Good All around lens??

[leopardforest]

I just purchased a Canon XTi with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, and I am looking for a good all around zoom lens. Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

 

[Big Mike]

What's your budget?

I have the EF-S 17-85 F4-5.6 IS lens. It's a great range on that camera and the IS is great for most random shooting. It's a well built lens and has a USM focus motor. The only downside is that the maximum aperture isn't very big. But since you already have the 50mm F1.8, they would make a good tandem.

I also have the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 because I need the larger aperture for shooting weddings.

A more expensive option would be the Canon EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS. It has both a large aperture and IS. The image quality is said to be very high. Expensive though.

There are plenty of other options but I'd need to know more information about what you want (and can afford).

 

[leopardforest]

Well for one $400 is my max. I know that my 50mm only has about 45 degree wide field of of view. So I was looking for something a little wider, but I dont want any extreme angles though. I was looking at Canon's EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM because it is not as expensive. I like to shoot in small areas and there usually isn't much light, and I would really like to start doing a lot more portraits. Is 28-105mm overkill for this kind of shooting?

 

[Big Mike]

It's certainly not overkill. As for focal length, on that camera, anything from 17mm up would be in the 'normal' range.

 

[leopardforest]

so would that lens be good for that kind of shooting (portraits, up-close, still life, etc) even though it's lowest f-stop it 3.5? Also what are some good alternatives to Canon?

 

[Big Mike]

so would that lens be good for that kind of shooting (portraits, up-close, still life, etc) even though it's lowest f-stop it 3.5?

That depends on the light you have to work with. It's almost always better to have a larger aperture avaliable to you. You might also want to consider the overall optical quality of the lens. As far as I know, the 28-105 is a middle of the pack lens. It's better than the cheap 'kit' lenses but it's nowhere near as good as the top of the line lenses.

Also what are some good alternatives to Canon?

Tamron & Sigma both have some very good lenses. Of course, just like Canon, they have some el cheapo, crappy lenses as well. However, you can usually get a top of the line Sigma or Tamron for less than half of what you would pay for a top of the line Canon lens. The best Canon lenses are better than the best Sigma/Tamron lenses, but not two or three times better.

The 24-70 F2.8 Sigma is said to pretty good, and it has a larger maximum aperture. The Canon 24-70 F2.8 is a fantastic lens but it's well over $1000.

Maybe have a look at the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Macro. It would be a pretty good all around lens that has a large enough aperture to be used in lower light and to blur out the background for portraits. It also has 'Macro' in the title, although I don't know just how close it will actually focus. It should be around $400-$500.