Which lens to keep?

[Kronos]

Been trying to flog a 350D with a few extras with little success not really surprising as it is pretty much entry level and does not come with a lens. So decided to buy a second hand lens did not matter what just as long as it fitted and could take a half decent photo.

So I bought a Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 11 from the folk at MPD which arrived today.

Now I am in a quandary as fitting this lens to the 350D and the 1100d I cannot decide if this is a better all round lens to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5?

The 28-80 takes a cracking image but being new to DSLR cameras so much is a mystery. I do need to add a lens to the 350D for selling purposes but which one?

I have been comparing images and there is less FOV in 28-80 which just puts it behind the 18-55,

I would love to keep them both but that is silly and defeats the object of buying the lens in the first place.

I think I am leaning towards the 18-55.

[Manfred M]

I'm not a Canon shooter, so I don't know these lenses. They have different coverage, so why not keep them both for a while and see which one you end up using the most and then think about selling (or not).

The problem with your question is that we can't tell you how / what you shoot, so suggesting one lens over the other would be speculation on our part and may end up being the wrong decision for you.

[Kronos]

I'm not a Canon shooter, so I don't know these lenses. They have different coverage, so why not keep them both for a while and see which one you end up using the most and then think about selling (or not).

The problem with your question is that we can't tell you how / what you shoot, so suggesting one lens over the other would be speculation on our part and may end up being the wrong decision for you.

At the moment I am doing little photography as such, really trying to teach myself how to use it. I am, to my cats annoyance snapping her at every opportunity though I will be toddling off to This Dynamic Earth and museums once it is a bit warmer.

I do not really want to hang on to both lenses as I have my eyes on a GTX 970 GPU so the cash would be useful.

[dje]

Hi Glenn

This is probably not what you want to hear but I suspect the main reason you haven't been able to sell the 350D is that it is quite an old model, about 10 years old I think. That's quite old for digital camera technology.

I sold my 600D recently without a lens with no trouble at all. But you could still buy new ones in the shops at that stage.

I'd probably keep the EFS 18-55 if I were you (because of the wider angle) but as Manfred says, it depends what you are going to shoot.

Dave

[Kronos]

I am well aware that this is an older camera but as a starter kit for those new to DSLR cameras it is still quite capable. If I had not got a very goid deal on a 1100 then I would still be using this. I had plenty of inquiries as I am not wanting much for it less in fact than the average Ebay price but the lack of lens was the stumbling block.

But I am inclined to agree with your choice for which lens to keep.

Thanks.

[William W]

I am fairly certain that all the EF28 to 80 Series of Kit Lenses preceded the EF-S 18 to 55 Lenses: and quite certain that the 28 to 80 II preceded the EF-S 18 to 55 by a long stretch (but you can look that up if you want to).

The point I am making is: there were quiet a few of optic & build improvements made for the release of the EF-S 18 to 55 series of Kit Lenses.

Considering those facts and also the wider FoV; and also the fact that 55 to 80 is not that much gain - I would keep the 18 to 55 to use with an 1100D.

Of course, if your main aim is to sell the 350D – the same logic applies as I expect that it would be easier to sell with the 18 to 55 lens rather than the 28 to 80 lens.

WW

[rpcrowe]

If your 18-55mm kit lens is the IS version, there is no choice - keep that one. If it is the older non-IS version, you might do a Google search with the parameters "Canon 18-55mm vs. 28-80mm".

The 28mm is not quite wide enough for general use with a crop camera but, the 80mm side makes a bit nicer portrait lens. There were several models of the 28-80mm lens produced. Some with better performance than others.

It all depends on which 28-80mm and which 18-55mm lens you have and also your intended uses of those lenses.

I agree with Bill that it might just be easier to sell the 350D with the 18-55mm lens...

As far as selling the 350D without the lens or with the lens; I am not so sure that you would get enough difference to have made the purchase of the additional lens worthwhile. There are not enough 350D that have been sold on eBay USA to gain a handle on how much they are going for. In fact, I only saw one completed auction at $85 USD without lens...

eBay U.K. has had a few recent sales of 350D cameras with lenses at from 90 to 100 pounds...

Good luck, I hope things work out well for you...

[Nate]

As a gear junkie I can sympathize with having overlapping focal lengths and the need to "clean house". So while I can't speak on these particular lenses pros and cons, I can share what I've done in the past when faced with a keep/sell decision: go back and look at all the EXIF (focal length) data for recent keepers. Since there's a fair amount of overlap for these two lenses, just note the number shot wide (<28mm) versus shot long (>55mm) and determine which lens is a better fit.

[Kronos]

I have spent a couple of hours trying both lenses on both the 350D and the 110D and have decided to keep the 18-55 and sell on the 28-80mm with the 350D in fact I am awaiting someone to come along just now. Hopefully it will go after a bit of haggling and I will be another step closer to a GTX 970.

Thanks everyone for your help, much appreciated being a noobie.