Telephoto/Macro Lens Suggestion

Hi, I'm new to the photography scene and I've been researching various equipment for a while now however I'm not exactly sure where I want to go with my strict budget. I have a Canon EOS T1i with the default 18-55mm lens kit and the canon 50mm f1.8. I'm looking into a telephoto lens that is also able to capture macro shots(I know, a lot to ask). Macro lenses in it of themselves are far beyond my budget so that's why I am not looking into them for the time being.

I've been looking at the:

Sigma 70-300mm APO DG(new)
Canon 75-300mm(new)
Canon 55-250mm IS(used, due to cost)

The sigma caught my interest due to it having the capability to go macro, which put that ahead of the Canon 75-300mm in my book(also reviews led me to believe it created sharper images than the Canon)
Lastly the Canon 55-250mm had great reviews, but without the macro capability I'd have to get a close-up filter which the better ones run upwards of 100$ which I cannot afford at the moment.

My budget is no more than 250$(for lens if has macro or lens/filter without)

Sorry if any of these things are obvious, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

i'd forget about the 75-300mm...

there are cheaper ways to get macro shots...you could get a reversing ring, and reverse your 50mm onto your 18-55mm i think...you could get a reverse mount that allows you to mount the lens reversed onto your camera to get macro shots

but out of the lenses the sigma will give you 1:2 macro shots which is pretty close...if for just for telephoto i'd go for the 55-250mm because of the IS...but if you need macro i think the sigma is a good substitute

Canon 75-300 plain sucks. Not exaggerating.

While the 55-250 can't do 1:2 macro, it can do 1:3. Which is not too bad. THe big deal on the 55-250 is the image stabilization, which I find pretty much essential past 200mm. I would go with the 55-250 if you can. The sigma APO is a pretty good lens, though, and if you only plan to shoot during mid-day should be fine.

If semi-macro capability is what you're after, then I can easily recommend the Sigma 70-300mm APO. It has the highest magnification at 300mm (0.5x), which is enough for larger insects such as bees and dragonflies, and at 300mm, it gives you plenty of working distance, though you may find it harder to shoot at low ISO and less than perfect light. I own this lens, and while I now own more than one dedicated macro lens, I still think some of my best macro pictures were taken with it. For the price, it's very good value.

The Canon 55-250mm is probably the best all-around lens you have listed, and may be more useful to you if you will be shooting more conventional telephoto, such as outdoor sports, birds, etc.. The IS will be much more useful at the long range, and the lens is optically very good for the price.

I don't recommend the 75-300mm; it's not known to be a particularly sharp or well-made lens, and you're better off paying a little more for one of the other two lenses.

Note that you may find a Canon 50mm Compact Macro for the price range you specify; it will certainly yield better image quality than any of the 3 lenses you mention, but at 1:2 magnification, it won't give you higher magnification than the Sigma 70-300mm APO, and it might be harder to use for macro purposes due to its short focal length. On an APS-C camera, however, it's just fast and long enough for portraits.

Get a used 55-250 IS and then set some extension tubes when you get $130 laying around.

The 55-250 is not shabby at all for semi-macro with a little cropping.

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The term "macro" applied to most consumer level zoom lenses is a marketing term to mean "this lens focuses closer than most" and not much else. Some manufacturers use this term on lenses that are only 1:3.5 or 1:4. Having said that, the close focusing capability of some of them is quite good, and adequate for most users. They are not, however, true macro lenses which are always "prime" or single focal length lenses, like the Canon 100 f/2.8 Macro and "L" Macro lenses.

Someone always has to remind is that "macro" really means 1:1 or 1x mag. Which, while that may be true, how often do those with 1:1 macro lenses actually shoot at 1:1? I know when I got a 1:1 setup, I found I rarely really wanted to shoot that far past 1:2, because when I did, I had to use a tripod and excellent lighting or flash.

Thank you all very much for your input, the help here is amazing!

I'll be going with a used 55-250 from canon as I do like to capture in less than ideal lighting situations.

Thanks again!

Enjoy it, it's a good lens!

can't go wrong with the 55-250IS - good performer for the $$

Sryinex wrote in post #9731428
Hi, I'm new to the photography scene and I've been researching various equipment for a while now however I'm not exactly sure where I want to go with my strict budget. I have a Canon EOS T1i with the default 18-55mm lens kit and the canon 50mm f1.8. I'm looking into a telephoto lens that is also able to capture macro shots(I know, a lot to ask). Macro lenses in it of themselves are far beyond my budget so that's why I am not looking into them for the time being.

I've been looking at the:

Sigma 70-300mm APO DG(new)
Canon 75-300mm(new)
Canon 55-250mm IS(used, due to cost)

The sigma caught my interest due to it having the capability to go macro, which put that ahead of the Canon 75-300mm in my book(also reviews led me to believe it created sharper images than the Canon)
Lastly the Canon 55-250mm had great reviews, but without the macro capability I'd have to get a close-up filter which the better ones run upwards of 100$ which I cannot afford at the moment.

My budget is no more than 250$(for lens if has macro or lens/filter without)

Sorry if any of these things are obvious, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I can't help you with the lens choice, but note that the so called maco capability is not really macro. Real macro will go to life size and be well corrected for that distance and will be a prime lens, these telephoto zooms just have a moderate close focus capablity.

If you want a real macro lens a good place to start is the 100mm macro, either the classic or the new IS version if you want to spend that cash. However any macro lens in the 100mm range should be good.

Checkout the macro talk sub-forum for more info.