Canon Lens

[dva]

I previously had a Rebel XS which I got in 2008. Honestly, I almost never took a picture unless I was in automatic mode.
I have since had a grandchild....and wanted to get really nice newborn pictures of him..... started on pintrist, took a class, and now I have a Rebel 4ti.
I almost never use my lens that came with the camera.
I have purchased a 50mm f1.8 and it is my absolute favorite lens.
I love the clarity and the blur it offers.

However, I have really started to get into this hobby.
I have been helping friends out by taking pictures of their daughters for their senior pictures.... not money of course, but because I have new victims LOL.

My question is..... is there a better lens I could be using then this?
Is it worth the money to get the 1.4?
I have looked at many of the threads and get a bit confused..... I see a lot about a 24-105 but am unclear if that is something I should invest in.

Also, I have taken photos of my husbands car and I tried to use my zoom lens that came with my Rebel XS and quite frankly, the pictures were not very good.
I have been looking at the Canon Telephoto 75-300 f4????
I wouldn't take many distance pictures, but when I do, I want to be proud of them.
My old zoom - honestly is so heavy that almost all the pictures come out blurry unless I use the tripod.

Any suggestions?

I am going to attach a couple of pictures to you an idea of my photo style.
I don't have thousands to spend on a lens....but I really am enjoying this hobby and would like to continue with this interest.

 

[lambertpix]

There's almost always a better lens, no matter what you've got. ;-)

All joking aside, though, the 50mm f/1.8 is a favorite for lots of people for very good reason. You can do a ton of growing with that lens before you *need* another lens. It's not perfect, though, as you've no doubt discovered. It's got an old-style focus motor, which means it doesn't focus very quickly, and there's no full-time-manual focusing (this may or may not be important for you). I've found that when it focuses properly, it's awesome, but I can't always count on it focusing accurately -- especially if my subject is moving.

The 50mm f/1.4 is a popular upgrade choice, and I'd consider the 85mm f/1.8, too. Personally, I shot some senior photos for a friend's son last year, and decided I wanted something a bit longer. I thought seriously about picking up the 85mm lens, as I'd rented it one weekend and like it a lot. In the end, though, I picked up a 100mm f/2.8 macro, and I'm getting double-duty out of it - it's got the extra reach (and compression) of the 85, it's almost as wide, and I also get to use it for macros. Since I don't make a living with my photography, I liked the idea of a two-fer lens. If you want to really jump in the deep end of the pool, Canon's 135mm f/2 L is legendary, though it might be longer than you really want on a crop-sensor body.

 

[dva]

The 50mm f/1.4 is a popular upgrade choice, and I'd consider the 85mm f/1.8, too. Personally, I shot some senior photos for a friend's son last year, and decided I wanted something a bit longer. I thought seriously about picking up the 85mm lens, as I'd rented it one weekend and like it a lot. In the end, though, I picked up a 100mm f/2.8 macro, and I'm getting double-duty out of it - it's got the extra reach (and compression) of the 85, it's almost as wide, and I also get to use it for macros. Since I don't make a living with my photography, I liked the idea of a two-fer lens. If you want to really jump in the deep end of the pool, Canon's 135mm f/2 L is legendary, though it might be longer than you really want on a crop-sensor body.

Thanks for that information..... I went to Flickr to look at pictures taken with the 100 mm f/2.8 macro..... and I am wicked impressed. But am curious..... I have Macro Extension tubes. Obviously not the same thing as an actual lens. But I'm curious how it works as a lens. When I use the tubes, I practically need to be touching the item to get it to focus. You mean I could use the 100 mm f/2.8 macro as a regular lens as well?

 

[lambertpix]

Right. There's a focus limiter switch to keep it from hunting all the way down to its minimum focus distance, if that helps. I've got a 25mm tube as well, and part of the reason I got the 100mm macro is that I found the extension tube to make focusing incredibly tricky. The 100mm macro is quite a bit easier for macro work, though this lens isn't capable of some of the crazy-close shots that their MP-E 65mm lens is. I used it for the photo in this post, if you're interested (at a distance of maybe 10"?), and here's a portrait with the same lens. Very versatile - I'm quite happy so far.