Can't decide on a new lens

razorfish

razorfish

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Alex 'Olesia' Macey
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Yes
I'm hoping any of you guys will help me out? I'm looking for a new lens for my Canon 350D I already have the kit lens and the nifty fifty (which I don't use that much), i'm really starting to get bored with the kit lens as it don't do what I want it to do. Preferably anything under £200 for now as I'm on a budget, the stuff i'm interesting in doing is astrography, I would love close ups of the moon, and also something I can use for everyday shooting as well.

What are your thoughts on the Canon 55-250? I am thinking on that or anything else similar, I do want something that I will get decent results from and that is suitable for my little camera:)
 
Hi

When you say the kit lens doesn't do what you want it to... be more specific, is it the focal range, is it not fast enough, poor quality etc - helps out for recommendations as to alternatives.

Not sure specically what lens for astrography you'd need.

The 55-250IS you mention is a belter of a lens for the money and def worth buying - it would fit focal length wise very nicely with the 18-55 kit lens.

Why don't you use the 50mm 1.8 much ?
 
Some options for you.
Standard zooms:
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC - fast, very good review for image quality for the price ( around £200 or just over, used )
Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 - fast than kit lens, good range, decent image quality ( around £200, used )

Telephoto:
Canon 55-250 IS - cheap and sharp ( at least, in the center ), very small and light
Tamron 70-300 VC USD - longer, sharp for the price, maybe over your budget, but if you are lucky, you may find one for like £250-300, used.
 
andyred said:
Hi

When you say the kit lens doesn't do what you want it to... be more specific, is it the focal range, is it not fast enough, poor quality etc - helps out for recommendations as to alternatives.

Not sure specically what lens for astrography you'd need.

The 55-250IS you mention is a belter of a lens for the money and def worth buying - it would fit focal length wise very nicely with the 18-55 kit lens.

Why don't you use the 50mm 1.8 much ?
Click to expand...

Hey ya well I find the focal length is not long enough for me as it don't go very far as you know. So I am steering towards the Tamron 70-300mm I am. I don't know why I haven't gelled with the nifty fifty lens yet, I want to start using it a bit more, but I'm not sure on what to use it for :)
 
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pmhn said:
Some options for you.
Standard zooms:
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC - fast, very good review for image quality for the price ( around £200 or just over, used )
Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 - fast than kit lens, good range, decent image quality ( around £200, used )

Telephoto:
Canon 55-250 IS - cheap and sharp ( at least, in the center ), very small and light
Tamron 70-300 VC USD - longer, sharp for the price, maybe over your budget, but if you are lucky, you may find one for like £250-300, used.
Click to expand...

Yes I do like the sound of the Tamron one, my friend said the 55-250 ain't as sharp on either ends, but I want something pretty sharp and the sample photos look good from what I have seen that lens do
 
I'm also deciding between the two as well. Anything better would be Canon 70-300L or Canon 70-200L, which are over my budget. I'm inclined toward Tamron, which looks good for image quality. However, the 55-250 is half the price, size, and weight, so it would be better for light travel and wouldn't attract as much attention.
 
razorfish said:
I don't know why I haven't gelled with the nifty fifty lens yet, I want to start using it a bit more, but I'm not sure on what to use it for :)
Click to expand...

I must admit - I don't use my 'nifty fifty' that much but knowing how little they change hands for I think it's always worth having it tucked away for the benefit of the f1.8 aperture:

I guess you can use it for whatever you like but the wide aperture allows you to create shallow depth of focus either for creative purposes or just to throw backgrounds out in portrait shots. Indoors it can also mean you don't always have to reach for the flash and sometimes just the ability to retain a faster shutter speed is handy.

OK, it's no world beater but for me it's a handy cheap addition as (for what I shoot) I would never own an expensive lens of this ilk.
 
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