New Lens Suggetions

[bells]

Currently I only have the basic lens that came with my Canon T3i (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II)

I'm looking to get something mostly for potraits, and some actions puppy shots. Looking for a good all round lens though, something that would be suitable for traveling scenic stuff as well.

Thanks

 

[Overread19]

Any idea what kind of budget you'd be willing to spend on this? An idea of budget can really help work out what kind of options would b best suited.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

Sigma 50 1.4. Seeing as you didn't list your budget.

 

[bells]

Sorry guys, was looking to stay under $750 CAD

A friend who's a photographer suggested Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC or 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

 

[analog.universe]

For portraits, and action shots of pets, my EF 85mm 1.8 USM is my favorite. Really nice focal length for portraits, and 1.8 means you can shoot inside without flash a lot of the time. And the autofocus is blazing fast for getting action shots. I don't know about all around though.... as soon you start looking for a lens that does everything you make huge sacrifices. This lens runs around $400, it would take easily 5 times that amount to get the same quality from a zoom.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

For portraits, and action shots of pets, my EF 85mm 1.8 USM is my favorite. Really nice focal length for portraits, and 1.8 means you can shoot inside without flash a lot of the time. And the autofocus is blazing fast for getting action shots. I don't know about all around though.... as soon you start looking for a lens that does everything you make huge sacrifices. This lens runs around $400, it would take easily 5 times that amount to get the same quality from a zoom.

Yep Analog is completely right!

Avoid any lens that is a 18-200. This is no step up at all from your kit lens! The Canon 85 1.8 is a great lens aswell, wish the Nikon alternative was somewhere near as good!

 

[bells]

For portraits, and action shots of pets, my EF 85mm 1.8 USM is my favorite. Really nice focal length for portraits, and 1.8 means you can shoot inside without flash a lot of the time. And the autofocus is blazing fast for getting action shots. I don't know about all around though.... as soon you start looking for a lens that does everything you make huge sacrifices. This lens runs around $400, it would take easily 5 times that amount to get the same quality from a zoom.

Yep Analog is completely right!

Avoid any lens that is a 18-200. This is no step up at all from your kit lens! The Canon 85 1.8 is a great lens aswell, wish the Nikon alternative was somewhere near as good!

Weird! My photographer friend said that it would go WAY beyond my lens. Lets say I was just looking for a potrait lens, the 85 1.8 would be good? Is there a similiar sigma lens?

 

[analog.universe]

The 18-200 will have more reach than your kit lens, but will likely have worse optical quality due to the wider zoom range. They are also both quite slow (maximum aperture of 3.5), so neither will perform well in low light or with fast moving subjects. The 85 is great for portraits, and low light, and fast moving moving subjects, the only drawback compared to the lenses you're talking about is that you can't zoom out to get a wide scene, it's a fixed focal length. Sigma makes a 50mm 1.4 which will do even better in low light, and it's slightly wider, which is nice sometimes for portraits when you're up close, but may not be ideal for pets. It's also a little pricier than the 85. The Canon 85 is said to be one of the best values in portrait lenses however, and often preferred over the 85 1.2 because of it's autofocus speed, I'm certainly happy with mine.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

For portraits, and action shots of pets, my EF 85mm 1.8 USM is my favorite. Really nice focal length for portraits, and 1.8 means you can shoot inside without flash a lot of the time. And the autofocus is blazing fast for getting action shots. I don't know about all around though.... as soon you start looking for a lens that does everything you make huge sacrifices. This lens runs around $400, it would take easily 5 times that amount to get the same quality from a zoom.

Yep Analog is completely right!

Avoid any lens that is a 18-200. This is no step up at all from your kit lens! The Canon 85 1.8 is a great lens aswell, wish the Nikon alternative was somewhere near as good!

Weird! My photographer friend said that it would go WAY beyond my lens. Lets say I was just looking for a potrait lens, the 85 1.8 would be good? Is there a similiar sigma lens?

It has longer reach agreed, but me and Analog are both believers in the higher quality of a prime! Admittedly you need to change lenses more often which can be a pain. But the 18-200 won't be much better optically than you 18-55 and certainly will not be a good portrait lens as it is far too slow to be a good portrait lens. Meaning you can not create a shallow Depth of field, and believe me the 18-200 will have completely ghastly Bokeh (Out of focus rendering).

As mentioned your best bets for what you are looking for is a Sigma 50mm 1.4 or a Canon 85 1.8. The 85 will be useful if you want more telephoto.

And yes Sigma do make an 85mm lens, it is the Sigma 85 1.4. This is an absolutely excellent lens, but quite a bit more pricey than the Canon 1.8 version is. I have seen pro photographers say the Sigma 85 1.4 is better than the Canon 85 1.2 L and this is no word of a lie. It also is VERY VERY close to being as good as the Nikon 85 1.4 AFS-G lens which is again backed up by reviews. It is only a moderate priced lens, and it is nearly as good or better than the heavyweights!

But the Sigma 50 1.4 is fairly cheap and is an absolutely excellent lens for portraits on a crop sensor. As it is a 75mm equivalent!

 

[bells]

I have to say I am more confused than EVER about what to buy!

My wedding photographer suggested Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Any thoughts on that one? I can for sure say though I am looking for mostly a potrait lens, as my current one is definetly good enough for action shots of the pups, for now anyways lol

Thank you SO much for all the helpful info

 

[Markw]

Wow. I can't believe you asked TWO photographers and the answers you got were Sigma's 18-200, and a 70-300 for PORTRAITS and FAST MOVING SUBJECTS. Both of those lenses are terrible for fast moving subjects. Here's the deal. Primes will, undoubtedly, give you the best picture quality. Primes being lenses that cannot zoom. So, if you're going to get a prime, go for anything from Canon, Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina with a focal length of anything over 40mm, and an F/# of anything less than F/3.3. So, any lens from those makers that is at least 50mm, F/2.8 (you'll most likely find a F/1.8 at that aperture) or faster, will be good for portraits AND fast moving subjects. As long as the lens does not say Macro.

If you do want a zoom, don't do get anything that is higher than roughly a 3x zoom. For example, your kit lens is a 3.055x zoom (55/18=3.055). Also, make sure it says F/2.8. Not F/2.8-4.5 or anything like that. F/2.8 ONLY. Follow these rules, and you'll have a lens that will suit your fancy.

These are the ones I'd recommend:

Canon 17-55
Canon 17-40
**Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 HSM OS** (NOT the 17-70mm.)
Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 VC
Sigma 50mm F/1.4
Canon 50mm F/1.8
Canon 50mm F/1.4
Canon 85mm F/1.8
Sigma 85mm F/1.4

None of the primes will work wonders for super-wide scenic shots, but the zooms will all work well for those, and portraits. They will be suitable for fast-moving subjects, but the primes will be MUCH more suitable for fast-moving subjects and portraits. Not so much for overall usability or scenic images.

Hope this helped a little.
Mark

 

[margosoriginals]

Wow thanks, I have a canon 85mm f/1.8 in my cart ready to purchase, and I now feel confident in buying this!

 

[Markw]

Just know that the 85mm will not zoom. And it'll be stuck at a longer focal length than your longest length now. If that's good with you, you'll be a happy camper with the lens. Use it and learn it well.

Mark

 

[gagey]

the 85 1.8 seems like alot of photographers have and love

 

[Markw]

Don't worry about what other photographers have and use, though. You need what works best for you. And that may not necessarily be what the other photographers are using...

Mark