Want New Lens $650.00 Budget

My girlfriend has a 30D and wants a new lens. She has the 17-40 which she loves and a Sigma 70-300.

Her son is buying and says he wants to get her a lens for around $650.00.

What do you recommend? She likes zooms. Not wild about macros or primes and would like to get something between 40-70 but doesn't have to be but she was thinking of filling the gap.

Thanks,

Sigma 24-70 f2.8?

sigma = oh no

tamron 28-75 2.8

Tamron 28-75 f2.8 gets my vote....

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Canon 100mm 2.8 macro, Canon 85mm 1.8 II, Canon 50mm 1.4, pick two, primes for the win!

oops, just read the whole thing, im out..

Edit: on second thought, get her primes anyway, she will fall in love maybe

i'd go with the tamron 28-75+ 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4. that way she would have filled the gap, as well as added a nice portrait lens or a good low light lens.

I'd get the 28-105 and the 100mm macro for close to $700 shipped (be nice and kick in the extra $50). I have experience with both; they are sharp, have excellent contrast, and are very well built . Once she gets into macro on flowers, she'll wonder why she ever insisted on zooms.

Hmmmmmm
If she wants to do landscapes, how about an ultrawides?

If she wants something to fill in between 40-70mm, how about a Tamron 28-75?

For the unusual stuff to fill in between 40-70mm, how about a 50mm f1.8 or a 1.4 or maybe a EF-S 60mm macro?

If it was me, I'd go for either an ultrawide like a Canon 10-22, Sigma 10-20, or a Tokina 12-24 or a Tamron 28-75. And maybe a flash as well.

The best zoom in that price range IMO is the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, but since she already has the two zooms I'd get a 50 f/1.4 and a 85 f/1.8. They are both great lens for the price.

Tammy 28-75 is indeed fantastic. Then you even have budget to buy a fast prime. I bet she'll love it.

P.

10-22 would be nice

That particular gap is nothing to fret over, so she is essentially covered from 17mm to 300mm. You say she is not crazy about macro or primes. What else is there for <$650?

Maybe an ultra-wide zoom?

You don't mention her feelings toward the telezoom? Replace the 70-300 with a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8?

You say what she's not crazy about, but not what she is crazy about.

What type of photos interest her most? Without more info, we're just taking potshots into the darkness.

Regards,
Jeff

For that amount of money, I'd definitely consider the Tamron and you can add a few dollars and she can get the 50 1.4 as well. She may not like primes now, but if she had the 50, she'd learn a lot about composition and indoor shooting without flash. She doesn't have that yet.

show her some websites of lenses of range 40-70 and let her to decide which lens is suited for her.
There are plenty of sites show photos for all or most lenses including this forum, so before just buy a lens to fill this gap first look at photos taken from different lenses in range 40-70 to see if it is really necesary to get a lens or it is just to fill a gap.