Rebel T2i Lens

[MsTickledPink]

In need of some help with lens info asap

I have the 2 lens that came with my kit but now that I am more comfortable with the camera I am ready to invest in the better glass.
Not concerned about price I want the best quality I can get. I was told L series are best & not to use off name brands?
I'm a novice not familar with the lingo so much all I know is I need lens's that will be great for portaits, parties/weddings, sports & of course a great macro.

 

[tyler_h]

L = Luxury and is the best Canon lenses.
The not-off-name brands comes from a couple of things (in my knowledge) - reverse engineered focus, so not as good; and iffy quality control has been seen with some lenses.

If I had a virtually unlimited budget:
Portrait:
50mm f/1.2L
85mm f/1.2L
135mm f/2L
but if you want to do environmental portraits you'll probably want something wider

Parties/Weddings:
For weddings it would normally involve two bodies and a lot more than just lenses, but often fast zooms, say
16-35mm f/2.8L, and
70-200mm f/2.8L IS each with their own body (and FF more than crop)

Sports:
85mm f/1.8 for court
300mm f/2.8L for field

Macro:
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, or for greater reach (very long on crop)
180mm f/3.5L Macro

In short; you'll need to be more specific or direct in what you want to move into next.

 

[analog.universe]

Also, don't forget Zeiss... it's not Canon, and they don't autofocus, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything. In fact I'm thinking of trading my canon 28 for a zeiss 35 one of these days. They have a unique character and are absolutely top quality.

 

[BJF]

50mm f/1.2L
85mm f/1.2L
135mm f/2L

16-35mm f/2.8L
70-200mm f/2.8L IS

85mm f/1.8
300mm f/2.8L

100mm f/2.8L IS Macro
180mm f/3.5L Macro

 

[tyler_h]

Yeah, don't apply the off-brand comments to Zeiss
Next to the EF 50mm f/1.2L many would choose from the Zeiss options for those characteristics of the lens which aren't discussed in many technical reviews.

Anywhere near wide open would be near impossible to focus with the standard focusing screen in the 550D though.

 

[analog.universe]

Anywhere near wide open would be near impossible to focus with the standard focusing screen in the 550D though.

truth! I upgraded my focusing screen shortly after acquiring my Zeiss.

 

[tyler_h]

Anywhere near wide open would be near impossible to focus with the standard focusing screen in the 550D though.

truth! I upgraded my focusing screen shortly after acquiring my Zeiss.

60D is a fair upgrade in the viewfinder category; pentaprism vs pentamirror.
Would probably have to advise against anything but wides (larger DoF) as MF only lenses on xx0D series camera.

 

[MsTickledPink]

Thank You Tyler.... I have attempted everything I could think of to shoot I love scenery but the picture does not seem complete without people in it. My favorites are portrait style. Parties & wedding simply because I love knowing that I caught such an emotional moment on a persons face, I'm drawn to it. Trying to get insight from local photogs out here is not working so I am reaching out.
So the lens that will give me the best for the portraits & such events is really what I am after. As far as the sports my zoom seems great in the gym and out so I am fine with that.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Rather than throwing out a bunch of lenses that cost 2, 3 or 4 times as much as your camera...lets take a step back and go over the 'lingo'.

When looking at lenses, the first thing is the focal length (always given in millimeters). As you hopefully know, the longer the focal length, the smaller your field of view...usually for shooting subjects farther away. So for sports or wildlife, where you can't be right up close to the action, you would want a longer lens. 200mm, 300mm, 400mm etc.
A shorter focal length will give you a wider view, simple enough.
When it comes to zoom lenses and quality, we usually want to avoid the ones with a really large zoom range. For example, an 18-200mm lens will never be as good as a 24-70mm lens. So while a large range is convenient, it sacrifices quality.

The next thing to look at with lenses, is the maximum aperture. (given as an F number). The name of a lens always lists the maximum aperture. The lower the F number, the larger the aperture...and having the option to use a larger aperture is a great feature of a lens. For example, the 'cheap' kit lenses usually have a variable maximum aperture of F3.5 to F5.6 (it changes as you zoom the lens). A lens with a larger max aperture would be something like F2.8 (for a zoom lens) or even bigger on prime (non-zoom) lenses. F1.8, F1.4 or even F1.2.
A larger aperture is nice for a couple reasons. Firstly, a larger aperture allows you to use a faster shutter speed, which probably means sharper photos. Secondly, a larger aperture can give you a shallower Depth of Field (DOF), which can allow you to blur the background of a portrait, for example. Lastly, lenses with larger apertures usually tend to be 'top of the line' and are thus of a better overall quality than the 'cheap' lenses.

So now that we've looked at the focal length and maximum aperture, there are a few features to consider. One is stabilization (IS in Canon terms). IS will help to get sharper shots when shooting with the camera in you hands. It won't help to freeze the motion of moving subject, but it does help to avoid blur from camera shake.
Some Canon lenses have 'USM' in the name. This is the better type of auto focus motor.
As mentioned, Canon's top of the line lenses are designated with an 'L' (and a red ring around the front). It's hard to go wrong with an L lens, but they aren't cheap.

And of course, there is the quality of a lens....both image quality and build quality. This is harder to figure out...you usually have to get a few opinions, read a few articles & reviews etc. But as a quick point of reference...price is usually a good indication of quality.

There are certainly options from other brands besides Canon. Tamron & Sigma are two that make a full range of lenses that will work on your Canon camera. My 'rule of thumb' is that a top of the line Sigma/Tamron lenses are 80-90% as good as the top of the line Canon lenses...but at half the price. So if you don't need the very best and want to save a lot of money, Sigma & Tamron do have some good options.