Just received my Canon 80d kit 18-135mm

Reda · May 2, 2018

Hi everyone
Please I need your help. . Just received my new Canon 80d with its kit lens 18-135mm .. Now I will need more reach I mean a longer zoom lens.... I love taking pictures of streets and portraits... Some animals.... Which lens should I buy ... Thanks in advance.... Please my budget is very tight... So not expensive L lenses.. Please.

john.margetts · May 3, 2018

Sigma 150-600? Should be plenty of second hand around. That would give you coverage from 18 to 600 mm with only a small and unimportant gap in the middle.

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beagle100 · May 3, 2018

Reda said:
Hi everyone
Please I need your help. . Just received my new Canon 80d with its kit lens 18-135mm .. Now I will need more reach I mean a longer zoom lens.... I love taking pictures of streets and portraits... Some animals.... Which lens should I buy ... Thanks in advance.... Please my budget is very tight... So not expensive L lenses.. Please.

maybe a used "L" lens ... wildlife - 100-400, 400mm prime
or Sigma 150-600
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

TCampbell · May 4, 2018

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM (emphasis on making sure it's the "STM" version) is probably the most affordable ... list price is about $300.

That lens is priced to be "affordable" ... so while it's a decent lens, it's not going to compete with the "L" series lenses. It doesn't have a particularly low focal ratio (but the lenses that do are expensive.)

ac12 · May 4, 2018

What are you shooting, and from how far away?
IOW, how much more reach do you need?
Tip: Look at a scene with your lens at 135mm. Then look at a quarter of the screen. That is what a 270mm lens will see.

Is that enough magnification, or do you need more magnification?

How tight is your tight budget, $$$ ?

In general, the longer the lens, the more expensive it will be.
- Can you crop into a 300mm image, or do you need to go out to 600mm?
Used is your best bet for good glass. But used expensive glass is less expensive, not cheap. Though you can get lucky.
Check the manufacturer refurbished lenses. I've seen mfg refurbished lenses (from other mfg) with 90 day warranty selling for less than eBay prices for used lenses with no warranty.

Here are some options that I can think of (prices are from the B&H site).

Canon 70-300 IS ($500)
Sigma 70-300, 100-400 ($700), 150-600 ($1,000)
Tamron: 70-300, 100-400 ($800), 150-600 G1 ($800)

Note1 - For any long lens, you want the IS version of the lens. I would NOT go cheap and buy the non-IS version.

If you buy a non-IS lens, you NEED to have a STEADY mount (tripod or bean bag), or you shoot at a HIGH shutter speed, to compensate for camera shake. The lower the light level, and the longer the focal length, the more important IS is.

Note2 - For the 100-400 lenses, the Sigma does NOT have a tripod mount option, the Tamron DOES have a tripod mount option.

This is an issue for me, which would disqualify the Sigma.
The Tamron tripod mount is $130 at B&H. I have not found a cheaper 3rd party tripod mount. I suspect it is still too new for the 3rd party guys to have produced a mount for it.

I would go with a 100-400 or 150-600 lens, depending on how much reach you need vs. the size/bulk of the lens.

Reda · May 5, 2018

Thank you very much.... It's clear and precise .. I will go with the 70-300 IS... I have read a lot of reviews and the feedbacks are very positive .. So in order to complete my lens collection of course having the 18-135 nano... And the 70-300 IS... I will get the lens kit 10-18 and 50mm mainly for wide angle shoots (buildings) and the last one 50mm for portraits...... What are your opinions?? Thanks in advance.

john.margetts · May 5, 2018

Reda said:
So in order to complete my lens collection

I wouldn't worry about completing a lens collection. There is no point in having lenses you do not use just to have a complete collection. I have three lenses that get used - wide angle for mediaeval church interiors, 70-300 lens for insects and 150-600 lens for other wildlife. I have gaps there and they do not matter at all.

ac12 · May 5, 2018

Reda said:
Thank you very much.... It's clear and precise .. I will go with the 70-300 IS... I have read a lot of reviews and the feedbacks are very positive .. So in order to complete my lens collection of course having the 18-135 nano... And the 70-300 IS... I will get the lens kit 10-18 and 50mm mainly for wide angle shoots (buildings) and the last one 50mm for portraits...... What are your opinions?? Thanks in advance.

I agree with John, your lens kit is like a tool box, not a collection.
You build your tool box based on what YOU shoot what you want, not some list.

If you never/rarely shoot ultrawide, no need for the 10-18. Rent it for those rare ocassions.
If you find the 18mm end of your 18-135 is just not wide enough, often enough, then it may be worth buying an ultrawide.
Portrature
- Do you shoot head and shoulder portraits, and do you shoot them enough to justify buying a lens just for that? If so then the 50 might work. I do not shoot enough h&s portraits to justify buying a 50, I just use my 18-140.
- The portrait lens selection depends on two things
  - #1 - Subject size (or what is a portrait; large group like multi-generation family portrait, small group 4 person family portrait, full length, 3/4, head and shoulder, head, tight face) and
  - #2 - Camera to subject distance.
    - How much space do you have to shoot; tight living room, garage studio, something bigger?
    - Sometimes there are environmental reasons. Example, you cannot get close to the subject when there is a pond between you and the subject.
  - So there is no ONE prime portrait lens. This is why many pros today use 1 or 2 zooms, rather than a shelf of lenses.
  - Back in the 35mm film days, we used everything; 35, 50, 85, 105, 135, 200 and 300. It all depended on subject size and distance to the subject. BTW, back then, the 105 was considered the portrait lens.
- Before buying a 50mm prime for portrature. I would use your 18-135 for portrature. Then determine which focal length you are using more. You may find that you are using a different focal length than 50mm.
For your long zoom, the 70-300, the suitability of the lens depends on the relative size of the subject, or what you are shooting (size of the subject) and how far away it is.
- From the football field bleachers to the field, I think the 70-300 is just fine.
- From outside the outfield fence to home plate, the 300 is barely long enough for me. I would rather have a 400+.
- Small birds at a distance, IMHO the 300 is not long enough for small birds. It may be fine for larger birds.
- Boats on the lake, I think the 300 is not long enough. But this depends on size of the boat and how far out they are.

Other lenses

35mm f/1.8 prime. This is the crop sensor equivalent of the FullFrame/35mm film "nifty fifty" the 50mm prime. The traditional standard/normal lens. The f/1.8 aperture is good for indoor low light photography.
I use mine for indoor gym sports; basketball and volleyball.
Unfortunately Canon does not make a crop 35, only the more expensive FF 35. Youngnuo makes a crop 35, which at less than $100 is worth a try.

Reda · May 5, 2018

Thank you very much for your fruitful information..... So if I have understood... I may go with the yongnuo 35mm and the Tamron 18-400mm....... Is it going to be good ??? Thanks a lot for your help.

ac12 · May 5, 2018

Reda said:
Thank you very much for your fruitful information..... So if I have understood... I may go with the yongnuo 35mm and the Tamron 18-400mm....... Is it going to be good ??? Thanks a lot for your help.

The Tamron 18-400 ???
Are you planning to sell your 18-135 and replace it with the 18-400?
Personally, I think a SUPER zoom sacrifices too much image quality to get that super wide zoom range. Though I have not looked at the reviews of today's super zooms. Optical technology keeps advancing and giving us what we could never have before. Heck back in the film days, we could not even dream of an 18-400 lens (29-640 FF equiv). That was a science-fiction zoom range.

However, in the no free lunch category, is weight.
The 18-400 is 710g, the 18-135 IS STM is 480g. That is 230g heavier or 8.1 oz or about half a pound heavier.
That means every time you pick up the camera + 18-400, you are picking up a half pound more weight than your 18-135.
For a single lens it might be heavy, but it is lighter than carrying 2 lenses (18-135 + 100-400), so it could work fine for traveling.

If you are shooting in that transition range of 100-135mm, the 18-400 lens is more convenient than switching back and forth between two lenses.

Bottom line is how does the single 18-400 fits into YOUR style of shooting vs the two 18-135 + 100-400 lenses.

Personally I would get 2 zooms; the Canon 18-135 + Tamron 100-400 zooms, to get you out to 400mm.
That is because 80+% of the time, I am at 135mm or less. So I am carrying a half pound less gear. And for me, weight matters.

As for the Yongnuo 35mm f/1.8 lens, I have recommended to the yearbook advisor to get ONE, to try out. This will give the kids a fast f/1.8 lens to use for indoor gym sports. If the lens works out, I will recommend getting a couple more. It is the only reasonably priced fast Canon crop prime out there, that I know of.

photoflyer · May 6, 2018

I would suggest (like I think some others have) the Canon 70-300 EF f4 / f5.6. I have the Canon 70-200 f2.8 L but I got the EF 70-300 USM to take on trips because it is lighter, smaller and less expensive. Of course it is slower (f 4 to f5.6) so that is a trade-off but the optical quality is excellent. I'm glad I had it in Ecuador last month as I "shot" a Condor with it.

I don't use it for landscapes or portraits there are better lenses for that, especially on a crop sensor body.