Want to expand the bag t2i

[ArtByQJ]

Hey Y'all

I am looking to expand my bag, I have the 18-55mm EF-S kit lens and canon 75-300mm EF f4-5.6 III. I am looking to invest in another lens under $500 to add to my collection to give me more shooting options... thoughts?

Prime... I am not sure what the point of these prime lenses are? (sorry for the ignorance im new)

 

[iresq]

Is there a specific reason you want a new lens? For the money your looking to spend, you have most focal ranges covered.

You might want to consider the 50mm 1.8. Well within your budget and plenty fast (though can be a little tricky to learn).

 

[Bo4key]

I've heard the Tamron 17-50mm f/.8 suggested a lot, and the non VC model is under $500. I've considered adding it myself, but I've only been hobbying at photography for a year so I decided to get better with what I have first.

I did pick up the 50 mm f/1.8 though, at 129 bucks it was a good deal. A photographer friend of mine suggested buying it because he felt it taught him to 'see' a photo better and pay more attention to composition. Because it has a fixed focal length, the only zooming you can do is with your feet so you have to think about the shot more.

 

[analog.universe]

Prime lenses can be made to perform better because they only need to work at a single focal length. At a given price, they are usually much sharper than a zoom lens (although the best zooms are comparable to nice primes). Primes are pretty much always available with a larger aperture than a zoom at the same focal length. This permits shooting in low light, as well providing lots of options for depth of field. The fastest zoom lens (meaning largest aperture), is still only 1/4 as bright as an f/1.4 prime.

A 50mm f/1.4 lens is right around your budget. Sigma makes an excellent one. I believe the Canon is a little cheaper but not as sharp. You've got a nice range of focal lengths covered already, but you haven't got anything for low light, so a 1.4 is probably the direction I would go.

 

[ArtByQJ]

@Bo4Key and @analog.universe, thanks a ton. Really really helpful. I have the t2i and i have heard it doesn't perform to great in low light situations.


Does the 50mm have any particular significance? is it the zoom most natural to our eyes?

 

[analog.universe]

On a full frame camera it's the field of view that's close to our vision, on a crop sensor it ends up being a little bit tighter. From an optics perspective though, 50's are comparatively easy to design, so they're usually pretty affordable. A 35mm on a crop sensor is more of a natural perspective, but nice ones can get pricey. Canon makes a 35mm f/2.0 that's affordable, but not really impressive. That Sigma 50mm 1.4 isn't any kind of compromise, just a nice lens all around.

 

[o hey tyler]

I'd get the Sigma 50mm personally. The 35mm f/2 that Analog mentioned performs well OPTICALLY, but is slow at focusing and doesn't have a USM. I did however use that lens today indoors on a full frame camera... Stopped down to around f/5.6 it's pretty darn sharp. But so would the Sigma 50mm too.