Absolutely NOT another 'What lens to get' question

I will be getting a DSLR (either 30D or XTi) very soon and although there is mixed review of the kit lens I also see that it can perform well. This will be my first DSLR, coming from an A620 p & s. Many people recommend the kit to get started and others are recommending specific lenses but since I don't know what I will need I was wondering if it just makes sense for me to get a kit lens for the ~$100 extra instead of getting a body only with a different lens. To me it makes sense so I can play a little and figure out what focal lengths I need and want. I know I will want more telelphoto ability than the kit offers and I also know I will want to get a good lens for portraits, whether it is a zoom lens or a prime but I won't really know what focal length is best for me in my space and lighting until I actually have the camera with a lens. I would hate to make the mistake of buying a lens that is not right for me so does this make sense? Should I get the kit lens and explore a bit?

that's what i'm gonna do. gonna get the kit lens and the 50mm 1.8 to get a better handle of DOF.

if you're thinkin of telephoto and budget, the sigma 70-300 APO Macro costs around $200 and offers decent quality, and you get MACRO to spare. i'm giving this a lot of consideration so i can get some tele experience and take a few good pictures before selling and upgrading to the 70-300 IS or the 70-200 L in the distant future.

Get the kit lens. It shouldn't be an additionial $100 I would think. You can sell it later (if you wish) for near what you paid for it.

My advice from experience.. explore a little bit first. Maybe not go over board and jump right into the "L" yet (although, if you have the extra cash, by all means, dive in. You can find very versatile/all around "L" lenses for $5-600).

You will grow tired of the kit lens real fast, even at the novice level, and it's a Digital SLR lens only. Not to mention, nobody will really want it.

ironically, the body isn't the real investment.. the lenses are. The body is almost irrelevant (To some degree). Body's will continue to upgrade, but a quality piece of glass is forever.

Research... Read... And Ask Questions.

Good luck w/ the new Camera!

Hi,

Get the kit lens and then get the Canon EF 28-105MM f/3.5-4.5 Mark II. B+H has it for $229. The two together will give you 17MM to 105MM to explore. Give yourself six months or so to learn the camera and explore the focal lengths from the two lenses. This is what I did and worked very well for me.

If you decide to get the EF 28-105 be sure and get the Mark II version as there is a cheaper version out with poor IQ. The Mark II rivals the 50MM f/1.8 in terms of quality for price

Kit lens is a good starter. Get it and upgrade if you feel the need.

TMR Design,
I agree with some others here, get the kit lens! You can always upgrade later However after some thinking I suggest just get the Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens like JimAskew suggested (this is the lens I got with my first DSLR, and I still use it today), it will be a close match to what you are used to with your a620 (according to specs a620 has a 35-140mm zoom on a 35mm, the 28-105 will be like a 44-168 on a 35mm on a XTi or 30D).

Enjoy your new camera

Id get a 50....cant go wrong and it will teach you DOF. If you use the 50 often, itll tell you if you need to buy fast glass in the future depending on what you shoot.

Hi TMR...I went through this same thing a year ago when I went DSLR...I ended up getting the kit and the 28-135 IS and took maybe 100 clicks with both...then the 28-135 stayed on until I sold it.

I went back to the kit from time to time saying to my self "It can't really be that bad, look at all the nice photos people are taking on this forum with it"..well each time I captured an image and uploaded it I was so dissapointed and couldn't wait to get my other lense(s) back on.

I know some people say it's only 100 bucks in the kit and you can resell it, but 100 bucks is a 100bucks. Not knowing what you're price range is it would be rough to suggest, but there is a sticky on best starter lenses.

My 2 cents: Get the 50 for 80 bucks, world of difference,
28-105 as Jim Askew stated
the 28-135IS USM was a great lense when I had it and I didn't want to sell it, but had to. You can get one for 419 bones from B&H and that's with IS.

Steve

[edit] The kit lense I speak of is the 18-55 that came with my 20D, I have never owned or used the 17-85.[/edit]

my 28-105 II was rubbish.

my kit lens is serving its purpose very well, but since i got my 50mm f/1.8, i dont want to take it off!! even tho i need to run around to try and fit the whole subject in the photo
in bout a month or so, I plan on finding a replacement for my kit lens. its a great lens being that its only bout $70, but i sorta wish i skipped the kit and got something a little better. theres not really much "learning curve" needed for a lens ive noticed from messing around with my friend's lenses...you can essentially throw any lens on the camera and acheive some decent results, but to get the "potential" out of the lens takes work. maxing out the kit lens is pretty easy, and if you've been doing many manual settings on the a620/p&s's, theres not really goign to be any learning curve going to an XTi.

i thought when I went from my p&s to a dslr, i was going to have to learn a bunch of things. quite the opposite- its just as easy as any P&S to use- especially if you've been using canon p&s's...however, you can push it way beyond what a p&s can do as you get better. you can let it be 100% auto like a p&s, semi-auto, pretty manual with some automatic settings, or 100% manual.

my vote- skip the kit if you have the $$...to what? i'm not at liberty to say- I'm sure other people can guide you in the right direction, however.

steve_shelly wrote in post #2110408
Hi TMR...I went through this same thing a year ago when I went DSLR...I ended up getting the kit and the 28-135 IS and took maybe 100 clicks with both...then the 28-135 stayed on until I sold it.

I went back to the kit from time to time saying to my self "It can't really be that bad, look at all the nice photos people are taking on this forum with it"..well each time I captured an image and uploaded it I was so dissapointed and couldn't wait to get my other lense(s) back on.

I know some people say it's only 100 bucks in the kit and you can resell it, but 100 bucks is a 100bucks. Not knowing what you're price range is it would be rough to suggest, but there is a sticky on best starter lenses.

My 2 cents: Get the 50 for 80 bucks, world of difference,
28-105 as Jim Askew stated
the 28-135IS USM was a great lense when I had it and I didn't want to sell it, but had to. You can get one for 419 bones from B&H and that's with IS.

Steve

Is this the same lens ...
Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Autofocus Lens

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …SA&addedTroughT​ype=search

Opps Sorry I found the IS version.

For low budget and if you don't mind third party lenses, go with Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. This will save you from buying another EF 50mm 1.8. Also EF-S 17-85 is cheap with 30D kit to start

Otherwise go with 17-40L

I got the kit lens with my XT and found it "good enough" to use while I learned about my camera and the things I liked to shoot. I slowly outgrew it, did some research and just ordered the Tamron 28-75 this week. I don't feel the kit lens was a waste of time and money, and I used it for over a year If I had ordered something else when I was first starting out, I might be looking to replace that now, too, and be out more money than the approx. $100 I originally spent. I did buy the 50mm early on because for $70 I felt it was a good buy. I say go with the kit and maybe the 50, see what you're shooting and research some more. If you're on a limited budget it is a good deal.

Although I still don't have the camera to know what is going to suit me I have a feeling I will want wide angle more than a long lens in most situations. I think that eventually I will want a long lens or a zoom with great range but the majority of what I have shot and plan on shooting is close or reasonable close and I love wide angle for landscapes and big skies and mountains, etc.
Considering that both the 400D and 30D are 1.6 crop bodies I don't think that 28mm on the short end is going to be wide enough and if I am going to spend money on a general purpose lens I think I want it to be more like a 17mm or 18mm which gives me the equivalent of the 28mm and perhaps something like 105 or 135 on the long end but even that may be longer than I want for a walkaround. I might be very happy with something that goes from 17mm to 85mm or so. I think this is why the kit lens will be good for me to figure all this out without spending real money on lenses when I am unsure.
I really believe what everyone tells me about the lenses making more of a difference than the body and how good glass with give me the tack sharp photos I want and expect from a DSLR. I really like the idea of a 50mm prime also. I plan on learning and doing portraits and I am pretty sure that in the space I have the 50mm is going to be a better choice than an 85mm. I did see a Canon 60mm MACRO that caught my eye but have not had a chance to check reviews yet. But a fast 50mm prime for portraits sounds like a great thing for me.
I am not looking to spend more than I have to but occasionally I see that recommendations are made for the 50mm f/1.4 over the f/1.8. Obviously the f/1.4 is faster but I also hear about the cheap build on the f/1.8. I know we can drive ourselves crazy with all of this and 500mm lens is a good example. Some say the f/1.8 is not sharp, soft focus, slow to focus, and on and on, and others say and show pics of it being a superb lens.