Canon 600d: what lens pack to get 18-55 (+zoom lens) or 18-135mm?

[orion318]

Hey guys,

I'm getting a new (my first) dslr for my birthday.
Coming from a FZ38 i appreciate having some zoom to play with.
Deciding between the Canon 600D vs the Nikon 5100 i'm more inclined for the Canon model atm.

But now i'm not sure which lens pack i should go for.

The 18-55mm pack is the cheapest retailing at 659€
The guy at a store where i played with the cameras said i should get it with the 18-135 which costs about 859€ but is well worth the difference in his opinion.

What do you guys think about this?
In the online store i'm thinking about buying from i can get for about the same price difference a Canon EF 75-300m f/4.0-5.6 III (219€) and get the extra zoom for about the same overall costs.
BTW there's the same lens with USM for 10€ less what's the difference? which is best? quick search online made me assume having USM would be better but it doesn't make sense that it is cheaper with it :S
And then there are the Sigmas etc..
I don't really know my way around lenses so i could use your help.

Any recomendations?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Cheers,

[dlambert]

Just to be clear - you're talking about either the 18-55 or the 18-135 -- not both, right?

I think the 18-135 might be worth considering if you're looking at it as an entry-level walk-around lens. The 18-135 is optically pretty similar to the 18-55 -- image quality is ok, but not outstanding, and optical speed is pretty meager. I believe the build quality on the 18-135 might be a touch better than the 18-55, but not by a ton. You won't get the kind of zoom range from this lens alone that you've got on the FZ35.

The two biggest needs that the 18-135 isn't going to cover for you are high-speed / high-quality and reach. At some point, you're very likely to want a lens that's f/2.8 or faster for its low-light performance and shallow DOF capabilities, and if you want to keep the whole zoom range of the FZ35, you're going to need a lens of 300mm or more.

I'd recommend taking a little time and thinking about where you want to be, lens-wise, in several years, and then think about whether you're buying lenses that are in that picture right off the bat, or buying lenses to tide you over until you can get the lenses you really want. Both of these are valid strategies, but you'll be better off figuring out which one you're trying to accomplish before you set out, rather than stumbling into a plan along the way.

If you're trying to buy lenses you're going to keep forever, I'd skip both the 18-55 and the 18-135. If you're looking at lenses you can use while you're learning the camera, though (and personally, I think this makes sense), then I'd either get the 18-135 all by itself and live with the shorter reach for now, or get the 18-55 plus a 55-250 or the higher-priced 70-300 IS USM. I'd skip the 75-300 -- I really haven't heard a lot of enthusiastic reviews for that lens.

If you buy lenses with the expectation of upgrading them, you'll lose a little bit of money when you go to sell the lens, obviously, but I think you'll find that used equipment (especially high-quality lenses) hold their value fairly well, so you can look at this as cheap lens rental. The experience you'll gain by shooting for a while is a lot more valuable, and I think it'll help you understand what you want to look for in a lens upgrade so that it fits the types of photos you want to take a lot better.

[orion318]

yes either.
For the price of the 18-135 i can get the 18-55 plus a 75-300 that's what i ment.
My reasoning was that if the cost is about the same then i'd be better off with the later.
The 18-55 only comes in at 50€ packed with the body..

but if you don't really rate the 75-300 would the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS Type II be a better choice? They also have a pack with that.


is there something more appealing from sigma, tamron etc?

[inkista]

Yes. The 55-250 IS is designed for digital bodies. The 75-300 III was designed back in the '80s for film cameras and does not have IS (stabilization).

The 18-55 IS/55-250 IS twin kit will give you more range, and slightly better image quality than the 18-135 IS, but the 18-135 IS won't require you to swap lenses when going from the wider focal lengths to the longer ones. It's up to you which is more valuable to you and what and how you like to shoot. Some folks might even say go for the 18-200, but I think the 18-135 or 18-55/55-250 give you better value-for-the-cost.

They're all consumer-grade lenses without USM, and they're all EF-S, which means they're designed for crop bodies and can't be used on film or a full-frame body like the 5d. They're also all slow lenses, with small max. apertures.

You'll probably be happy with either choice. I wouldn't advocate going much more expensive than this, though (I.e., going body-only and picking up a pro-grade L lens), until you have more experience with lenses so you'll have a better idea what you want.

[dlambert]

Ok, so you're really trading off the convenience of the 18-135 for the extra range in the two-lens kit. I'd look up some reviews on the 75-300 vs. the 55-250. Most of the reviews you'll see for the 55-250 are for the original version (that's what I had) as the "II" is brand-new this summer. I believe the "II" is very similar optically, but with better IS and possibly an updated element or two to reduce flaring. I was happy with the 55-250.

Sigma & Tamron both have a pretty wide range of lenses, with some that are well-liked and others not so much. You can find all sorts of review that'll tell you how they stack up against the equivalent Canon lenses, but I'm not sure you're going to appreciate the tradeoffs until you've done some shooting. Many Tamron lenses, for instance, are sharp but don't focus as quickly as Canon or Sigma. Depending on the types of photography you do, that could be no big deal, or it could be an absolute killer. That's one of the reasons why you might have to just take a reasonable guess at a first setup and put some miles on it.

If I had to take a complete shot in the dark for a new DSLR setup, I'd take the 18-55 plus 55-250. These are decent lenses optically, and they'll give you a sense of what it's like to compose and shoot with multiple lenses. If you find that you just can't stand changing lenses, and you're willing to give up optical quality to cover a wide range with a single lens, there are lenses for that (the Tamron 18-270 springs to mind).

The next lens I'd look at adding is a fast prime like the 50mm f/1.8. Some people really enjoy shooting with fixed lenses because it forces you to think about your shot a little more and "compose with your feet", and you can't beat the speed and DOF control of a fast prime. Some folks end up with only primes, in fact.

At that point, you should be very well on your way to understanding where you want your next upgrade, which could be more / better glass or lighting. You're going to want to pay attention to where you feel your lenses fall short of your needs and see where some other lenses might fit that bill. Typically, you'll find that upgraded lenses offer features like improved build quality, faster optics, faster, quieter focusing, full-time manual focusing, and weather sealing. You'll see lenses with different zoom ranges -- 17-85 vs. 24-135, for instance, and the more you shoot, the more you'll start to understand which ranges are the most useful for the type of shooting you do. Making a decision based on knowledge of how you shoot is going to be more reliable than a blind recommendation.

[orion318]

Actually i'm now i bit more inclined to the Nikon 5100 for the better low light performance.

Question about lenses still stands
Here they have a 55-200 and a 55-300 is the quality similar for both these lenses?

[amrit]

Hello,
I am saving for my first DSLR.I really dont know first
Canno or Nikon??
2. If i want to spend less money which oe it should be
we have saturn in germany in this store these cameras are avaiable i m writing also the price and lens could you please please please suggest me the right one i can spend money upto 900 Euros for a right choice.
Cannon 1100D 18-55mm ad 75-300 for 499 Euros
Nikon D3100 18-55 mm and 50-200 for 599 Euros
CANON EOS 500D 18-55+75-300mm for 599 Euros
CANON EOS 600D 18-55mm IS II for 629 Euros
NIKON D 5100+18-55mm VR for 609 Euros
NIKON D 5100 + AF-S DX 18-105mm VR 749 Euros
CANON EOS 600D + EF-S 18-135mm IS 839 Euros
CANON EOS 600 D + 18-55 MM IS + 55-250MM IS 849 Euros
Please help me i would be really thankfull to you for the help i just want a wise decision as mmoney doesnt matter for me