DSLR beginner lens help

[JazmineHeart]

I am a beginner with DSLRs and own a Canon 7D and came with the kit, a lens 28-135 mm lens. I am more into landscape photography. I do understand from reading that I will need a good wide angle and telephoto lens.

I had been looking at 50 mm f/1.4 lens for the meantime and the telephoto lens to follow soon. I've seen some recommendation threads for lenses for others but am not sure if lens selection varies depending also on camera type etc hence this thread. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[analog.universe]

A 50mm is not a wide angle, and on a crop sensor camera (like the 7D) is actually beginning to border on tele. The 50 1.4 is great because it's the fastest (largest maximum aperture) lens you can get without spending a whole lot of money, and it's also a fairly natural perspective (moreso on full frame than crop). For landscapes, I'd recommend something like a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, or a Sigma 10-20 f/3.5. You should be able to get a decent idea of what different focal lengths look like by using your kit lens, so you can try out 50 to see if it's really what you're looking for. It's been my experience that for landscapes, even 28mm on a crop sensor is not nearly wide enough. There are a lot of great wide angle lenses available, and how much you're willing to spend factors greatly into the recommendation. The 2 that I suggested are sort of the obvious "best value" type lenses, but there are many options. Even something like the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS or Canon 17-40 f/4L might be worth considering.

 

[JazmineHeart]

A 50mm is not a wide angle, and on a crop sensor camera (like the 7D) is actually beginning to border on tele. The 50 1.4 is great because it's the fastest (largest maximum aperture) lens you can get without spending a whole lot of money, and it's also a fairly natural perspective (moreso on full frame than crop). For landscapes, I'd recommend something like a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, or a Sigma 10-20 f/3.5. You should be able to get a decent idea of what different focal lengths look like by using your kit lens, so you can try out 50 to see if it's really what you're looking for. It's been my experience that for landscapes, even 28mm on a crop sensor is not nearly wide enough. There are a lot of great wide angle lenses available, and how much you're willing to spend factors greatly into the recommendation. The 2 that I suggested are sort of the obvious "best value" type lenses, but there are many options. Even something like the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS or Canon 17-40 f/4L might be worth considering.

Thanks for the reply and recommendations. I will definitely look into those. I didn't mean to imply that that the 50 mm is a wide angle lens. My bad that i forgot to mention wide angle to follow after buying 50mm besides the telephoto lens :mrgreen:

Does it make a difference if one uses other brand lenses over Canon ones? What are the Pros and Cons? Is it worth the buy for the long haul?

 

[bazooka]

Generally it's fine... I've owned a Tamron and a Sigma. I probably won't own another Sigma based on that experience, but the Tamron was a positive experience and would recommend them. In addition to the above, add the Canon 10-22mm to the list.