What to add?

So i'm still pretty new to all of this, but a while back i got a t1i with the kit lens (18-55) to work on some product photography for my company. Recently, i picked up the canon 60mm 2.8 macro and i've fallen in love with primes. I'm going to be leaving for Japan in 3 weeks for business (i'll be gone 3 months) and i want to get another lens before i go. I've pretty much stopped using the 18-55 now and i shoot primarily with the 60mm. I think i want a more wide angle prime, but i cant decide if i really want a prime or if i just want a better zoom than the kit lens. I'm really digging the sharpeness of the prime (especially because the 60mm is crazy sharp) and i like the wide aperature. What do you guys think would be a good lens? I'm trying to keep it under $400 which drastically limits me.

Some ones i'm thinking about are:
canon 28mm 1.8
canon 28mm 2.8
canon 24mm 2.8
canon 20mm 2.8
sigma 24mm 1.8
sigma 20mm 1.8
sigma 30mm 1.4
tamron 17-50 2.8

What do you guys think? Are there other ones that would be better?

If it makes a difference, i'll be shooting lots of pictures of knife forging and kitchen knives as well as a few group photos of people.

anyone? I'm really leaning towards the sigma 28 1.8 or 24 1.8 if i can find one for a good price... thoughts? Will i be making a mistake since the t1i doesnt have microadjust?

My next lens is most likely going to be the Sigma 30mm, it generally gets very good reviews. I bought a prime lens a while back and really love it (the 85mm). Not that they are the end-all authority on lenses but if you haven't checked out the lens reviews on photozone.de that may help you make your decision. Some of the lenses you mentioned get much better reviews than others. The 17-50 might be a good idea though as 30mm might still be a little too long on a crop body for tight indoor shots.

out of that list, the sigma 30mm 1.4

From what i have read, pull the trigger on the sig 30 1.4

+1 on the sigma 30 1.4

yourdoinitwrong wrote in post #10818652
My next lens is most likely going to be the Sigma 30mm, it generally gets very good reviews. I bought a prime lens a while back and really love it (the 85mm). Not that they are the end-all authority on lenses but if you haven't checked out the lens reviews on photozone.de that may help you make your decision. Some of the lenses you mentioned get much better reviews than others. The 17-50 might be a good idea though as 30mm might still be a little too long on a crop body for tight indoor shots.

what about the sigma 24mm 1.8... still too tight indoors?

Seems like everyone loves the sigma 30mm 1.4... anyone use both that and then sigma 24mm 1.8?

JBroida wrote in post #10818970
what about the sigma 24mm 1.8... still too tight indoors?

Seems like everyone loves the sigma 30mm 1.4... anyone use both that and then sigma 24mm 1.8?

My widest lens is 24mm (Canon 24-105L) and sometimes it is still a little long for my liking indoors. My ideal lens for WA is the Tokina 11-16, along with a few thousand dollars of other wants! It all depends on what you are planning to take photos of while you are on your trip. If it is mainly outdoors then the 24mm should be fine, your feet will be your zoom. I have never been to Japan but from everything I have seen real estate seems to be at a premium so indoor spaces look a little smaller and if that is the case then 24mm might not work out. As I'm sure you are finding out, choosing anything in photography is a compromise between your intended use and what your wallet can withstand.

yourdoinitwrong wrote in post #10819018
As I'm sure you are finding out, choosing anything in photography is a compromise between your intended use and what your wallet can withstand.

Yeah... i got lucky with the 60mm macro. I would have never considered it, but everyone i talked to said it was the best lens for the price within my budget and for my uses.

I just took out my 18-55 and played around with zoom at 24-35 to see what it was like in cramped quarters... i think anything in that range will be nice, though i think the slightly wider end would be a little better. How does the sigma 24 1.8 compare to the 30 1.4? Should i be considering the canon 24 2.8 as well or is it not worth the little bit of savings?

JBroida wrote in post #10819049
Yeah... i got lucky with the 60mm macro. I would have never considered it, but everyone i talked to said it was the best lens for the price within my budget and for my uses.

I just took out my 18-55 and played around with zoom at 24-35 to see what it was like in cramped quarters... i think anything in that range will be nice, though i think the slightly wider end would be a little better. How does the sigma 24 1.8 compare to the 30 1.4? Should i be considering the canon 24 2.8 as well or is it not worth the little bit of savings?

I haven't actually used any of those three primes so I can't help you much there. Try the reviews on photozone or read the user reviews on Adorama and B&H to see what owners of those lenses are saying. Remember though that they are not "pro" lenses so take that into account with the users of those lenses and their resulting comments. You can also look on here in the lens section and take a look at actual shots taken with the lenses you are considering. They are under the Lens Sample Photo Archive at the top of the lens section page.

sigma 30 f1.4 off of that list

thanks... i've done a lot of that already. Sometimes its just difficult to know what to make of things. I see comments all over the place... some people go on about how sigma has all kinds of focusing issues and some say people buying third party lenses are just pickier. I'm sure any of the lenses would be a great improvement over the 18-55 kit lens, but i'm trying to get as close to the quality of the 60mm as possible.

To be honest, the sigma 24mm 1.8 is my frontrunner right now, but i'm not seeing too many used ones for sale. The 30mm seems to be a little easier to get right now so thats what i might end up with.

Ide go with the Sigma 30 1.4. My only concern would it being just a bit close to the 60mm but otherwise it's a great lens

Deep Pocket wrote in post #10819258
Ide go with the Sigma 30 1.4. My only concern would it being just a bit close to the 60mm but otherwise it's a great lens

its half the focal length... anyone here use it on a 1.6 crop in tight quarters? I'm pretty sure at the very least i can get waist up group photos for 3-4 people in cramped rooms (based on "testing" the focal length on my 18-55)

seems like the consensus is to go for the 30mm 1.4, so thats what i'm doing... thanks a lot for all of the help