First Lens

Hi guys, I am new to photography and I bought a 20D a couple days ago and waiting for it now in the mail. I was just wondering what kind of lens is good to start off with? For just like walking around and in the summertime I believe I will be taking road trips and I would like to take lanscape/nature shots. My budget is at most 500. I was thinking of getting a nifty fifty and another lens or should I just spend it on one lens? Thanks in advance for your help.

i got a 17-40 it goes for about that price mine was 500 exactally off of craigslist

Wow you are going to get a lot of opinions on this but let me say as i am relativly a newbie also that my best buy so far has been my Sigma 24-70F2.8...

Its a great walk around lens ....

oya... be prepared to go over budget :P people WILL convince you

rooeey wrote in post #4995100
Wow you are going to get a lot of opinions on this but let me say as i am relativly a newbie also that my best buy so far has been my Sigma 24-70F2.8...

Its a great walk around lens ....

i was looking at the sigma 24-60F2.8 is there a whole lot of difference between the two lens?

I have not seen a 24-60f2.8 here in Australia but i imagine not much difference according to the reviews....
Reviews on the 24-70 have been good as well.....

Go to dpreview and search for sigma 24-70f2.8 and 24-60f2.8 for some objective opinions....

okay... Look at Canons website at the 55-250mm 3.5-50 IS EF-s mount. its new. It has a kick butt image stabalizer, and the m chart is awesome. (m charts show the sharpness and contrast capabilities of a lens) it is an ef-s mount and should be affordable. The only downside is it's plastic. So if you want to go out and shoot beavers in a slough in a snowstorm like some nat geo photographer then it won't work. Also it won't be a real wide angle lens, and a lot of people around this site will say you need it but you don't..... or just get the nifty and be happy. good luck....

Canon 10-22 $519
Canon 70-200 f4 L $540ish

eh, depends what you like to shoot.

Great walk around lens for the money -- 28 -- 135mm IS.

Sigma 24-70 F2.8, Tamron 17-50 F2.8, Tamron 28-75 F2.8 (might not be wide enough), Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS ($1000 or so), or just get the kit lens 18-55 and see what you like.

Low price: Canon 18-55IS. If you go this route, make sure to get the Image Stabilized version, it's under $200 and gets very favorable reviews and it a big improvement over the non Image Stabilized version. With that price, you will have cash left over so you could also pick up a Canon 430ex flash unit for around $215 and the 50mm 1.8 for around $75, all 3 of which will just about take up your budget and give you a very nice starter setup.

Upper price: Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is a very nice/sharp lens that has a large following. I have personally used this lens and was very satisfied with it. Its cost will take up most of your budget, so not enough left over for much other than the 50 1.8 lens.

Depends on what you like to shoot, but it is true that the new 18-55 IS is optically a lot more sound than the previous version. If you don't believe me just look at the ISO12233 crops of it.

I really like the 24-70 range myself, so I'd recommend the Sigma lens in that range for it to fit in your price range.

Just get the kit lens. Never tried the IS version, but with a budget of $500, I would recommend that if it's even better than the older $60 kit lens.

amyandmark3 wrote in post #4996495
Low price: Canon 18-55IS. If you go this route, make sure to get the Image Stabilized version, it's under $200 ...you will have cash left over so you could also pick up a Canon 430ex flash unit for around $215 and the 50mm 1.8 for around $75...

I think this is a very good suggestion. If you want to sink all your $500 into a really nice lens only, amyandmark3 has a 17-40L for sale.

I would start out with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. The IS version of this lens gives a very good image for the price. It should cost anywhere between $175 - $190. It will give you everything from wide-angle to medium telephoto. It is equivalent to 28-88mm on a full-frame camera. I would also add the new 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS as soon as you can get ahold of one. I know that Adorama has it for pre-order for $300. Those two lenses will allow you to do everything from landscapes to wildlife. However, neither lens is very fast. You will need good lighting or a flash.

If you think you will take more low-light photos without a flash, and/or would prefer a higher-quality zoom, and are willing to sacrifice the super telephoto end, I would go with the 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS, which will take up your full $500 new or you could get it used for $420 http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …S_17_85mm_f_4_5​_6_IS.html
AND add to it the nifty fifty for about $90. That will give you a better zoom lens which is equivalent to 27-136mm (a great general purpose range) and a prime lens for low-light situations where you need faster glass.