Lens suggestions for T3i body

My brother-in-law just bought a T3i and he is asking for suggestions of a walk-around lens. Keep in mind he is not into photography and definitely don't care about terms like 'pixels' or 'iso noise', just something decent for family, site seeing kind situations. Budget is below $200, zoom preferred.
Thanks.

Did the camera not come with a lens? Probably the 18-55 kit lens is his best bet. Sounds like maybe he would have been better off with a nice P&S or the G1x.

Yep.. the 18-55IS. If it came with that lens as a kit, and he still wants more(reach)... the 55-250IS would be the recommended choice, especially in that price range.

Sell the 18-55, buy a cup of coffee and purchase a used tamron 18-200mm (in that range).

My fiance loves this lens. It is a great walkaround.

I tend to agree that 18-55 is a little bit too short in range...

dchen99 wrote in post #14222153
My brother-in-law just bought a T3i and he is asking for suggestions of a walk-around lens. Keep in mind he is not into photography and definitely don't care about terms like 'pixels' or 'iso noise', just something decent for family, site seeing kind situations. Budget is below $200, zoom preferred.
Thanks.

dchen99 wrote in post #14235070
I tend to agree that 18-55 is a little bit too short in range...

$200 is borderline unrealistic as a budget for a walk-around/zoom lens. Does he have a lens at all? I was going to suggest the 15-85mm, but that's way more than $200

he has a 50mm. and off brand is fine...

New or used? New, the 18-55 kit lens. Used, look for either the Sigma 17-70 or 18-125, still probably over budget. Used Canon, the 17-85 or 18-135.

All that's available new for under $200 is the 18-55 IS. It's a decent lens optically, but pretty cheaply made "kit" lens overall.

I pretty frequently see lightly used Canon EF 28-135 IS on my local Craigslist selling for $200 to $250.. It's a much better made lens than the "kits", with USM focus for one thing. Not a "premium" lens, but better than "kit".... call it "mid-grade" build. It's just not very wide, but is close focusing and I've often found it a very good option for much walkaround shooting. This lens has been offered a heck of a lot as "kit" with several Canon camera models (40D, 50D, 60D, 7D)... so there are a lot of them on the used market. That makes the used prices lower... the lens sells for closer to $480 new.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS is a newer lens that's often offered in kit with the cameras. But you are unlikely to find even a used one for much less than $300. It's also not a USM lens, though it does seem to have decent image quality and offers some moderate wide angle of view. New it sells for around $500.

Arguably the "best" Canon walk-around lenses are the EF-S 15-85mm IS ($800 new), EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS ($1180 new), EF 24-105/4L IS ($1100 new), and EF 24-70/2.8L (new: $1330 currently, $2300 for Mark II coming soon).

Aside from the two L-series lenses, none of the above come with the lens hood included, so that's some additional cost (and a highly recommended accessory.... there are cheaper 3rd party "clones" if the Canon OEM hoods prove to be too pricey).

A quick search on B&H shows that there is really nothing in that price range that meets your brother-in-laws needs. As others have suggested, the canon kit 18-55 is his best bet. You said he already has a 50mm (nifty fifty I'll assume), then he can add the Canon 55-250 down the road and have a nice lineup. The combination of those 3 lenses is generally considered to be the best bang for your buck with new photographers.

Thank you all for the ideas. Looks like a Used Canon 28-135 or a Sigma can fit the bill.

dchen99 wrote in post #14235602
Thank you all for the ideas. Looks like a Used Canon 28-135 or a Sigma can fit the bill.

if they already have the 18-55IS get the 55-250IS, it's sharper with better image resolution than the 28-135. (the 18-55IS is also sharper)
The 55-250IS is usually $200 or less

http://www.adorama.com​/CA55250AFSR.html
(includes one year warranty)

Now I know this one is out of the price range in OP but seems no one mentioned it, is Canon EF-S 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6 noticeably better than 28-135mm?
Thanks again.