What to buy?

So Im starting out in photography has a hobby. I want to take portraits from headshot to full body shots of friends and families. indoor, but mainly outdoor. Can someone suggest a lens to me? My budget is 300 USD. Ive been using my 50mm but it sometime doesnt come out to what i want it to be.

IMHO... Scrap the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III ($179) idea... and zoom in on getting the

Canon EF 28~105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM ($229).

It sounds like a far more useful lens for you than the 75-300mm.

The minimum focal distance on a 75-300mm is 5 feet! Not much use, indoors.

The minimum focal distance on the 28-105mm is 1.6 feet. Much more useful, indoors.

For the beginner or lens starter, this may be the "best bang for the buck" you can get. It has a wider aperture... so it has lower light capabilities, also.

Honestly, scrap the other lens idea... check this link out:
http://www.photozone.d​e …anon_28105_3545​/index.htm

I do believe you will be happier with this...

A slightly more pricey alternative with "utilitarian" properties is the TAmROn AF18~200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD ($389 - rebate available)) or the SIGMA AF 18~200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC ($379 - no rebate)

These both are great indoor/outdoor lenses with all the range you could ask for. Here are the two reviews:

TAmROn

SIGMA

thanks for your 2cent, i will look into those lenses.

I agree, scrap the 75-300 lens, it's not contrasty, has lots of CA, and soft past 200mm.
As for full body and headshots, I'd recommend a Tamron 28-75. It's just over $300 but perhaps you can find a nice used one around here or something.

so now i basically narrow it down to the Canon EF 28~105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM and the Tamron Autofocus 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF). I think Im just going to save up the 100 and get the tamron. Good choice?

The TAmROn SP AF28~75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) is a "most excellent" choice.

I have a copy myself... and I run it in tandem with the TAmROn SP AF17~50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) .

I had recommended the 28-105mm to provide some telephoto... but if you can live with 75mm as the top stop, good luck and post some work!

If you do get really serious, you might want to give the Canon EF 24~105mm f/4L IS USM a peek. Obviously, the cost of this lens is not for the faint-of-heart, but as an eventual upgrade... it would be a really nice base lens for most work... providing image stability and reasonably low aperture. It also can be used very well on the full-frame sensor bodies.