cover almost every situation you can imagine.

Later when you have more money, you can upgrade to more expensive lenses, but in reality, the increase in Image Quality will not be equal to the increase in lens cost. You will be paying more for things like faster focus, faster aperture, non-rotating front element, Full Time manual focus, etc. None of those things are really necessary to make a great image. They are nice to have, and can make life easier, but only if you can afford it.

+ 1

Here is nothing wrong to buy back kit lens. I was not happy with it once I have my first L lens, but after I learned how to PP pictures taken from this lens it is just fine.

Manual Focus older lenses will allow for 2.8, professional glass and good prices.

I use a Nikkor 24 2.8 AI lens (about $100 to $150 used) on a crop EOS body.

Wide lenses are relatively easy to focus and have a generious DOF.

Your EOS body will take Nikkors, Olympus, Pentax K, M42 (Pentax Takumars).

You can get Nikkors at places like Keh.com and I purchase from there I get their bargin grade lenses which are optically very good - cosmetically a little beat. The older Nikkors can take a beating.

There's also the 18-135 which I've seen on the Sell forum for a little over $200. That would give you a wider angle than the 28-135...

Don't rule out the older Canon 28-105 lenses either. They can be obtained for < $150 and are pretty decent. Note that there are a few versions out there, two older ones are the ones you'd want to consider, I believe.

Option 1: buy the kit lens, keep the nifty fifty. Option 2: buy the Tamron 17-50 non-VC and sell the nifty fifty. Personally, I'd opt for #2, because the nifty fifty is not much faster than the Tamron. I would rather have 2.8 at all apertures than faster at 50, with a lens change, and slower at all other focal lengths. Others might prefer the reverse.

I agree that adding the 55-250 when there is enough cash would be a good way to extend your range further.

I recently bought the Canon 24-105mm L lens to replace my 60D kit lens which is 18-135mm. BHPhoto will give me $170 for it. If you want it, I will let it for $170 shipped. It is mint and looks brand new, no marks on it. PM me or best bet would be to email twofiftysx@gmail.com

I like to do a lot of low light shooting. I'm finding that 1.8 isn't even fast enough for it, but I think I should probably just give up on that stuff because it's really an impossible task. (It's something that really needs a flash but flashes are banned) The 17-50 tamron seems like a good choice but it's still out of my budget even if I sell my 50mm for $100.

TridenTBoy wrote in post #13065406
I like to do a lot of low light shooting. I'm finding that 1.8 isn't even fast enough for it, but I think I should probably just give up on that stuff because it's really an impossible task. (It's something that really needs a flash but flashes are banned) The 17-50 tamron seems like a good choice but it's still out of my budget even if I sell my 50mm for $100.

If 1.8 isnt fast enough its tripod time. At this stage of the game you should be thinking about adding to your kit, not trading. Just be patient until you can afford to add the next thing rather than selling one lens to get another. The IS version of the kit lens or one of the other wide to short tele zooms is probably a good option for your next lens.