Starter kit lenses to cover portrait, monuments, landscape and animals

[Hoomer]

Hi, i'm a newbie and purchased a Canon 400d body.
I'm interested in takin vacations pictures of landscapes and monuments, as well as portraits (by that i mean more me and/or my girlfriend in front of a monument) as well as some zoom pictures if i want to.
I know that theres isn't a lens that covers all this (or is there??), but i'd like to know your recomendations about a kit to cover these needs.
I don't wanna spend much money right away. I'd rather buy some good price/quality lenses to "play" around and print some nice photos to have and show around and eventually upgrade some day in the future to one or two extra lenses according to my preference, but at the same time keep a good kit forone or another special shot i want to take eventually.

Thanks a lot

 

[Alex_B]

landscapes and monuments, as well as portraits as well as some zoom pictures if i want to.

Canon's 24-105 f/4 L is not too bad for that. With the 400D aps-c format it lacks a bit on the wide side maybe, but the 105mm are really useful for animals.

 

[lifeafter2am]

How much are you looking to spend on a lens? That is the all important question. You say you want good price and quality, well, with quality increase, so does the price most of the time.

24-205 F/4L is $1,059.00, a really nice lens, but not cheap.

 

[Hoomer]

but that lens isn't that good to take indoor/low light photos.
What about the standard canon 18-55mm , a 50mm/1.8f for portraits and indoor photos (of people, monuments, etc) and a zoom lens? Wouldn't that cover almost all my needs at a good price range?

 

[Hoomer]

Sorry folks.
Ignore my previous reply. It's in the wrong place.

 

[Hoomer]

Sorry again. After all that reply was in the right place.

I wanted to spend about 400$. As i said it's just to start and i'm no professional. Just to make a few nice photo album and to put some pictures and eventually some poster on the wall...

 

[Hoomer]

What about a canon 15-55mm standard + tamron 55-200mm and a canon 50mm/1.8 ???

With the 50mm/1.8 i'd cover the night shots on the street, or inside monuments like churches, wouldn't i?

Are they good enought to print the photos at poster size if needed?

 

[soylentgreen]

The 50 f/1.8 is great for the price, but a little long with the 1.6 crop factor for landscape, monument and stuff. IMO. Better off with a better starter lens than the stock 18-55. Hear good things about the Tamron 17-55 f/2.8. It's around your price range gives you good wide to mid-tele range and a large aperature. The EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS is suppose to be great, but for $1100 it better be. I really liked the 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS stock lens I had, but a little slow in low-light. If they made a f/2.8 version of it I would snatch it up in a heart beat. The 24-105 f/4 L is phenomenal, but pricey and slow in low-light. Can't beat the range though! All are good all-around lens. There are 24-70 f/2.8 by Canon and Sigma, but they are not as wide on the crop sensor. The Sigma was a bust for me. The Canon is like $1300, but again, a superb piece of glass. Just decide on the level of image quality you want. Just realize that the larger aperature you seek will usually mean higher price especially if you want better image quality.

 

[Hoomer]

What about the Sigma AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS? It's a nice all-around lens i've been reading
And then with the Canon 50mm/1.8 i'd be covered for the protraits.

 

[Hoomer]

Now i'm really mixed up.
I've been reading around and the Canon 28-105 was very highly recomended.
So now i have:

Option 1: Standard kit lens 18/50mm + Canon 28-105mm/f3.5-4.5 + Canon 50mm/1.8 (60+250+90€)

Option2: Sigma 17-70mm + canon 50mm/1.8 (300+90€)

The price is almost the same, but with option 1 I have better/more zoom capcity. With option 2 i have better image quality at wide angle shots, plusa a better aperture, and only 2 lenses (less lens switching, less dust on the sensor) and can later in the future buy another tlephoto lens.

Please help me decide

 

[Leo]

Another option is the Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. I previously had that lens. It's within your price range, about $400-450 new. It's a nice decent lens, I used it for my portraits too. The only downside is it's slow on low-light condition. But for outdoor use it is a nice lens.

 

[Hoomer]

Leo, thanks for your post but i need solutions, and not more problems.

 

[soylentgreen]

Take a look at the EF-S 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS USM. It is a good starter lens with decent wide-angle on a crop sensor and pretty good zoom at 85mm. Great image quality, has Image Stabilization and pretty good build. Can be had for around $475 US. The 28-135 lens Leo reccommended is pretty good but not wide enough on a crop sensor. IMO. The 28-105 is a pretty ho-hum consumer grade lens that I rather not spend money on. Add a EF 50 f/1.8 for a little speed and your good to go.