Moving Beyond The Kit Lens

[ruifo]

I agree with others.
In my mind, the three natural options to go beyond the kit lens are:

1. Canon 50mm f/1.8 - if your interest is on better portraits
2. Canon 85mm f/1.8 - if your interest is on better telephoto reach
   
3. Canon 28mm f/1.8 - if your interest is on better general all around photos

They will give you better image quality, being faster and very good for night and low light shots. I'm not Canon, but Nikon, but after my own 18-55mm kit lens, I went first with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and the Nikon 35mm f/1.8. They were great options.

 

[ronlane]

I would say the 50mm as well, but for me, I would suggest the f/1.4. I owned the 1.8 and ended up getting rid of it. This was a personal decision because I needed a ultra wide angle for some projects and I wasn't using the 1.8.

Honestly, I never really got the results out of the 1.8 that I was expecting. Most likely operator error.

 

[cynicaster]

I'm going to go rogue here and say that I think the nifty-fifty is overrated. I suppose it offers decent value at its ~$110 price point, but IMO, it's certainly not worth any more than that.

Just like everybody else getting in on the basement floor of Canon DSLR photography, I picked up the Plastic Fantastic within months of entering the hobby, in sheer excitement that such a "great upgrade" could be had for such a low cost ("whoa, f/1.8, can you say BLURRED BACKGROUND?! Squee!!").

What I found was that most pictures looked like hammered ass at f/1.8 because the lens needs to be stopped down to f/4 or so to achieve anywhere near what I would call acceptable sharpness. I'd usually push it further than that--to f/5.6 or even f/8. Eventually, it occurred to me that if I'm going to use the 50 like that, I might as well just use the kit 18-55, which can take really nice photos in its mid-zoom range at those apertures, while still offering a bit of zoom flexibility if needed.

I guess it's a good learning tool, that gets you in the "fixed focal length mindset" and forces you to rethink some things about your technique. But, IMO, the lens just isn't very good. I don't know, maybe I just had a cruddy copy, but I found myself preferring to use the 18-55 over the 50 almost all the time.

A few months ago, I just gave my 50 to my dad. Maybe he'll find a use for it.

If you can't afford a "major upgrade" to some of the higher end stuff mentioned in this thread, I'd recommend going with the Canon 40mm over the 50mm f/1.8, any day of the week. It's still decent for portraits on a crop sensor, the construction quality is head and shoulders above the plastic fantastic, and the image quality is (in my experience) much better overall. I picked one up for $120 on eBay.

Amazon.com : Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens : Camera Lenses : Camera & Photo

 

[Derrel]

I think for better portraits you ought to consider a tripod, to slow you down, and to teach you how to find the best camera placement, Also, Village-Idiot's suggestion of a flash is an idea that occurred to me as well. I saw your post a couple days ago and have off and on been thinking about what might help you out the most. And the idea keeps coming back to me that, it's not a lens that would help, it's more photographic education about portraiture. I think that $25-$40 spent on a book or two would be better than any, single lens purchase. The tripod idea goes way back for me, to the early 1980's. Shooting portraits from a tripod forces you to shoot a certain way, and it improves composition quite a bit, because the camera is "fixed", and the subject also realizes that they are a part of the endeavor. Bringing a tripod into the equation is similar to what happens when you bring an umbrella and stand and flash head into the equation; people realize they are doing real photography.

 

[mcap1972]

This might be kind of a short answer, might not be. I kind of have no idea what I am talking about so if I say something wrong people correct me.

I'm looking to move up to a higher quality lens than the 18-55 mm kit lens that came with my Canon Rebel T3.

I am really not sure what I should be looking for when it comes to a quality lens, but I have taken an interest in portraits (including full body shots), so I guess my question is what lens is going to be the best tool for me to learn how to achieve a high quality portrait?

Thanks in advance.

I would go with 35 or 24 mm lens. I think 50 mm is too long on crop body.

 

[Wfpinky]

The first lens I bought after using the kit lens for a while was my 35mm f/1.8. Great portrait lens. I almost went with the 50mm, but I read a lot of reviews (seriously, look at online camera shops or even amazon) on both and changed my mind. I have to say it's probably one of the best decisions I made. My kit lens isn't bad, but I learned a lot about DOF by constantly using my 35mm. Regardless of what you go with, let me suggest this: use the new lens as much as you possible can. Act like it's your only lens. After I bought my lens it was all I used for a solid two or three months. Now I know the best settings to use in most situations when I'm using it, it's my go-to lens. If there's a local photo shop in your area I suggest stopping by and talking to someone there, the guys at my local shop always give excellent suggestions.

 

[qleak]

If your camera is compatible with an older 50mm lens it may cost you less than a filter. For example:

My Nikon 50mm f1.8D $105 new on amazon
My B+W 72mm Circular Polarizer $120 on amazon (Though this is not a filter for the 50mm!)

So on a budget you may be able to get better optics and realize that what your really need are a flash / tripod.