Good lens beyond standard 18-55 'kit' lens?

themadman wrote in post #11371637
+1 The truth =)

+3.

I swear, I should have it on auto-reply. I always recommend the 18-55mm IS + 55-250mm + 50mm f/1.8 for those starting out. The IQ is excellent for the price.

However, if you're ready to take the next stop beyond that - the 17-55mm is hard to beat for a crop. If that's too expensive, the Tamron 17-50mm is an excellent alternative.

Another vote for the Canon 15-85

artyman wrote in post #11374870
Another vote for the Canon 15-85

Yep - I'm there too

If the budget allows - its a heck of a sharp & practical focal range...

15mm is all the wide I will ever need - and 85mm brings it all in quite nicely

but still - the Holy Trinity (18-55 / 55-250 / 50) is THE Great Start to the EOS world...

As others have already mentioned, the 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens for the money. But if you want an even better lens for the money, try the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 or the 28-75mm f/2.8, the Canon equivalent of these two lens will cost you twice as much.

artyman wrote in post #11374870
Another vote for the Canon 15-85

Another vote for Tamron 17-50 2.8

Replaced my 18-55 with 15-85mm as well. Great lens. Superb sharpness..

Next up is 30mm f1.4 for low light

I had an XTi and the standard 18-55 kit lens. I noticed a major upgrade when I got the 18-55 IS. Besides the stabilization the optics are a lot better. If you haven't already I found this site useful: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Co​mparison-Tools.aspx
Use the ISO 12233 tool and plug in the lens to get a sense of sharpness (be careful that you are apples to apples with camera model in drop down box)

I also second the suggestions on the 50 1.8 as it is a great bargain and great intro to primes.

The Sigma 30 1.4 is also a very useful lens on a crop camera especially since it can be very useful in low light.

I recently upgraded to the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS HSM... I haven't gotten it so can't give any feedback yet. The Tamron 17-50 is a great lens as well.

Hello all I just joined the forums this morning. There is a lot of great info on this site. I've been pondering this question the last few days and thought this thread might be a great place to post since it has to deal with my question.

I'm looking at getting my first DSLR, a Canon T2i. At first I was planning on just getting it with the kit lens, but I'm now thinking about getting an upgraded lens instead.

Would like to have your opinion on the following lenses as a replacement to the kit lens.
The first option I was considering was the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM. I like this lens for the price, but not sure if it's worth it over the kit lens.

The other two I am looking at are below, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money. At $400+ I'm not sure I want to spend that much money up front to jump into the DLSR world as I still would like to buy some other accessories.
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 VC

Thanks for you input.

trossite wrote in post #11376079
Hello all I just joined the forums this morning. There is a lot of great info on this site. I've been pondering this question the last few days and thought this thread might be a great place to post since it has to deal with my question.

I'm looking at getting my first DSLR, a Canon T2i. At first I was planning on just getting it with the kit lens, but I'm now thinking about getting an upgraded lens instead.

Would like to have your opinion on the following lenses as a replacement to the kit lens.
The first option I was considering was the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM. I like this lens for the price, but not sure if it's worth it over the kit lens.

The other two I am looking at are below, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money. At $400+ I'm not sure I want to spend that much money up front to jump into the DLSR world as I still would like to buy some other accessories.
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 VC

Thanks for you input.

Given how little the kit lens adds to the cost of the rebel, get it and use it first. After that decide whether it satisfies you, or whether you want to upgrade that range, or expand your capacity somewhere else. I dont think given the negligible cost of the kit lens I would worry about upgrading before I even used a DSLR.

trossite wrote in post #11376079
Hello all I just joined the forums this morning. There is a lot of great info on this site. I've been pondering this question the last few days and thought this thread might be a great place to post since it has to deal with my question.

I'm looking at getting my first DSLR, a Canon T2i. At first I was planning on just getting it with the kit lens, but I'm now thinking about getting an upgraded lens instead.

Would like to have your opinion on the following lenses as a replacement to the kit lens.
The first option I was considering was the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM. I like this lens for the price, but not sure if it's worth it over the kit lens.

The other two I am looking at are below, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money. At $400+ I'm not sure I want to spend that much money up front to jump into the DLSR world as I still would like to buy some other accessories.
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM
Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 VC

Thanks for you input.

gonzogolf gave you very good advise...

Also the Sigma 18-50 and the 17-70 are decent lens but not that much better in producing good IQ over the Canon 18-55 kit lens. Start with the kit lens first, you have no experience with a DSLR so you're the perfect candidate for a kit lens, go out and shoot and then shoot some more and when you start "needing" a certain reach or focal distance you can decide on another lens, maybe even primes, they offer better IQ than zoom lens do. So for now, buy the camera (the T2i is a great camera) and worry about another lens later.

Thanks for the info, the main reason i was thinking about getting an upgrade over the kit lens was my dads suggestion. He has be a pro photographer for 33yrs now.

I've shot some things with his Canon 50D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.

I have been someone spoiled being able to play with that setup and have also been to NFL games with him to shoot for fun.

Just wasn't sure if it was worth the extra money to get any of those lenses over the kit or if IQ and sharpness was too close to worry about it.

I really love the 70-200mm range and was thinking about this lens down the line, but not right away.
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

trossite wrote in post #11376582
I've shot some things with his Canon 50D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.

I have been someone spoiled being able to play with that setup and have also been to NFL games with him to shoot for fun.

Just wasn't sure if it was worth the extra money to get any of those lenses over the kit or if IQ and sharpness was too close to worry about it.

I really love the 70-200mm range and was thinking about this lens down the line, but not right away.
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Well this might be a whole new ballgame...

Anyways - I have the 15-85 & 70-300 and I'm quite pleased with them.

Use f/6.3 at 85mm - and f/9 at 300mm respectively and these are Very Good lenses.

but if you give a budget - then we can really hone in. The 70-300 L IS is approx $1500, for example. The non-L is approx $650.

Yeah that sort of renders my previous advice obsolete. Although for the price of the kit, I would still grab one with the lens included. You can always sell it for $100 any day here or on craigslist.

angelIV wrote in post #11370201
55-250 is or a 70-300is will be suitable to go along with the 18-55. as for a replacement for the 18-55 it depends on how will you use it walk around? snap shots? 17-85 is and 28-135is is not that expensive check out the sale forum. if you wnt a better glass 24-105L

i too have the 18-55 IS kit lens.. while it is good.. i borrowed my neighbors Tamron 17-50f/2.8 and it is niceER... bout $400...

i decided to go the 24-105L used way.. and couple it with the 55-250 for tele... keeping the kit lens for anything that i need below 24 for now.... and of course the 85mm for night stuff...

think i got a (theoretically as i dont have all lenses in possession yet) good working setup for the ranges... other than the 100-400 for someday..

tonylong wrote in post #11371631
I back up the suggestions for the 18-55 IS and the 55-250 IS because they really have a good reputation and for the $$ they cover a very nice range.

Now, nobody has mentioned the little fellow for low-light and creative fun, the EF 50mm f/1.8! It's a very low-cost little guy, feels a bit "cheap", but delivers bang for the buck for someone starting out with a Canon DSLR!

+99999

I started with the 18-55IS, the 55-250is and the nifty fifty as well, and it was an awesome entry level kit.