Lens choices opinions wanted

[CherpeAr]

hi all!
I have decided to get a canon sl2 200D and plan on getting a couple lenses too. I’ve done some research already and want to make good choices and not spend tooo much.
I have a canon 50 mm f/1.8 in my cart also a canon 55-250 I believe.
Thoughts ?

 

[Dao]

If you do not know what lens to get, then a standard zoom lens will be my recommendation.
Canon
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM - Canon Camera Museum

EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - Canon Camera Museum

 

[CherpeAr]

Well it also will have the kit lens .

 

[jaomul]

Both lenses you've picked are a good choice to add to kit lens in my opinion

 

[petrochemist118 142]

The lenses you've listed will be quite enough to begin with. Before going any further with lenses you need to find out what subjects interest you. Indeed I'd suggest starting with JUST the 18-55. The others are good starting lenses, but they may never suit the sort of photography you end up doing.

Landscapes, wildlife, & macro have very different lens requirements, you can start off with your initial selection (you may never need more) but you don't want to get a top quality landscape lens if you're after shooting birds - or a super telephoto lens for landscapes!

The 18-55 is a fair all-round lens, covering moderately wide to moderately long focal lengths.
The 50/1.8 will be better in low light & shallower DOF, while the 55-250 gives reasonable reach for more distant subjects. If you find the 18-55 limiting in these respects they make good initial additions. I know several enthusiast photographers who never want more than these 3 will provide.

Photography can become a very expensive hobby if you get LBA (Lens Buying Addiction), or the more general habit GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). It's best to make sure you have a need for it first

 

[Jeff1549 49]

Lens choice is really about what you intend to photograph.

 

[Fujidave]

If you do not know what lens to get, then a standard zoom lens will be my recommendation.
Canon
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM - Canon Camera Museum

EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - Canon Camera Museum

When I had the Canon 70D I had both of the above lenses along with the Nifty Fifty ( 50mm f1.8 ). All were great to use.

 

[Derrel]

The 18-55 is an okay general-purpose, good-light zoom lens, and the 55-250 is an alright general use, "good light" tele-zoom lens. The 50mm f/1.8, the NEWER STM model, would make a good lower-light very short telephoto-type lens, one that would allow you wider f/stops than the 18-55 or 55-250 can offer.

The 18-135 is a relatively common bridging zoom, that spans the gap between the 18-55 and the 55-250 in one, single handy zoom lens.

My issue with the 18-55 was that it so,so often required me to change to a longer length lens! That's why having 18-55, and then the 56 to 135mm focal length range, is so,so handy!

 

[CherpeAr]

Thanks for your insight everyone!
My interests are my grand baby whom is 17 months old. Also will be shooting a lot of my kids , my dogs / birds and the sunset / moon !

 

[petrochemist118 142]

Thanks for your insight everyone!
My interests are my grand baby whom is 17 months old. Also will be shooting a lot of my kids , my dogs / birds and the sunset / moon !

If the birds are tame the 18-55 will probably be enough, if they're wild the 55-250 will be shorter than you'll often want. There aren't many affordable lenses long enough for wild birds.
In good light the 18-55 should be OK for kids/babies but you will want longer sometimes.
18-55 should be fine for typical sunset shots but if you want to fill the frame with the sun on the horizon you'll need longer than 250mm. To fill the frame with the sun or moon you'll need ~1000mm, Cropping the image from the 250 may be adequate. I tend to use a mirror lens for those shots, but I've gradually amazed an excessive range of lenses

 

[Dao]

In addition to the lens, a external flash which allow you to bounce off the ceiling is a great tool especially for small kids or baby indoor shots. Even if you shoot with the 50mm f/1.8 lens, the added light allow you to have a even faster shutter speed.

 

[CherpeAr]

They are my pet birds it’d be fun to get some detailed shots of them.
What kind of external flash should I get? This is all new to me . My main goal is getting beautiful pics of my grandson. But he’s 17 months so a fast mover lol
I’m alreasy spending more than I’d like so I’d want to get as inexpensive a flash as possible

 

[Dao]

I am currently using this (on and off camera)
GodoxTT600 Thinklite Flash
And it is a manual flash so it may not work for you in the beginning.

This one support Canon TTL with similar power
GodoxTT685C Thinklite TTL Flash for Canon Cameras

And this one also support Canon TTL, but lower power
GodoxTT350C Mini Thinklite TTL Flash for Canon Cameras


Of course, you will not go wrong with the flash from Canon
Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT | Canon Online Store|Canon Online Store
Speedlite EL-100 | Canon Online Store|Canon Online Store (least powerful)

Since I am mainly shooting with manual flash, so I will let other to chime in regarding TTL flashes.

 

[CherpeAr]

Thank you! I feel I’d better get one ASAP because I plan on getting loads of Christmas morning pics! Last year every pic I got was blurry. I was sooo upset

 

[Designer]

Thank you! I feel I’d better get one ASAP because I plan on getting loads of Christmas morning pics! Last year every pic I got was blurry. I was sooo upset

Take a "crash course" in flash photography on The Strobist. If you have a hot shoe flash, aim it at the ceiling or a wall to "bounce" the flash which will diffuse the light, and it will appear to be originating from someplace other than the camera.