Need help figuring out what camera is best for me

weepete · Jan 12, 2015

You'd be better off with something like the Canon 15-85mm IS or the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4. While not quite as optically good as a prime, either of those two lenses will give you a range between a wide angle to telephoto. Or for wide angle city shots or landscapes the canon 10-20mm or the tokina 11-16mm are good choices if you want an ultrawide.

24mm is not wide enough on a crop body.

Bebulamar · Jan 12, 2015

I think the best thing for the OP to do is to lower the expectation. 42x zoom is unrealistic. It is usable only if you put the camera on tripod and not shooting fast moving object. I don't blame the OP as 38 years ago when I started I wanted the camera that can shoot far away object and makes them look big. Well 38 years later I still don't have a camera that can do that and in fact I have long given up trying to do such thing.

raventepes · Jan 16, 2015

One setup that I like on crop sensors is the aforementioned Tokina 11-16 f/2.8. That's great for wide-angle. I like the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 for normal mid-zoom range, though your 18-55 will do. I top all that off with a 70-300mm of your choice. Canon, Tamron, and Sigma's offerings are all decent and comparable. That's one of my choice kits on crop-sensor for going long. (my 70-300 is a Nikon, but Canon's version is just as good). True, it's variable aperture, but normally, it sits between f/8 and f/16, so it really doesn't matter at all to me. I'll be adding Sigma's 150-600 as soon as I possibly can. As far as shooting stuff like flowers, rocks, and anything up close, the Tokina and a basic kit zoom have done me alright, but if you want absolute best image quality, it's best to get a dedicated Macro lens, such as Canon's 60mm f/2.8 EF-S. More often than not, I'll actually use my 18-105mm as my general purpose walkaround lens and bring my 70-300 with me for when I need to go longer. Canon's 18-135 is pretty good though, and goes slightly longer than mine. True, I'm a Nikon user, but an ex-business partner I had shot Canon, and I got familiar with their gear because it interested me.

Since you're just getting started, I'd completely throw out the idea of prime lenses. Zooms will get you by for now. Also to be taken into account is that there really aren't many APS-C primes out there, and given the crop factor (field of view change) the only primes worth getting (at least on crop sensor bodies) are at the telephoto end, specifically 85mm and upward, and those are designed for full frame bodies.

I completely agree that a tripod is essential. You'd want something sturdy. If you can tap it with your finger and it moves, back away slowly. Or quickly. It's your choice. I like Vanguard ABEO Pro's for walking around/hiking and Really Right Stuff for serious work. A monopod is also a good idea if you're just walking around.

I hope that helps some.