Which lens for newbee

[bald biker]

Hi, like i said in my introduction i am new to the world of DSLR and have a 18-55 and 55-200 lenses on loan. As i would be looking for my own lens soon and not sure what type of photography i would like to do, is there such thing as a general purpose lens to learn with and are third party lenses ok to use ie Tamron 18-270. This is for a 40d.

[DrJon]

Re: Which lens for newbee

Partly depends on budget and if you want a single "do everything but not all that well" lens or are happy with a couple.

Lenses I think work well on a 40D:

Copies of the two you have on loan, provided the EFS 18-55 is the IS version. It's a really good combo for a low budget to start out and you have to go some to improve much. You may be able to get white box versions and save some money (they are ones that got split from a kit as someone wanted the body from the kit but not the lenses, or just the seller thought they would make more money splitting it).

As the previous suggestion but with the 70-300 IS for the longer one. Worth the extra.

Along the quality route the next choices would be the EFS 15-85 (not the 17-85) or the EFS 17-55 (amazing lens, but big and heavy, also not cheap), combined with either the 70-300 IS or 70-200 f4 IS (not cheap).

An alternative is to get the 24-105 f4 plus the EFS 10-22 for the wide stuff, but I'd probably stick with one of the previous suggestions as this can be a pain as a standard combo as the 24-105 isn't that wide.

If you are likely to do much low-light stuff a 50mm f1.8 might be worth considering as well. (It's a portrait length lens on a 40D, so a little bit tighter than a standard view.)

If you want a do-it-all-in-one lens I'd suggest the Canon EFS 18-200mm over the Tamron, perhaps with the above 50mm as well for dull days and indoors. The Tamron 18-270 really falls apart at the long end, so doesn't gain as much over the shorter lenses. Actually the best Tamron bargain is the non-stabilised 17-50, which is a good fast lens (if a little heavy).

All just my thoughts.

John

[Hereford_EOS2]

Re: Which lens for newbee

Hi Dave

I guess you're on a budget.
Two lenses to get you started at a budget price are:-
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II USM which retails at around £150.00. This gives a wide-angle zoom and a walkaround lens.
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM which retails at around £220.00. This gives a telephoto zoom for getting closer to your subject.
As John suggests maybe the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II lens for low-light and portraits. This retails for around £90.00
The first two lenses will get you started (both have IS) and you can consider better quality lenses, which are much more expensive, at a later date.

Hope it helps

[bald biker]

Re: Which lens for newbee

Thanks for the advice, a couple of those i have been considering but you have given me more options and yes there is a budget so all options are looking good.

Thanks.Dave

[Muscat]

Re: Which lens for newbee

If you wat you could also look at a secondhand lens as sold by MPB Photographic, their web page link is at the top of the EOS forum site, all their equipment comes with a min 3 month warrantee and they have all the lenses noted above currently for sale, just a thought.

[hectorpaljr]

Re: Which lens for newbee

A pal of mine uses a sigma 18-200 and is winning awards with it for his landcapes. I have a canon EFS 18-135 which I am not that impressed with. Sigma lenses are supposed to have a reputation of poor build quality but as far as I can see they outperform the canon consumer lenses in terms of optical performance . These are just my views based on personal experience! good luck in your search.

[DrJon]

Re: Which lens for newbee

I'm not entirely sold on the Sigma: http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/...5-6p3_os_n15/4 although it's the f6.3 at the long end as much as anything else. I'm sure like most lenses many good photographs could be taken with it.

If you are thinking of a super-zoom this is worth a read: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ns-Review.aspx
as it compares a number of the major players. His conclusion is "Cost aside, I would give up the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM Lens' additional 50mm of focal length on the long end as well as some of the build quality, and select the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens over the rest of the 18-2XXmm super zoom lenses. The main reason for my choice is better image quality. This choice, at review time, will set you back $100 more than the Sigma 18-250 and will have more barrel distortion at 18mm."
Do note that Sigma have come out with a new version of their 18-200 since he wrote the review (it isn't the subject but is covered).

Personally I'd get something with less of a zoom ratio and improved performance, but it depends what you want.

John

[mwphoto]

Re: Which lens for newbee

Key question I suspect is how much money you have and/or want to spend (and the two are usually different!)

[S_J_P]

Re: Which lens for newbee

From someone who went for the Sigma 18-250mm, don't go the superzoom route!

It may seem cheaper and more convenient, but I guarantee that in a year you'll rue the day you went superzoom.

Balancing cost/performance/convenience I'd get the Canon 15-85 and couple that with a 70-200 F4 L, both lenses are available for around £500 apiece

[Wayne Els]

Re: Which lens for newbee

I think I'd agree with SJP. Though for the long lens if you want a bit more reach the 70-300 sounds pretty good at around £300.