Newbie to DSLR

[Jillybean_tx]

I just got my first DSLR on Tuesday. It is a Canon EOS Rebel XSi with the 18-55mm IS lens. I have not learned everything yet on the camera but am wondering about an additional lens.
I love to take photos of wildlife, flowers, landscapes, and also family photos. The zoom on the kit lens just isn't enough to capture some things.
What lens would you suggest I get? I would like to keep it around $200 if possible.
Thanks for your help.

[inkista]

You're not going to like my advice. Save up more money, and just learn to get closer with your kit lens for now. The only sub $200 lens that's worth it, imho, is the EF 50mm f/1.8, and that's about lower light and background blur, not about getting closer.

For wildlife, you're probably going to want to spend at least $500, for flowers at least $400 for a macro lens, and the kit already does landscapes and family portraits.

You could spend $250 to get the EF-S 55-250 IS, but it's not a USM lens, and its reach may not be quite long enough for wildlife, and it's not fast enough (i.e., has a small maximum aperture) to use indoors on the kids. And you could probably get the Sigma 70-300 APO, but after a while, the limits of the lens might start to chafe. But if you really can't afford to spend more or wait to save up for better lenses, those are probably your best two candidates for more reach.

With new lenses (and I know this is insane, but it's the way things are priced), low-cost budget lenses are around $300. Mid-priced lenses are $500-$700, and high-priced lenses are in the $1000-$2000 range. If anybody recommends an L lens, the price is almost always in four figures. And currently, there have been a lot of price hikes on the lenses due to low supply.

[dcclark]

Inkista is right. Don't buy a new lens yet -- your 18-55 is a good lens, and you aren't ready to figure out what other one you want yet. Resist buying new things "just because"!

What you should focus on right now is: learning about shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Learn about composition, lines, shapes, and colors. Use light to evoke a mood. Find strong, central subjects. Work on your photography.

And, to echo inkista -- I own two additional lenses beyond the kit 18-55 that came with my Nikon D40. Each of them cost significantly more than the camera cost. That's the nature of high-quality lenses, so you should really know what you want and why you need it before you buy it!

[Jillybean_tx]

Thanks for the info.

Yes, I am still learning what the camera does with the lens that I have so I will hold off on another lens for now.

I am a little confused though on the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens. Can you explain this to me, please?

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by Jillybean_tx

I am a little confused though on the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens.

In ordinary usage:

• A zoom lens is one that can be adjusted through a range of focal lengths. Your 18-55mm lens is a zoom lens because it can be adjusted to any focal length between 18 and 55mm, but a 50mm lens is not a zoom because it's stuck at 50mm. Non-zoom lenses are sometimes called prime lenses.
• A telephoto lens is one that provides noticeable magnification, making objects seem closer. On your camera, anything over about 40mm would be considered telephoto, although the magnification at 40mm would barely be noticeable. The 55mm end of your current lens is probably about the minimum that most people would really consider to be telephoto.

So a 70-200mm lens is both zoom and telephoto. An 85mm lens is telephoto but not zoom. A 10-22mm lens is zoom but not telephoto.

The words zoom, telephoto, and prime actually mean something different when used correctly, but almost nobody uses them correctly any more so I won't confuse you with their true definitions.

And welcome to the Digital Photography School forums!

[dcclark]

"Zoom" and "telephoto" lenses are generally two terms that aren't directly related.

A zoom lens is one which can change its focal length -- that is, its apparent magnification. For example, your 18-55 "zooms" from 18mm (which is a moderately wide angle) up to 55mm (which is moderately "zoomed in" or "close" or -- special name -- "telephoto").

A telephoto lens is one with a large focal length. Looking through the lens will make things appear very close. Often telephoto lenses are zooms, but there's no guarantee -- you could find a 200mm telephoto which doesn't zoom, it just stays at 200mm. That will put you very close to your subject, however!

So, a zoom lens may be telephoto, and vice versa. However, neither one implies the other. For example, I have a 10-24mm lens, which is an "ultrawide zoom". It zooms from 10mm (very very wide angle) to 24mm (moderately wide angle). There's nothing telephoto about it, but it still zooms.

[Jillybean_tx]

Thanks for the help in understanding some of this. It is all new to me. I have always used a point and shoot camera (film and digital) and know nothing about DSLR. I have been reading the manual that came with the camera but it doesn't really make sense to me. I want to learn how to use it correctly and not leave it on Auto or the other modes that the camera does everything for you. Hopefully I will learn some things here.