Getting a T3I Lens Help

[brigamer]

Im going to be getting a T3i i am trying to figure out what lens or lens would be good for me to get. I'm looking for better quality then the kit lens but not the most expensive lens. I'm not sure if i should buy just the body and get a dif main lens or buy it with the kit lens. The optical quality is pretty important.. I do like to take pics of alot of things wildlife,street, night-shots,macros,flowers i am also getting into like senior portraits for high school which are mostly taken outside in natural light(well in my town at least) I would like to get a couple to few lens that would be good
i have about 800-1000 USD for these . what could you guys reccomened?

[Doug Pardee]

Does that $800-1000 include having to buy the T3i, or is that just for lenses?

[brigamer]

Thats my lens budget, i have a sony nex C3 with a kit lens and im sure the cannon kit lens will be about the same quality. So im looking for better options. I decided to invest in a system that has more lens available currently.

[inkista]

Ok, this is just me, and many would disagree, but if you don't know what lens you want, then just get the kit lens.

Here's my thinking: people will recommend lenses to you up the wazoo. But mostly, they'll be recommending what works for them. What they bought. What they use. And they may not shoot or want to shoot the things you do.

The "body only" options are for people who already have their lenses, or are experienced enough to know exactly what lens they want.

Kit lenses are limited. But, despite everything you read about them on messageboards everywhere, they do not suck. Especially for the price. Sure, they suck in comparison to professional level $1000+ lenses. But pros can also write equipment off on their taxes as a business expense, and that's why they can be so cavalier about little plastic consumer lenses.

But an 18-55 kit lens adds, what, $100? to the price of the body? You aren't going to find a better wide-angle walkaround zoom for that price. No way, no how. And it will teach you all about that focal length range, what the limitations of a slow/small max. aperture (f/3.5-5.6.) are about, and what stabilization can do for ya.

The other two "training wheels" lenses I'd recommend would be the EF-S 55-250 IS ($250), and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II ($100). Again, like the kit lens, these are liable to be "temporary" lenses for you, but together, they cost less than one good midrange lens. The 55-250 IS can teach you all about telephoto handling, stopping down to f/8 for sharpness, and why you're going to want to pay more for USM And the EF 50mm f/1.8 II can teach you about fast primes and wide aperture settings.

As I said, other folks would disagree. But I think you have to go through personal experience with lenses, and a learning phase of what works for you, personally, before you can filter through the mountains of advice/recommendations people will throw at you from their PoV.

Others might recommend getting an 18-200 superzoom, which can still be a good all-in-one travel lens when you move on to better glass (large zoom ranges generally involve image quality compromises for the huge coverage, and are typically very slow lenses). To me, though, the additional cost of an OEM 18-200 can blow it out of the water as a temp/training lens, so unless you really hate changing lenses or don't mind 3rd party lenses, it may not be worth it.

Still others will say, "Just go to the top and get a 24-70/2.8" which is not necessarily bad advice, if you plan to be a professional portrait/event photographer. But it won't be particularly wide on a crop, it'll be hugely expensive (>$1500), it's not stabilized, and it's big and heavy and conspicuous. I say, you should probably wait to see if you really need/want it before dropping that kind of cash. Ditto the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM.

No lens is perfect. They all have pros and cons. The point here is not to find the best lens evah, but to find the best fit for you and what/how you shoot. To me, a dSLR system is like a big toolbox that you still have to fill with tools to be useful. And if you're a plumber, you're going to fill your toolbox one way, while a carpenter or electrician would fill theirs a different way. You should spend time learning about lenses and hanging out on a few review sites, like fredmiranda.com.

Now, I'm an eccentric prime-lover. I'm a hobbyist shooter who makes absolutely no money, and I have a thing for birds-in-flight, fountain pen macros, off-camera flash portraits of my family and friends, virtual reality panos, and the San Diego Comic-Con. I shoot all over the board, and I'm wealthy enough to dump money on more camera gear than is good for me. I tend to hang back and shoot long, and I have (now), a micro 4/3 camera, a crop body Canon, and a full-frame Canon. This is my PoV.

Your budget isn't nearly enough to get you everything on your wishlist. You can probably get one or two additional lenses with that, if you aren't going to go the training wheels path. So, you need to prioritize and choose. Also, I would strongly recommend against getting a pile of gear all at once. It takes a while just to master the camera and one lens. Throwing in a ton of lenses can just add to the confusion. Take a while to master what you've got before acquiring more stuff. And you will acquire more stuff. It's the nature of the beast.

So, my recommendations would be:

wildlife
Your budget's too small for the ideal lens: the EF 100-400 f/4-5.6L IS USM. But you should save up for it. Do not go for the 75-300 III. You won't be happy if image quality is as important to you as you say. You may be happy with the $600 EF 70-300 IS USM (non-L). In this category, I think spending less than $300 isn't going to make you a happy camper, but could fulfill your needs until you could afford something better. Hence the EF-S 55-250 IS recommendation.

street
To me, the ideal lens would be the EF 35mm f/2 USM, but I'm weird and old school and believe that street shooting means including the street, and not doing long-lens paparazzo-like stalker things with long lenses. YMMV. Of the training wheels triple, both the 50/1.8 and the 18-55 could hold you until you figure out what style you prefer: wide angle in close, or telephoto back far.

night-shots
For me, I use an adapted Olympus OM-mount 50mm f/1.2 lens or an EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM. Adapting manual focus vintage lenses is not something any sane person does. Of the training wheels triple, you could again, use either the 18-55 (on still subjects), or the EF 50mm f/1.8 USM. However, night shooting tends to be more about using a REALLY sturdy tripod, a cable release, and good technique, more than it is about the lens. Expect to pay at least $200-$300 for a good tripod/head combination.

macros,flowers
For this, you're probably going to want a macro lens. The EF 100mm f/2.8 USM (about $500), is likely to be your best bet. You could also consider the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM (smaller working distance, crop-body only), or the EF 100 f/2.8L IS USM (about $1000). But in the meantime, extension tubes and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II can get you poor man's macro.

...i am also getting into like senior portraits for high school which are mostly taken outside in natural light(well in my town at least)

My recommendation would be either the EF 35mm f/2 USM, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, or the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (both are in the $400 range, iirc) depending on how you frame. The longer lenses are likely to give you less distortion, better sharpness, and smoother bokeh, but will limit you more on framing choices and have a larger working distance. How you want to engage with your subjects and make them comfortable is a key element of portrait shooting. And, just me, but I'd learn to shoot with off-camera flash for this. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of the weather and the location. But off-camera flash is a whole 'nother ball of wax and a whole new money pit. And a lot of learning. Leave flash alone until you're comfortable shooting in Manual mode and swapping stops among iso/aperture/shutter speed in your head.

[brigamer]

See im not sure of what lens are available i google it and there is way too many so its nto about what i would like its more about filtering through all the 2 thaosuand dollar prices to find a better lens then the kit lens. I would like a hair faster lens i would like either a range of 18-55 and 1 prime for portraits and or a super zoom if there are any decent for under 1k. Like i was looking at the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP Aspherical (IF) Zoom Lens. But what I dont know is if its really much of a step up from the kit lens? Would it be efficant to drop the kit lens and buy the tamron? Or is it not enough of a increase in quality to justify the price. Im not rich don't have a bunch of money but i would like the best image quality and sharpness i can get for the price.

[ceremus]

Originally Posted by brigamer

See im not sure of what lens are available i google it and there is way too many so its nto about what i would like its more about filtering through all the 2 thaosuand dollar prices to find a better lens then the kit lens. I would like a hair faster lens i would like either a range of 18-55 and 1 prime for portraits and or a super zoom if there are any decent for under 1k. Like i was looking at the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP Aspherical (IF) Zoom Lens. But what I dont know is if its really much of a step up from the kit lens? Would it be efficant to drop the kit lens and buy the tamron? Or is it not enough of a increase in quality to justify the price. Im not rich don't have a bunch of money but i would like the best image quality and sharpness i can get for the price.

For learning about Canon-specific equipment, I recommend starting here: Canon Lenses - Canon EF Camera Lens Information .

Pay particular attention to Focal Length, Maximum Aperture, and Zoom vs. Prime. When you're familiar with those concepts, move on to the second section where particular lens recommendations are made for various types of shooting. The General Recommendations will be of the most interest to you regarding stepping from from the 18-55mm.

This is another good all-in-one Canon lens primer: Canon EOS Beginners' FAQ III - Lenses


Also, I'm in agreement with Inkista. Even if you're planning on buying a better lens with your camera, you should still get the kitted lens in addition since A) it never hurts to have a backup, and B) if you ever wish to upgrade your body and sell the Rebel, having a kit lens attached to the sale will help your resale value. That and as said, you pretty much can't beat the functionality for the price, there's no shame in learning on the kit lens.