Lens question.

[amara]

Hi, I am looking for a great overall lens for my canon rebel eos camera. Currently I have a 18-55mm basic lens that came with it. But as I get better at photography I think its time to invest in a better lens.
I will be shooting pictures of my daughter, like her potraits, and I looked at the 50mm/f 1.8 and 85mm/f1.8 lens but not sure if these would be good for any other kind of photography. Plus would like to be able to do some landscapes as well during our travels.
Thanks for your help guys!
Amara

[Wirefox]

Quite a tall order so there will always be compromise with a single lens. It sounds like you may be looking at what is sometimes termed as a 'walk around zoom'. I originally had the same combination as you and I bought a used Canon f/3.5-f/5.6 EF28-200 USM. To be honest it never came off that Rebel and spends a heck of a lot of time on my 40D. It is not the sweetest lens in the consumer line up and the reviews were average. However it is a workhorse and relatively cheap (£350 new). It is not a fast lens but in average to good light it focuses quickly and is as sharp as you can expect from a consumer zoom. Just a note - it has no IS this could be off putting for some.

It obviously does not give very wide angle on a crop body so you will have to decide if you will be doing much shooting at wider than 28mm (44.8mm on the rebel). I assume yiu will still have your kit lens which gives you (28.8mm on the Rebel)

These are my personal experiences. Others may have far better options especially wrt to third party lenses. But, it works for my style of shooting.

[amara]

Thanks Wirefox but is there a good Bokeh with this lens? cause I want it for my potraits as well.

[Colin Southern]

Probably something along the lines of a EF24-105 for a good compromise of focal lengths & bokeh, until the new Canon EF14-1600mm F1.0L IS USM breaks the magical $200 mark anyway

[amara]

Thanks Colin,
Can you tell me where to find this canon EF 14-1600mm lens or did you mean 600mm?
Thanks!

[Colin Southern]

Thanks Colin,
Can you tell me where to find this canon EF 14-1600mm lens or did you mean 600mm?
Thanks!

Hi Amara,

Sorry - I was being a bit cheeky there - it's a "mythical" lens - a bit of photographic humour in that it encompasses every photographer's ideal of wide-angle - all the way through to super-telephoto - and wide aperture - and cheap

[whited3]

Amara, I have been using the Canon 24-105mm L f4 for a year or so and find it a great all around lens.

[inkista]

Hi, I am looking for a great overall lens for my canon rebel eos camera. Currently I have a 18-55mm basic lens that came with it. But as I get better at photography I think its time to invest in a better lens.

Are you sure it's an "overall" lens you need? Not a tripod? Not a flash? And maybe not an all-in-one lens, rather than a selection of special-purpose ones? The point of having an interchangeable lens camera is that you can use a variety of lenses on it, each optimized for a specific task. Supplementing your current lens might make more sense than attempting to replace it.

I will be shooting pictures of my daughter, like her potraits, and I looked at the 50mm/f 1.8 and 85mm/f1.8 lens but not sure if these would be good for any other kind of photography.

And is this a problem? The analogy I tend to make about dSLRs vs. P&S cameras is that a P&S camera is like a swiss army knife. Small, compact, low-cost, it does a number of things pretty well, but can't be used for everything. A dSLR is more like a big red tool box: bigger, heavier, far more expensive, but you can get exactly the tool you need for the job you want. But you still have to buy the right tools.

The 18-55 kit lens is actually the best low-cost wide-angle lens you're going to find for a crop camera. It can do landscapes perfectly well, especially if you learn to stop it down for depth of field and sharpness.

And before looking at new gear, I'd also advocate making absolutely sure that whatever has you dissatisfied enough to consider getting a new lens isn't the result of poor technique. Sharpness requires knowing how to focus accurately, how to use DoF, knowing the appropriate shutter speeds for the focal length you're shooting, stopping down for sharpness, and good handholding technique. In combination. If you're not satisfied with the sharpness of your images it may not be your glass that's at fault. Bad technique will still affect your images no matter what gear you use.

Mark, I have a 24-105L and I enjoy it on crop but I freaking adore it on full-frame; it's not particularly wide on a crop body, and on a full-frame camera, it's a whole different beast and far more versatile. I'd actually advocate the EF-S 15-75 IS USM as the crop body's 24-105L analog.

[arith]

Probably something along the lines of a EF24-105 for a good compromise of focal lengths & bokeh, until the new Canon EF14-1600mm F1.0L IS USM breaks the magical $200 mark anyway

£200 is that weight, pounds weight not dollars. Or did you miss out 000 and used Colin.

The closest I can find is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM at only $3000 a snip. You could try what Wirefox says, a lot cheaper and won't break your camera.

[rpcrowe]

Probably something along the lines of a EF24-105 for a good compromise of focal lengths & bokeh, until the new Canon EF14-1600mm F1.0L IS USM breaks the magical $200 mark anyway

Colin... You know, of course, that Canon plans to fill this lens with helium which will reduce the weight to less than .25 kilos. But the drawback will be that since some photographers have complained so persistantly about the Canon "white" lenses, the company will offer this lens only in fuschia color. I would personally want chartruese, but that's just me! I think that chartruese would look better with my new tartan plaid photo vest and purple Bermuda shorts...

Now Amara... before you decide that everyone on this site is positively bonkers. Please believe me that there are some people on the forum that can and will provide excellent guidance. Colin is one of these photographers.

You are looking for a "better" lens for your Rebel! Are you seeking a lens with better image quality, a lens with a faster maximum aperture (lower f/number) or a lens with a different focal length? The Canon 18-55mm kit lens (especially the IS model) is really a pretty nice lens, especially if stopped down a couple of stops. If you could tell us what you would like to see improved in your new lens along with what general price you hope to pay, we could perhaps provide a bit more help.

You need to realize that picking a lens is a series of choices and compromises and the descision is based on many facets. One of the most important factors is the amount of money you are prepared or able to spend on your equipment. There is no reason to look at a Ferrari if a Mini Cooper is all that you can afford. However, the Mini Cooper can often get you where you want to go as well, if not better than the Farrari!

[kontrol]

I'm surprised that none has pointed this lens. (Maybe not much Canon User ^^)

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm...ews/B0011NVMO8

Can be found between 190-250$, depending on your location. The review are all excellent. For the price this lens offer good quality. It is of the same level (if not better) than the 18-55 kit lens. Many people say they replaced higher priced lens for this one. And many other say that after the kit lens (of course depending of your need) this is the lens to buy.

I have to say that I personally didn't test this lens myself as I'm new to DSLR alltogether, but I made lots of reading on future lens to buy (Because creating needs is soooooo easy isn't it? ).

Of course the lens is not perfect, like most lens anyway. It have some CA, and distortion on the focal lenght extremities (50 and 250), but nothing that cannot be easily corrected in Lightroom.

[Harpo]

When I bought my T2i in January, my dealer offered the camera with the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens as the kit lens. Wanted it for landscapes and travel, so its a wide angle zoom. Im also able to take portraits well with this. A good starter lens for me until I can upgrade the lenses. This might fit your needs?

[Soma Jones]

I replaced my 18-55 kit lens with a EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and couldn't be happier with it. I use this lens 90% of the time. I'm no expert on bokeh but it's a definite improvement. At around 800 dollars I'd consider this a mid range lens. I just wasn't ready to spend the dough on a more expensive lens.
Inkista makes a good point; if my kit lens hadn't taken a dive and had to be replaced I probably would have spent the money on a better tripod, a decent flash etc.

For a hundred bucks you might as well buy the 50mm 1.8 no matter which other lens you decide upon. I don't use it too often but at the very least it's nice to know I have a backup lens.

[amara]

Thanks everyone for your advise. I really do appreciate it.
@Collins: I guess I should pay more attention to the lens I have at hand! I dont understanding all the focal lengths and other super duper complicated stuff. I am total ametuer, while being a doctor I can deal with complicated patient care issues but really when it comes to photography I am not too good. I just want a basic go to lens for my shots of my little girl and her adventures. I have been admiring all the cool pictures my co-workers have been able to capture of their kids and I was trying to figure out if I can find one basic lens which is all purpose one.
I guess what I dont like about my current lens is poor bokeh, not too fast either. Sometimes I am sure if its my technique but for some reason at times the flash doesnt open up automatically and I get really blurry imagines. And I have missed wonderful shots cause of that. Its really hard to capture a toddler on the run and so that frustrates me.
I have heard mixed reviews on 50mm/1.8 vs 85mm/1.8 lens and wasnt sure if its worth extra 200$ to get the 85mm.
What do you think?
I am not sure that the focal length that I have with the started kit is good enough. Havent experimented much with it yet!
Thanks again for your advise and time!
Amara

[arith]

You cannot do better than this:

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/17...report--review

+ you could later on add a 70-300mm at a small extra amount.