New and need help.

I am looking at the canon rebel xti . What lenses would you recommend to a newbie? I have heard great things about the 50mm 1.8 but what else? Thx in advance.

What do you luvtotakepics of? And what price range are you thinking of?

When I got my XTi, I picked it up with the kit lens and the 50mm 1.8. I also ordered the Sigma 30mm 1.4 so that I'd have a normal lens and then picked up the 100mm 2.8 macro to use as both a macro lens and my first tele. That was roughly $1000 in lenses and gave me a pretty usable range of focal lengths.

That kit allowed me to learn to shoot, and as I found stuff that I wanted to do that I couldn't, I picked up the 10-22 (so I could go wider with much better IQ than the kit lens), the 70-200 2.8 (for more reach with excellent low light capabilities), the 24-70 2.8 (which has become my walking around lens), and the 400 5.6 (for wildlife on well-lit days). I also picked up the 1.4 teleconverter so I could use the 70-200 as a 280mm f/4.

Welcome to POTN, luvtotakepics. Having some idea of what you'd like to do with your camera, and what budget you have in mind, would be helpful.

If you're new to SLR cameras, it might be a good idea to hold off on the lenses for a little while. The learning curve for something like the XTi is quite substantial, and the kit lens will serve you well in a wide range of circumstances whilst you're learning. When you find yourself restricted by the lens (not wide enough? not long enough? not good enough in low light?) then that will indicate where the upgrade path lies.

Having said that, the 50mm f/1.8 is so cheap, it's a virtual no-brainer - IF you want to take photos in very low light with no flash. Otherwise, it doesn't really offer much that the kit lens doesn't give you.

I love to take pics of my kids, outdoors, portraits. To be honest I currently have a nikon which dislike due to lense issues. If possible id like to stay under300 for a decent lense. Is the kit lense worth getting? Which external flash is best? I know nothing about canons. Thx for the welcome.


Edit to add the lense on my nikon was kit lense and I hated that I had to get to close to get good close up. In photo talk I guess that means I need a better zoom?

i wouldnt rush out and buy a lens right away.. i would learn with the one you have now. its not too shabby of a lens, and i have seen awesome work done with the kit lens.

i highly recomend learning with the kit lens for a while before you go out and get hopped up on buying even more gear.

the 50mm 1.8 is an awesome lens. but it does have a very shallow DOF, and alot of people arent used to that.

learn off of what you have.. get the field guide for the xti ( sold at books stores) and really get to know this camera.

have a great day.

shannon

Welcome aboard, Luv.

I'm with Shannon - the kit lens is a surprisingly good lens for the price and (also important) its zoom range is very useful, from wide angle to moderate telephoto. I shoot a lot of landscapes and I use 18mm more than any other focal length.

Here's the thread for display of pics with the kit lens: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=185522

-js

luvtotakepics wrote in post #4012328
I am looking at the canon rebel xti . What lenses would you recommend to a newbie? I have heard great things about the 50mm 1.8 but what else? Thx in advance.

What is your budget? We can recommend some really nice stuff, but if you cannot afford it now, really a waste of time recommending.

I was asking about a lense give or take 300 besides the 50mm 1.8 or the 18-55mm kit lense. Thanks for taking the time to read.

How much give or take are you willing to do? I'd recommend the 70-300 IS, but it's a $500 lens. However, it will give you excellent zoom, good IQ, and image stabilization. The kit lens and 50 1.8 will cover the wide, normal, and mild telephoto ranges for now.

Thx chris maybe I will just spend the money on a external flash. Thx again.

you can get a zoom lens by canon for about 150 dollars if you buy it online..i n stores its about 200.. its not great. but its done well for me on some things.
its the 75-300mm non usm non IS, and non L. its a cheapo. but like i said. it has done well for me.

shannon

I recently got the 70-300 Sigma APO DG. It cost me $201 including shipping from Amazon.com.

I like it - at f/8 it's quite sharp (I did some tests). Wide open at 300mm is f/5.6 and judging from random shots it's not bad at all.

-js