What type of lens do I need? Help!

I am in the process of buying a Canon 10D. Can anyone tell me what type of lens I need? I will be taking mostly portrait-type photos of people including my new baby. Most of these will be done indoors in moderate light. Also, does anyone know of a zoom lens that also has a macro setting?

There are lots of posts on this board that you can read, but the thing that I have learned is that there is REALLY a difference in the L glass, not just the cost but the quality. You can tell it when you see the pics. I just got the 24-70 2.8 L, as soon as I figure it out I'll post some samples.

17-40L is the one to go for. It's actually a bit sharper wide open than it's bigger brother, the 16-35L. And half the price where I come from. It works out at around a 28-65mm in film terms through the 1.6x factor. Great lens!

Hi, I have the 17-40L and a 28-135 IS USM.

For portraits I prefer the 28-135 (after 1.6 crop 35mm eqivilent is 45-216), I find I have to get too close to the subject with the 17-40 for a mostly face protrait. Or a baby pic. However if you want legs in the shot, or a pic of more than 1 person, make sure you have a bit of room behind you to back up.

If you go with the 17-40 (great lense) and plan to use it indoors in low light the camera's built in flash will be blocked by the lense (event at 40mm for very close subjects), so an external flash unit 420ex or 550ex would be recommended. The IS on the 28-135 though may get you a few shots without a flash, that the 17-40 could not.

You also mention macro, the 28-135 is IMHO a much better macro lense than the 17-40. It can fill the frame with a subject 9cm by 6cm. With 20 cm of working distance
(room to light the subject).

The solution is easy and the cost is low.

EF 50/1.8. Sharp, fast and gives a perfect 80mm on 10D.

In order to answer this we need to know a few more things. Do you want just one lens? Are you going to use an external flash or the built-in flash (bad idea)? How much money do you want to spend or how much can you spend? These will help us to give more specific suggestions.

Agreed. Great for indoor baby shots with limited light.

Shanethemill,

I have the 17-40 "L" as well,. and indeed it is an excellent lens,.... ( do you sense the "but" ? )

DoctorCarla,...


....this wide angle lens is not the best solution for portraiture. In fact for the price of the 17-40mm "L" you could buy several lenses that would all be more suited to portrait work.

The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is a must!
At a mere $70.00 or so U.S. dollars it is the best deal in lenses going. And as Jeppe says with the 1.6 conversion it will equal a perfect 80mm (which is within the range of recomended portrait lenses, ie: 80mm-135mm)

Another very affordable lens that is specifically designed for portrait work is the Canon 135mm Soft Focus. It sells for under $300.00 (I think about $250.00? ) and the soft focus (which is an optional setting on the lens, it is normally tack sharp) with the soft focus setting you can do wonders with those soft baby photos.

For more flexibility, look at the Canon 28mm-135mm IS.
Although not the "perfect" portrait lens,. you will love the flexibility of this lens with its wide zoom range,.. much of which happens to be right smack dab in the middle of "Prime Portrait" zone (80mm-135 again ) but it wil also allow you to do group shots and landscape photos among others. It is NOT the best lens for indoor work without a flah though. (it likes a lot of light)


Now if you like wide angle landscape photography and group photos,. then the 17-40mm "L" is the one to get!

But for the price of this very specific use lens,. you could purchase all three of the lenses I mention above and have the beginning of an excellent kit.

What would EF 50/1.8. go for?

Usually about $70.00-$75.00 dollars in the U.S. !

It is an mazing bargain and a great peice of glass.

The 50mm f1.8 lens is cute. It is not heavy, since a lot of it is constructed with plastic. For some people, that is good, and for others, it is bad. Since it is not a zoom lens, it does not have the flexibility that some would demand. But the, the price is pretty minimal, so it is convenient to have stuck in the camera bag somewhere.

It is my only fixed focal length lens, so I keep reaching for the zoom ring on it (there is none).

---Bob Gross---

A Google search reveled 2 sources with price range of 299 to 499.
Are we talking about the same glass

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

Nope, we are talking about two different lenses now?

The 50mm f/1.8 goes for about $70.00
That was the lens I quoted in my previous post.

There is also a 50mm f/1.4 which sells for about $250.00

Aside from the obviously slightly larger aperture on the f/1.4 model,. the f/1.4 is built a lot tougher.

...but the f/1.8 is a real favorite among most all Canon owners for its light weight, size, and of course price,. but most importantly despite its low cost,. it is a fantastic lens! Sharp, clear and very fast.

Do your search again for the 50mm f/1.8

If you intend to by used be aware that there are Two versions of this lens. The newer version is the MKII which I have,.. but the Older version is a little better in design. The images and optics wil be identical but the older version has a metal mount instead of plastic, and it has the focus range scale in a window,. much easier to read.