Canon EOS Rebel XTI, what lenses?

First time to this forum.
Right now I've had the first Digital Rebel, for about 4 years. I've used the kit lens and a 70mm-300mm zoom, lenses on it. I am an amateur, but I do shoot and share a lot of pictures. I shoot everything, landscapes, flower closeups, moving animals, active dog, people(posed and un-posed).
I shoot everything on preset & auto settings.
I want to move up to the XTI and get some better glass.
I can't spend a lot, but just a step up. Thats why I'm looking at the XTI.
I dont know anything about lenses, except the that the kit lens isnt that great.
My wife will take over the Rebel and the 2 lenses, so I'll need another zoom too(stabilizer too?) But I can get it further down the road.
Thanks
Dennis

I bought a Tamron AF 17-50 lens for my Xti (for about $400) and am very happy with it. It isn't the best lens, but works well enough. Have a Tamron 70-300 lens (for about $120) too. Not too happy with that one.

Btw, you could just buy a good lens and not upgrade to the Xti. I don't know all the differences between the Xt and XTi but that is a thought.

This is the Original Digital Rebel. 6.8 mp
The XTI is 10.1 mp.
And the Self Cleaning Image sensor are the improvements that I like.
I'll look at the lens you suggest.
Thanks
Dennis

the sensor cleaning doesn't do crap ... it won't clean anything that a quick gentle blow of air won't clean.

my suggestion .. invest in good lenses ... the XTI adds new features that's for sure ... but the sensor cleaning is not a selling point ...

anyways ... good luck shopping

Take a look at the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and the EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS combination if you're on a budget. Both lenses are said to have pretty good image quality and are reasonably priced.

How much were you looking to spend?

Samanax

Check out the Sigma 24-60/f2.8 EX lens, you can snag it for $220 from Cameta Camera on Amazon.

The lens is extremely sharp and the EX-build is very nice quality as well. The constant f2.8 is awesome. It's hard to beat at that price. (only cameta has it at $220 somehow, everywhere else it is around ~$400). I love mine, the image quality is top notch and it's pretty much always on my camera.

I'm glad to know about the image cleansing not being all that good. That caught my eye after I spent $200 to send my camera into Canon for a cleaning. I kinda felt like it was a rip-off.
If I spend $550 on the XTI and the rest on lenses...maybe $1200 total? Or $1000 for a better walk around lens and hold off on the zoom lens.
I think both suggestions are in my range($180 & $266), could go a bit higher, maybe.
Thanks

Jason,
Sounds like a great price. Could I use it for closeup macro shots of flowers and the like?

I like Samanax's suggestion. Those lenses give very good quality pictures for the price you get. The IS on both lenses helps a lot for longer shutter speeds as well. If you're looking at a macro lens, the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro is a great one to start with.

That one is $400, Plus the other 2 that would be out of my range. I dont think I'm looking for a dedicated lens for macro. Just a general lens that could come in some what on occasion. But I write that one down for the future.

Those lenses Samanax, suggest are good for price in my budget.
How does the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS compare with the Sigma 24-60/f2.8 EX?

the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, is not the kit lens? Right? Looks close.

denbeau wrote in post #5961282
Those lenses Samanax, suggest are good for price in my budget.
How does the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS compare with the Sigma 24-60/f2.8 EX?

The 18-55 is a wide-to-normal angle lens (on an XTi). So, it can work for wider views like scenic/landscape shots as well as somewhat closer in. Many people find that a 24-xx range lens is not wide enough on a (crop) camea like the XTi.

Also, the 18-55 has the IS, which helps when you're hand-holding your camera in lower light. However, the Sigma has a constant f/2.8 aperture, so if you don't want wide and you have steady hands, the wider f/2.8 helps you to get faster shutter speeds when needed.

denbeau wrote in post #5961342
the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, is not the kit lens? Right? Looks close.

The original kit lens was the 18-55 non-IS lens. It was the first EF-S lens and has a pretty mediocre reputation for performance. The newer 18-55 IS is the kit lens for the XSi and, though inexpensive, has gotten a good reputation, as has the 55-250 IS. These two lenses together would make a very nice starter kit at a low cost.

That cleared up a lot, Thanks!
One more question...please?
Is the EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS much better than the 70 - 300 mm, the one I have, which I'm sure is cheaper.
(Canon Zoom Lens EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6)
Thanks
IS Image Stablizer right?

The 24-60/2.8 has a minimum focusing distance of 15 inches, according to Sigma's site. So it can take photos close-up, but I'm not sure I'd classify it as macro.

I haven't used the 18-55 lens, so I can't really comment on it. I will however say that I don't think you need IS when you're within it's range, 60mm isn't hard to hand-hold steady. Also, having the 2.8 means you can keep your shutter speed pretty quick and worry less about shake anyways. The 2.8 is sweet when you're in a low-light area as well, and produces great bokeh.

I was debating between the 18-55 and 24-60 when I bought my first lenses, the 24-60 won out for me. It was my first lens, so I don't really miss the 18-24mm range on it since I never had it. I plan to purchase an ultrawide at somepoint anyways. For me, I dont think the IS is needed on that short of a lens and the wider aperture was a selling point for me. I'm happy with the 24-60 and havent looked back. Pick which ever range you think suits you best though, both lenses are great choices and you probably can't go wrong with either.