Hi, I'm a bit unsatisfied with the 18-55mm kit lens of my canon Rebel XT, so I was wondering if you could help me out with purchasing a new lens. I already have a Canon telezoom (100-300mm) that I'm quite satisfied with. Now as I'm planning to have a four week trip to New Zealand next August I would like to bring an appropriate lens for landscape, citylife and holiday photographie. What kind of lens would you recommend me to buy? I would really like to buy a good lens because I want to fully enjoy my trip and take a lot of pictures I would really appreciate any help
How about the EF-S 17-85 IS? It's not all that fast at F4-5.6 but the IS will help to get sharper shots when the light is not great. The quality and image characteristics are said to be better than the 18-55 kit lens but not up with the pro lenses. It's just as wide as your kit lens, so if that is what you want for landscapes...that will work. A bit more reach is nice too. The EF version of this lens is 28-135 3.5-5.6 IS. It's basically the same but longer and in EF format, it will also work on full frame and film EOS cameras. Also, as this in an older lens, I don't think the IS is as good as it is on newer lenses. (two stops vs three) If you want something longer, maybe look at the EF 70-200 F4. The F2.8 version is better, but more expensive...add IS to that for a really great lens. I think Canon has a new 70-200 F4 IS but it's probably expensive and not out yet. You could go with a prime lens that will add a nice fast lens to your collection. The 50mm F1.8 is nice and cheap. You could get this and another lens. You could add a 28mm or an 85mm and probably stay within your budget. However, prime lenses are not as convenient as zoom, especially when you are travelling and maybe don't want to carry a bunch of lenses or be switching them all the time.
