Help me help a friend....lens choice...

I have a friend who has a rebel xt. Right now she only has a 50mm lens and wants something to be able to get group shots. She is NOT a professional nor does she desire to be, but she wants to be able to take a great pic. She doesn't want to spend more than $600 on a lens....What would you suggest for her?

Thanks guys!

easy. sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5!

or if she wants to go wider:

sigma 10-20mm DC
tokina 12-24mm DX

both go for $500.

17-85 IS USM - one of the best that you can possibly get.

IS beats one mere stop of speed any day. And the Sigma isn't even 1 stop all the way, it's just 1-2/3rd stop faster. Plus the ultrasonic motor - once you've gotten used to it, it's impossible to go back...

How big of a group? From what kinds of distances? I've been able to shoot groups of 6 or 8 indoors with my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. I've also used my 17-85 in instances where I had less space. Overall, the image quality (sharpness and color) of the Tamron are more pleasing to my eye than the 17-85.

2nd vote for the 17-85. it's under her budget and would work well as it is wide enough for group shots.

Lightstream wrote in post #2053375
17-85 IS USM - one of the best that you can possibly get.

Eh? Nice enough if you need IS but distinctly overpriced for the IQ IMO click

I'd go for a Sigma 15-30mm EX or a Canon 17-40mm to work nicely with the 50mm and as useful walkaround zooms, or if she wants a strictly ultra-wide option then the Tokina is about the best bang per buck at the moment. You need to watch out for distortion on any of these ultra-wides, particularly in people shots. Had all these lenses and happy to recommend. The Sigma 17-70mm seems to have a lot of fans too and very useful range. Not used that one tho'.

Just go to our Classified section, theres a brand new 17-40L for sale for $600
That is an L lens and fits right in your bill

Tamron 28-75 is a fantastic lens. You'll even have budget for a flash, which comes in handy when taking pics of people.

P.

Again, I'd avoid the EFS 17-85 iS, Although it's a nice and sharp lens, it's got horrible barrel D and substandard CA and Pfringing, especially wide at 17 to 24mm. I owned it for almost a year and mostly used it for landscapes on bright days.

Have to agree with Jaetie, The Sigma AF 17-70 f/2.8-4.5 DC macro is a much nicer lens, especially for portraits, and costs less too. Plus it comes with a 5-years warranty and hood, Unlike the Canon! The Tamron 28-75 is also nice, but not wide enough for group shots.
The new Tamron 17-50 2.8 also has a good reputation for sharpness if you can bare the loud AF motor. I never used em, but I'd get it before the Canon.

I own the 17-85 IS, and I do not recommend it. I bought my camera and 17-85, and my friend's photos with 18-55 1 non-USM were always sharper and better than mine. It made me confused, as I thought the 17-85 was so good. But now finally I understand, the only pros of the 17-85 over 18-55 are: Better build, longer reach, IS. But bad IQ, purple fringing and softness aren't any good features. I'd go for the 17-40 f/4L, wide, nice, sharp!

For quality, I'd say 17-40L
for versatility and increased reach, the sigma 17-70 is amazing value.

IMO for lenses in this focal range IS is an unwarranted additional expense. But lots of people love it.

Maybe she likes primes. In that case get a Sigma 30mm 1.4...

Great for medium sized groups...

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The Sigma 17-70, or the new 18-50 Macro, or the Tamron 17-50 are probably your best bets. The 1785IS is a great overall lens, but at the wide end, these other/faster lenses are better. I would recommend to you also the Tokina 16-50 but it ain't out yet...<sigh>.

I vote for the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Such a great lens for that price.