First SLR (Canon XTi) - Upgrades for the lens?

[guitarlp]

Hey everyone,

I'm a complete newb when it comes to SLR's and photography in general so I was hoping someone could help me out.

I just ordered the Canon Rebel XTi online. It comes with the Canon 18-55mm EF-S Lens. Being the newb that I am, this should be a good starting point. But I've read that the stock lens doesn't have any sort of image stabilization to help with camera shake. So... what alternatives do I have? I don't want to carry around a bunch of lens' wherever I go. I'd like to have 1 good lens that works well in most situations.

Also, I've read that filters can help protect the lens. Does anyone have any recommendations on a good filter? Or will pretty much any filter work and there's not much of a difference in quality between makes/brands?

 

[Robp412]

I'd suggest keeping your kit lens for a while. Seeing that your new to it.

 

[YellowBay]

Hmmm, that depends on how much you want to spend.
Th 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM is quite a nice lens and can be found for around £625. The 24-105 f4 L IS USM is around £600, as is the 70-200 F4 L IS USM.

Sigma do a stabilised range as well. An 18-200 f3.5-6.3 (£375), an 80-400 f/3.5-4.5 (£890)

The 24-105 from canon is a great lens, but I've got a couple of Sigmas and I love them. I haven't used any of the ones I've listed above, although I've heard nothing but praise for them.

Filter wise, if all you are after is a filter to protect the lens, look for a skylight (Hoya make good ones) You'll need one for each lens and they range from about £10 to £30 depending on size.

Hope that helps

 

[NateS]

Get the 50mm f1.8. I regret not getting the XTI over my D40 for the entire reason of the 50 1.8 lens. Suppossed to be really sharp, really fast and, really inexpensive.

 

[memento]

...50 1.8 lens. Suppossed to be really sharp, really fast and, really inexpensive.

well, it's really inexpensive anyway.
when you say fast, i guess you're referring to the big aperture.
because the auto focus speed is quite slow(and loud).

but for $80's...



i agree with Rob.
learn what your lit lens will do.
then you'll know what you need/want.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new camera.

The kit lens isn't one of the better ones...but it's not all bad. It gets a lot of bad publicity, mostly (I think) because of how cheap it feels, compared to other lenses.

As for Image Stabilization...it's nice, but it's not a necessity. It won't do anything to help freeze a moving subject...but a faster shutter speed will. A faster shutter speed will also reduce or eliminate blur from camera shake as well. Often, the max aperture of the lens will limit the shutter speed, which is why a 'fast' lens like the 50mm F1.8 is good...it will allow a much faster shutter speed, which helps to eliminate the blur problem.

If you have the funds, it might still be a good idea to upgrade from the kit lens. Canon is supposed to have an 18-55 with IS, coming out...but it seems to have been delayed. As mentioned, there is the 17-55 F2.8 IS...great lens, but it costs more than the camera. I have the Canon 17-85mm IS, it's a pretty good upgrade from the kit lens and the IS is pretty good. It still has a smaller max aperture so as long as you don't shoot moving subjects in low light, it's pretty darn good.
I also have the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. This is a great lens because it has a max aperture of F2.8 (lower number is bigger) for the whole zoom range. This allows me to get faster shutter speeds, which is why I use this lens for weddings, rather than my 17-85mm IS.

Other IS options in this range would be the 28-135mm & 24-105mm L IS.

Get the 50mm f1.8. I regret not getting the XTI over my D40 for the entire reason of the 50 1.8 lens. Supposed to be really sharp, really fast and, really inexpensive.

Nikon has a 50mm F1.8 lens and other prime lenses.

 

[Peter_pan91]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new camera.

The kit lens isn't one of the better ones...but it's not all bad. It gets a lot of bad publicity, mostly (I think) because of how cheap it feels, compared to other lenses.

As for Image Stabilization...it's nice, but it's not a necessity. It won't do anything to help freeze a moving subject...but a faster shutter speed will. A faster shutter speed will also reduce or eliminate blur from camera shake as well. Often, the max aperture of the lens will limit the shutter speed, which is why a 'fast' lens like the 50mm F1.8 is good...it will allow a much faster shutter speed, which helps to eliminate the blur problem.

If you have the funds, it might still be a good idea to upgrade from the kit lens. Canon is supposed to have an 18-55 with IS, coming out...but it seems to have been delayed. As mentioned, there is the 17-55 F2.8 IS...great lens, but it costs more than the camera. I have the Canon 17-85mm IS, it's a pretty good upgrade from the kit lens and the IS is pretty good. It still has a smaller max aperture so as long as you don't shoot moving subjects in low light, it's pretty darn good.
I also have the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. This is a great lens because it has a max aperture of F2.8 (lower number is bigger) for the whole zoom range. This allows me to get faster shutter speeds, which is why I use this lens for weddings, rather than my 17-85mm IS.

Other IS options in this range would be the 28-135mm & 24-105mm L IS.


Nikon has a 50mm F1.8 lens and other prime lenses.

Yes but since it's AF it would not work with the d40|d40x (it would but losing autofocus).

I agree with who ever said to go with the 50mm f1.8 (you really can't go wrong)

 

[Milhouse]

I'm a noob too and I am faced with the same decision as guitarlp. What do you think of the Canon 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS. It retails for about 350cdn but usually requires a special order, since I don't think it has been officially released in North America.

I was originally looking at the Canon 70-200 f4L, but it retails for about 550cdn. I just felt that for a noob the 55-250 would fit better, plus you would get IS and a thicker wallet in the end. Seeing that guitarlp like me doesn't have any filters and probably no tripod, we could get 1 -2 filters a decent tripod and a good lens for the price of the 70-200 f4L


Sorry if I hijacked your post, just thought if I got feedback on this it would help us both.

 

[Big Mike]

Since the 55-250mm isn't out yet...I haven't heard anything about it...so it's hard to comment. From the sounds if it, it will be a mid level or 'consumer level' lens.

The 70-200 F4L is one of the sharpest zoom lenses avaliable...it will outperform any of the lenses listed so far. If you need that kind of quality, then this lens is actually a great deal. The 70-200 F2.8 L IS, is the ultimate lens in this range but it's much, much more expensive.

 

[Milhouse]

I've been debating with myself on those 2 lenses. Do I give up the extra sharpness in the 70-200, for IS. I know that the 70-200 is a good deal and I don't think that I've seen a bad review on it. Just wondering if its overkill for my skill right now. As for the 55-250, there are more product descriptions/sales pitches than reviews. I also believe that the initial reviews will be by people who are trying to push the lens than actual users.

 

[guitarlp]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So a few people are saying get the 50mm f1.8 but someone mentioned it takes a long time to focus and it's loud. $80 is nice... but I was expecting to pay around $400.

Big Mike mentioned the 17-85mm IS which is about $500 which is ok with me. Is there anything better in this price range for an all-around lens? Should I just go ahead with the 17-85mm IS?

 

[guitarlp]

I just read a few reviews and a couple people seem to be saying the 17-40 f/4L or 24-70 f/2.8L would be a good all around choice. What do you guys think of those two?

 

[DSLR noob]

My super ghetto free upgrade for your kit lens.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71643

 

[Groupcaptainbonzo]

O.K. ... where do we start....

You don't say where you are so we can't talk prices..
You don't say what you like to photograph, so we can't really talk lenses....

However..... A lot of rubbish is talked about the canon kit lens... It is true that there are better lenses in the world. But if you want to spend 2 or 3 thousand pounds/dollars whatever... then feel free.
I asume that (The first and most important rule of life is to assume nothing. As when you do you are almost invariably wrong ... However...) as you are just starting out, what you are looking for is a reasonable all round reliable lens that will work for just about anything. You can use this for a month or two until you find out exactly which direction you want to take with your photography.
You may decide that you want to do landscapes in which case it will have to be light weight. And although you will almost certainly find that a "General all round lens" will not do the specifc stuff you want it too (Macro, Telephoto etc), it must have a good enough range to work woth most situations at least enough for you to form an opinion as to what you actually need.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NateS
Get the 50mm f1.8. I regret not getting the XTI over my D40 for the entire reason of the 50 1.8 lens. Suppossed to be really sharp, really fast and, really inexpensive.

A great lens (I have the f1.4 which is very similar) but not much use for pulling in long shots or wide angles... I have the 17 - 85 IS USM . this a great "walk round " lens But really considering the price, I would wait a while to see if you want one...


My suggestion would be to start with an inexpensive light weight standard zoom like the EFS 18-55 (Even cheaper since you already have one...) invest in a Polariser filter (If in the U.K Jessops do an own brand which is cheap and good quality. A UV filter (Just to protect the lens when no other filter is being used), these tend to be very cheap anyway. And if image stablisation is a problem get a tripod. You can now go out into the world, take heards of pictures develope you taste and your skill and in a few months you will have some idea as to which specific way you want to go.. That will dictate which specific gear you will need to spend great plies of your hard earned cash on.....

 

[JIP]

what alternatives do I have? I don't want to carry around a bunch of lens' wherever I go. I'd like to have 1 good lens that works well in most situations.

Why not just stick with a P+S camera if you want to travel light.