What lens for £400 (ish)?

Kryptix

Kryptix

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I'm considering selling my flash gun and putting some money towards whatever I get to buy myself another lens as I think I'll benefit from the lens more as I never use the flash gun.

If you had my lenses, what would you add to the collection? I can sell the kit 18-55mm IS lens (and maybe the 50mm f/1.8) to add a bit more to my budget.

I think I'll be after a walkabout lens, but I think all the L lenses are out of my budget.

What lens would you get if you had my kit? I know it depends on what you want it for, and basically, I'll just want it for 'general' use -- I have the 70-200mm for long shots so I'm after a decent quality short-zoom lens.

At the moment I'm using the kit lens (18-55mm) and everyone slates it, so it'd be good to replace it with something that'd produce better pictures.

Advice please? :)
 
Tamron 28-70mm f/2.8 not very wide, but for a walkabout great, sharp too
 
agree tamron 28-75 which ive owned for a while and is a great lens. sigma do a similar one.
if you want wider then the tamron 17-50 I think.

my choice would be the tamron 28-75 and a canon 85 1.8 which is a fantastic lens and you could get both for 400
 
Canon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5, again not very wide but I've had some cracking results from it. Bought mine secondhand from MPB photographic a year or so ago fro around £100
 
Everyone slates the kit lens ? Seems to be able to produce the goods when required.

Are you looking to replace it based upon what other people say, or based upon your own feelings for the lens? If the former, then don't bother.

I've made the mistake of replacing kit for the sake of replacing it and I've wasted tons of money on it.
 
I don't know why everyone slates the 18-55, it's a perfectly competent lens. I'd just prefer to have something more versatile.

I have the Sigma 24-60 f/2.8 and picked it up for less than £50.
It is by far the sharpest lens in my lineup, and the 2.8 is perfectly useable. If you can find one of these second hand, it is easily the lens I'd recommend. Really small too.
It's generally wide enough, but if it's not that's why I bought the 10-20.

A couple of ebay auctions - going for less than £100 by the look of things

I sold my 50mm for £60 ish because I never used it, and with a versatile standard zoom with a decent maximum aperture it's likely you'll never use it either. Need an extra stop of light? Put the ISO up one stop, and then run the image through noise ninja - much easier.

So the 50 could go for £60 in a matter of minutes in the For Sale section, and the 18-55 on the bay for around £50 (considering they're £150 ish new!)

With the rest?
I'd be tempted to A) keep the flashgun and add an off-camera trigger set up
B) sell the flashgun and add the money towards something else
C) super wide angle lens - sigma 10-20, canon 10-22, tokina 10-17, tamron 11-18
D) macro lens/extension tubes and a ring flash for rainy days

But really mate you'd be buying it for the sake of buying it. I say don't buy kit until you need it (unless it's an ABSOLUTE bargain, because you'll kick yourself when you do need it :p)

The 24-60 can be had for under £100 and then that allows you to keep your flashgun or sell it for extra funds.
 
Cheers for the suggestions, but I'm only really after Canon lenses...

How much do you think the 18-55mm IS (kit) and 50mm f/1.8 will go for? They're both 5 days old and immaculate, as-new condition... Maybe about 20 shots through both.
 
I'd love to get into macro photography. What's an extension tube and what lens should I get for macro? Also, what's a ring flash?

Does Canon make all the products required? :thinking:
 
if you can strecth to it the 24-105 f4l is awesome. stayed on my camera most of the time since ive had it. contact kerso he will get you the best price on canon.
 
Kryptix said:
At the moment I'm using the kit lens (18-55mm) and everyone slates it, so it'd be good to replace it with something that'd produce better pictures
Click to expand...

Care to link us to where people 'slate' it?

Maybe the Non-IS 18-55mm as it's not very good at all, but the IS version is excellent.
 
Uh, why are you only looking for Canon lenses?
Seems awfully petty considering the optical quality of 3rd party lenses...

£100 for both together, £60/£70 for the 50mm and £50/£60 if you're lucky for the 18-55.

I would say the sigma 105mm for macro, but then you're only after canon lenses, so the Canon 100mm will do.

An extension tube moves the lens further from the sensor allowing it to focus closer. Kenko extension tube sets can be picked up for around £100, and because there is no glass involved the optical quality is perfect. Alternatively the canon extension tubes can be had for significantly more.

A ring flash is a flash gun the fits on the end of the lens and fires an even beam onto the subject - perfect for things like macro or portraiture:

marumi_ring_flash_low.jpg
 
2Thumbs said:
Care to link us to where people 'slate' it?

Maybe the Non-IS 18-55mm as it's not very good at all, but the IS version is excellent.
Click to expand...
Oh... Well, about a year ago I posted pics using my 400D with 18-55mm and everyone slated the lens saying they'd be good pictures if it wasn't a kit lens (and so on), and then when I was buying the 450D I got told to just buy the body as the lenses are practically identical... I wasn't on this forum then, but everything I seem to read about the 18-55mm is negative... In fairness, most may be talking about the older one. I've never seen a problem with either, but that's the only walkabout lens I've ever used.

I've always said I get a better picture with my 70-200mm lens and it's been known for me to walk a long way away and take a picture with the zoom lens as it appears to be better than the 18-55mm. :lol:
 
70-200mm being an L lens? They can't be compared for IQ as their target audiences and cost are vastly different.

The two suggestions from me would be:

Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8
Sigma 18-50mm Macro f/2.8
 
Hi I will send you a couple of piccys taken with my 18-50 Sigma, see what you think. Proof of the pudding is in the results after all. I think it's a grand walkabout lens for a cropped sensor.
 
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