Does there have to be a billion lenses

Dubie

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I was on the Canon site today looking at the lenses and all the techical info, numbers yada yada....wow, there's a lot.

Anyhoo.....I have the lens that came with the camera, an EF 18-55 and so far for school it's been okay. I also have a 75-300 that I hear is not all that and I have yet to try it also. Bad, huh?

I would love to invest in another lens (I hear good things about the 70-300) and was wondering what's a good "must have" lens for my Canon Rebel ITi? I seen an add in a mag for a Tamron AF18-250mm, is that a good lens or should I keep buy canon lenses?

What is wide angle used for? I love pictures I have seen done with that type of lens.

The fisheye is neat.

Oh and I love taking pictures of people and creating scenes. I love street photography but the more I get into it the more I like creating my own images. So maybe some of the lenses I names are not a good choice for what I want to do. I am not into landscape, sports etc....if that helps.

Melissa
 
So what was the question in the end? ;)
 
was wondering what's a good "must have" lens for my Canon Rebel ITi?
Melissa

oh man....did I go off on a tangent. I got to lay off the coffee:er:

Okay...is this better?:sexywink:
 
You can take a photo of anything with just about any of the lenses...it's just depends what you want to do and how you want to do it.

Firstly, when using your 18-55mm lens...do you find yourself wanting to have a wider view? What about a narrower (more close up) view? Try out your 75-300 lens and see how you like that.

Also, do you ever find that you shoot in light that isn't very bright...indoors, for example? Would you like to be able to shoot without flash sometimes? Do you ever get blurry photos (without meaning to)?
Would you like to shoot a subject and have the background blurry?
Are you happy with the quality of images from your 18-55mm lens?
What's your budget?

That's plenty of questions but that's also why there are so many different lenses.

There are a few basic things to look at. First is the focal length or range (if it's a zoom). That's the 18-55mm.
Then there is the maximum aperture (F3.5-5.6). The lower the 'F number' the larger the aperture...and a larger maximum aperture is better. For example, the 24-70 F2.8 has a max aperture of F2.8 which is bigger than F3.5 and much bigger than F5.6. Prime (non zoom) lenses will often have even larger apertures (50mm F1.8 or 35mm F1.4, for example).
A large aperture lets in more light, which allows you to blur the background and shoot with a faster shutter speed.

Next, you should consider the quality of the lens. The 18-55mm is on the lower end of the scale. The 17-55 F2.8 IS, on the other hand, is closer to the top of the scale. The range is basically the same but the 17-55 has image stabilization and a much higher quality...it's also 10 times more expensive.

If you are not looking to spend a lot of money, I suggest the 50mm F1.8. It has a large max aperture (which either of your lenses don't have) and the quality of it's images is very good.
 
ok, got it :)

well, there is no real must have lens! it all depends on your shooting style. one does normally not need the whole range from 12 to 1200mm focal length, gaps are ok ;)

If you are interested and want to experiment with ultra wide angle, get a 12-to-something wide angle zoom (Canon or Sigma) and play with it. Maybe you know someone to borrow it from first?

A lens, which can be recommended to anyone is a 50mm prime, since image quality is superb for the price (both the f/1.4 and the f/1.8 version), and having no "zoom" is a good way to train the eye for composition I think.
 
My OMG-THIS-IS-THE-BEST-$80-I'VE-EVER-SPENT-AND-IT-JUST-STAYS-ON-MY-CAMERA lens is the Canon 50mm f1.8. I think everyone just starting out should have this one in their arsenal.

However, since you already have at least one lens that you haven't even tried out yet...why not play with what you've got for a while? Figure out what you want to shoot, what limitations you're running into with your current lenses, and then go from there. That seems a much better strategy than just buying random lenses! (Of course, buying random lenses is fun so...)
 
My OMG-THIS-IS-THE-BEST-$80-I'VE-EVER-SPENT-AND-IT-JUST-STAYS-ON-MY-CAMERA lens is the Canon 50mm f1.8. I think everyone just starting out should have this one in their arsenal.


Naa. I read all that when I was starting out so I bought it and guess what? I never use it. LIKE OH MY GAWD NEVURRRR! I have the 24-105L that's my bread and butter lens. If I need an extra stop then I bump the iso.
 
Thanks you all for the info. That helps a lot.
 
Tinker around abit and see what you want. From the last lines of your post, it seems you are leaning towards a more veratile wide-angle lens. In the neiborhood of the EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-5.6. Use that 75-300 for Pete's sake. Pete's gettin' lonely. Stay away from the Tamron 18-250 since it overlaps the lenses you have now. Kit=18-55 and the 75-300 equal 18-300.
 
Naa. I read all that when I was starting out so I bought it and guess what? I never use it. LIKE OH MY GAWD NEVURRRR! I have the 24-105L that's my bread and butter lens. If I need an extra stop then I bump the iso.

There's more to a stop between f4 and f1.8...

At 50mm focal length that little zippy is a bargain that has the IQ of lenses several times the cost including the 24-105L. Never leave home without it... (I shoot with the 24-105L too). Costs next to nothin... weighs next to nothin... fast!
 
not sure if its been said, but if you love taking picture of people get a 50mm 1.4
 
Consider that decent zoom lenses have really only been around for about 15 years. Many accomplished photographers worked their entire lives with only a couple of prime lenses. Some of my favorite cameras don't even offer interchangeable lenses. The history of photography shows us that there is no such thing as "must have" gear.
 

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