help me pick a lens

lucylucy · Dec 26, 2011

hi, i think want to to buy a new lens, i think i need a new one,

i got a canon body 550d, the nifty fifty lens (love it!!) and the starter lens which is broken! (the sensor is broken, it does not focus automatic only manually (can this be fixed?))

so i was thinking of buying the starter lens again, because i like the zoom on that, i only have the nifty fifty lens atm, and i hate it that i can not zoom out, everything is closeup.

1. is there a better lens to buy than the starter lens?
2. is there maybe a lens who can zoom in and out, and do bokeh like the nifty fifty lens ?

mainly what i want from a lens is, zoom in and out, do bokeh and blurred background, and a lens that makes a good companion with my nifty fifty lens.

Big Mike · Dec 26, 2011

1. is there a better lens to buy than the starter lens?

Absolutely. The 'kit' lens is made to be small, light and most of all cheap. Take a look at the EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS, or the EF 16-35mm F2.8 L II.
Oh, by the way, you didn't mention a budget, so when you recover from seeing the prices of those two lenses, maybe you can give us an idea of how much you want to spend. :lol:

2. is there maybe a lens who can zoom in and out, and do bokeh like the nifty fifty lens ?

What you're looking for, is a lens with a large maximum aperture, which can give you a shallow depth of field (DOF). The lower the F number, the larger the aperture. So the 50mm is F1.8, which is much larger than the kit lens, which is only F3.5 to F5.6.
So with a zoom lens, the biggest you will get is F2.8.

So besides the lenses mentioned above, have a look at the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. It's a good quality lens and has a large maximum aperture, but it's less than half the price of the Canon 17-55mm F2.8 IS.

Draco · Dec 27, 2011

It all depends on your budget really. Like Big Mike said, the kit lens is super cheap. I would recommend looking at something like the Tamron 17-50mm. I would get a better quality lens and use the 50mm for the bokeh effect you want. If you have around 700 to spend, go with a canon 17-40 F4 if you want a good walk around lens. They cost around 700 to 750 online. If you want something with a lower F stop, go with something like the 16-35 F2.8 or the 24-70 F2.8. These will allow you get a shallow depth of field to create bokeh and the glass quality is amazing. These lens will cost 1000-1300 US dollars if you get it online.

MichaelH · Dec 27, 2011

I agree with Big Mike, the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 NON VC lens is what you should be looking at. It's what I was looking for, but the camera store didn't have it in stock.

bratkinson · Dec 27, 2011

While it might make sense to buy the same starter lens again, I would probably buy something better than what I had. I'm guessing the starter lens was an EF-S 18-55 f3.5-5.6 IS. If your budget is limited, I'd go for the EF-S 18-135 F3.5-5.6 IS. That's what I had on my 30D before I upgraded and sold it with the 30D...now I miss the zoom "range". For me, the 18-135 did very well in almost every situation. I found mine on ebay new, from a kit, by a Canon dealer. There's certainly many more new and used available online. Just make sure you buy from a trustworthy seller if on ebay (ratings over 1000, or over 10000 if overseas). Or, find new online at a reputable dealer such as Adorama or B&H.

On the other side, as mentioned above, if you have the budget, look at the Canon "L" series lenses. Significantly more $, but much sharper glass and "faster" (lower f-stop number) for better low-light shooting.

TBar · Jan 7, 2012

If you can't afford a Canon L lens like the 17-40, I'd highly recommend the Tamron 17-50 2.8, or the 28-75. Great optics and they won't break the bank.

TBar · Jan 7, 2012

PM sent.

Donnyg37 · Jan 10, 2012

Hey im new to the forum I'd like to give some input on your situation if you don't have a lot to spend and want a zoom lens why not the canon 75-300mm it goes for like 100-150 I actually have one I don't want anymore used it once PM if this is a option for you