Looking to buy a new lens for my Canon Rebel XT

jgonz · Jul 23, 2011

Hello everyone

I've been an amateur photographer for several years and have finally saved up a chunk of money to invest in a new lens. So far I've been looking at these:

Amazon.com: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo
Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo
Amazon.com: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-15-85mm-3-5-5-6-Digital-Cameras/dp/B002NEGTTM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311470633&sr=8-2
[URL]http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-Lens-Cameras/dp/B000EW8074/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp
[/URL]
I'm looking for a lens that will perform well for portraits or relaxed shooting, or action shots, and will give me a good image in low lighting without having to jack the ISO up. Bonuses would be nice landscape/far away shots.

I currently only have 2 lenses; an 18-55mm stock lens and a 75-300mm.

Looking forward to reading your suggestions! Thanks a bunch.

Nikon_Josh · Jul 23, 2011

I hear the 85 1.8 is a complete beast of a lens, I don't use Canon but if I did I would own it!! I've seen some the results from this lens, truly beautiful! I've just got the nikon equivalent lens and I hear it isn't quite as good as the Canon.

chaosrealm93 · Jul 23, 2011

if you're happy with the frame rate and resolution from your current body, theres no need to upgrade. i would perhaps even sell the two lens you have and splosh a bit more cash on the glass. ive heard that the 17-55mm is quite decent optically. if you dont need any more zoom range than 55mm, then i would say maybe go for that. for the primes you mentioned, i would go for the 50 1.4 its both a wider aperture and personally i think its a more useful focal range than the 85mm on a cropped frame body

jgonz · Jul 23, 2011

okay i think i've narrowed it down to the 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD Wide Angle (for landscapes) and the 50mm f/1.4 (for portraits, close-ups). Thoughts? Would the 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.8) be any good for action shots?

Josh66 · Jul 23, 2011

I would go with either the 50 1.4 or the 85 1.8.

Both will be good for portraits and both are fast enough for action (not factoring in how close you might have to be - 'action' can mean a lot of things). To me, it just comes down to which focal length you prefer (personally, I like the 85).

Throw low light into the mix, and the deal is pretty much sealed for me. Those are the only lenses you're looking at faster than f/2.8.

dakkon76 · Jul 24, 2011

I've got the 85mm f1.8 as well as a 50mm 1.8. Keep in mind, on a crop body the 50mm is like the 85mm on full frame, and the 85mm acts like a 135mm on a full frame. I love the pics from both. I've got 2 young girls and they don't mind me getting up in their face with the 50mm. If you have a lens that spans both of these focal lengths, or close to it, I'd recommend shooting a bunch of shots at both and see what feels more comfortable to you and your subjects. For walking around snapping pics at a party, for the most part the 50mm will be too wide and you'll wish you had the 85mm... and since you can still take great portraits with it, it may be the best choice between the 2. Then again, I love shooting with my 50mm and wish I'd gotten the 1.4 instead of the 1.8.

I'm hoping to upgrade to a 5D at some point (hopefully after their next update), so I don't consider buying any EF-S lenses, but I agree... if you're shooting landscapes on a tripod then you don't need a very fast lens... so the 15-85mm should work. Again, keep in mind that you're not going to get the ultra-wide landscape that you would with a full-frame sensor

penfolderoldo · Jul 24, 2011

I'd agree with most of the previous posters - first choice the 85 f/1.8 2nd the 50 f/1.4. Both will give you fantastic results.

table1349 · Jul 24, 2011

jgonz said:
okay i think i've narrowed it down to the 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD Wide Angle (for landscapes) and the 50mm f/1.4 (for portraits, close-ups). Thoughts? Would the 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.8) be any good for action shots?

The difference between 15mm and the 18mm you already have is about three or four steps backward. It is also too slow for low light. If you want wide then look at the Canon 10=22 or the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 for both wide and fast. I suspect if you had both the 50 and the 85 you would find that you would use the 85 more than the 50. I have both and I do use the 85 more.

jgonz · Jul 24, 2011

okay i've decided to go with two lenses, one being the 85mm 1.8

the other i'd like to be a wide angle, but it's hard to find one in my price range. thinking of experimenting with this lens:

[h=1]Rokinon FE8M-C 8mm F3.5 Fisheye Lens for Canon[/h]

has anyone worked with this lens or have any opinions?

Overread · Jul 24, 2011

Fisheye lenses are not typical wide angle lenses, they do not correct for the curvature of the lens elements and thus you get the classic fisheye effect which is a significant bending of the light -- google has a bunch of examples which gives you a clearer idea of their effect.

It should be noted that there are different kinds of fisheye lens with varying effects of curvature - however that is a separate discussion.

It should also be noted that fisheye effect is not a property of short focal length lenses - there are wide angle lenses which do correct the curvature - eg sigma 8-16mm or canon 10-22mm.