Beginner Lens recommended

Gene Powell

Gene Powell

Suspended / Banned
Messages
29
Name
Gene
Edit My Images
No
Hi all I recently got an eos 850d for Christmas and looking for a new lens as I only have the 18-55 that came with the camera.
Budget is not massive at the moment just after some recommendations

Thanks
 
What do you like to photograph? Are you looking for better quality within the range you already have or may be a telephoto zoom?
 
The 18-55 is a good starting point.

The usual next steps are something like a 55-200mm (if you want to photograph things that are further away) or a "prime" lens, such as a 50mm f1.8 if you want higher quality images, but that comes at the expense of flexibility.
 
I've been looking at sigma lens but a bit out my budget. I have been looking at some zooms but want something that's going to give a good quality picture but on a budget.
 
That's probably a "nifty fifty" (a 50mm f1.8) then, but use your kit lens to make sure that focal length works for you.
 
Gene Powell said:
I've been looking at sigma lens but a bit out my budget. I have been looking at some zooms but want something that's going to give a good quality picture but on a budget.
Click to expand...

You should be able to find a Sigma 10-20 or 70-300 for under £200, depending on which way (wider or longer) you want to go. A better "standard" type lens may well be more expensive - quality costs!
 
It depends on what you want to photograph.
If you want to be able to get more of the scene into your shot and zoom out further (for example to do interior shots), then a Sigma 10-20mm is a good option.
If you want to zoom in and get closer to things (eg birds in the garden), then a 70-300mm lens is a good option, my budget recommendation is the Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 VC (this means it has image stabilisation). Canon do make a 70-300 like this, but for the money the Tamron is great, I still use mine.
Both these lenses can be found for less that £200 if you look at secondhand sellers like MPB.com.
If you want to take nice portraits of people, with a nice bit of background blur (aka 'bokeh') then a Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM is the best option and less than £100 new. This sort of lens is also good in low light situations and indoors.

Alternatively, if you still find you're using the original 18-55mm lens the most, I'd recommend upgrading it to a better version.
You have a few options.
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS - £300+
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC - £200ish
Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS - £200ish
You'll notice that each of these is f2.8, this means it will allow more light in (good for low light) and also gives a nicer shallow depth of field (and therefore background blur).
 
Last edited:
DCFlix said:
Second vote for a nifty fifty (50mm) prime lens. Zoom with your feet and it's less to think about when taking a photo.
Click to expand...
I've always found the suggestion 'zoom with your feet' daft.
Firstly, if you change position you change perspective, so you don't get the same effect at all.
Secondly for many subjects getting close enough to fill the frame with a 50mm is impossible. Animals/birds will leave, racing cars will run you over, distant landscape features may be hidden by foreground objects...

There are very good reasons why a large range of lenses are produced, which suits best depends largely on subject type. I find a nifty fifty great in lower light, for evenings around town, but barely usable for most motorsports, airshows, wildlife... For typical street/family shooting in good light the fixed focal length can be rather limiting & it doesn't offer much over a reasonable quality kit zoom.
 
Petrochemist said:
I've always found the suggestion 'zoom with your feet' daft.
Firstly, if you change position you change perspective, so you don't get the same effect at all.
Secondly for many subjects getting close enough to fill the frame with a 50mm is impossible. Animals/birds will leave, racing cars will run you over, distant landscape features may be hidden by foreground objects...

There are very good reasons why a large range of lenses are produced, which suits best depends largely on subject type. I find a nifty fifty great in lower light, for evenings around town, but barely usable for most motorsports, airshows, wildlife... For typical street/family shooting in good light the fixed focal length can be rather limiting & it doesn't offer much over a reasonable quality kit zoom.
Click to expand...
I was just making the point that if you want to get learn how to use your camera a single prime lens is a great model that forces you to consider simple composition, ISO, SS and aperture. I just know that is what I enjoyed with my film camera when I started out.

In essence I agree with you, perhaps it's my personal struggle with picking which lens to use that I lock to simplicity at the minute.
 
Gene Powell said:
Hi all I recently got an eos 850d for Christmas and looking for a new lens as I only have the 18-55 that came with the camera.
Budget is not massive at the moment just after some recommendations

Thanks
Click to expand...
If you're considering a prime lens, I would experiment a bit with the focal length range you have on that zoom to see what you might find useful - e.g., several people have suggested a 50mm, which is a good choice for a high quality, inexpensive prime, though also a bit long for general use with an APS-C sensor (but great for some kinds of portrait). How are you finding the kit zoom limits you at the moment - speed, quality, focal length?
 
DCFlix said:
I was just making the point that if you want to get learn how to use your camera a single prime lens is a great model that forces you to consider simple composition, ISO, SS and aperture. I just know that is what I enjoyed with my film camera when I started out.

In essence I agree with you, perhaps it's my personal struggle with picking which lens to use that I lock to simplicity at the minute.
Click to expand...
I have to admit when I started out (decades ago) it was with a 50mm prime (on film so FF), and I have found it a good experience to have a session with just that (& controlling nearly everything yourself), but that can be done with the kit zoom leaving the zoom setting at one end for the entire session. No need to buy another lens for that.

It's all too easy to get into lens buying addiction (LBA) - something I've got very bad, now having hundreds of lenses. At least mine are mainly legacy lenses that have been very cheap, buying lenses lenses new at the rate I gather them would have bankrupted me years ago. I think only about 2-3% of my lenses have been over £100 :)
 
Petrochemist said:
I have to admit when I started out (decades ago) it was with a 50mm prime (on film so FF), and I have found it a good experience to have a session with just that (& controlling nearly everything yourself), but that can be done with the kit zoom leaving the zoom setting at one end for the entire session. No need to buy another lens for that.

It's all too easy to get into lens buying addiction (LBA) - something I've got very bad, now having hundreds of lenses. At least mine are mainly legacy lenses that have been very cheap, buying lenses lenses new at the rate I gather them would have bankrupted me years ago. I think only about 2-3% of my lenses have been over £100 :)
Click to expand...

I love the LBA acronym. I keep hoping for one lens that will deliver the perfect framing, brokeh and versatility. The hunt continues :)
 
Gene Powell said:
Hi all I recently got an eos 850d for Christmas and looking for a new lens as I only have the 18-55 that came with the camera.
Budget is not massive at the moment just after some recommendations

Thanks
Click to expand...
No one can help if we don't know what you're planning on shooting
 
ABTog said:
Alternatively, if you still find you're using the original 18-55mm lens the most, I'd recommend upgrading it to a better version.
You have a few options.
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS - £300+
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC - £200ish
Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS - £200ish
You'll notice that each of these is f2.8, this means it will allow more light in (good for low light) and also gives a nicer shallow depth of field (and therefore background blur).
Click to expand...

I think this reply actually answers the question. @Gene Powell are you looking to update your standard lens? There are plenty of options such as those listed above which will improve the quality of your images and allow lower light photography. Other options are 24-70/2.8 from Sigma etc.

If you are looking for a telephoto to complement your standard lens the 55-250 EF-S is the way to go.

No harm in getting the 50mm f1.8, but I use mine very infrequently.
 
The "nifty 50" is a short telephoto lens on the eos 850, a more usable general lens is probably a 30mm or 35mm if your after a fixed lens for a crop sensor. That said something like the Sigma 17-50 (a great lens) will be a lot more usefull if you just want a better quality lens than the kit 18-55mm.
It really depends of what you think you'll be taking pictures of.
 
From my own perspective I would go with a 50mm F1.8 or 24-105 F4, As a starting point I found these a very versatile lenses for any photographer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top