must have lenses

[ntinlizi]

Originally Posted by takethislife5150

at $100.. the canon 50mm f1.8 is a fantastic lens

ive seen your posts around alot, and have found them to be very helpful! the 50mm is sounding better by the minute

[harrypalmer044]

if your going to go for a 50mm try and save for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
it's a bit more expensive than the 1.8 but far better build quality.

[ntinlizi]

Originally Posted by harrypalmer044

if your going to go for a 50mm try and save for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
it's a bit more expensive than the 1.8 but far better build quality.

yeah that would deffinately be what id get.... im just trying to get all my lenses covered, and im just having a terrible time with the brain farts (excuse my crudeness) today! got the kit, zoom, gonna have wide angle, still trying to figure out the telephoto. see when i bought my 55-250, i was under the impression that that was a telephoto! theres just way to many different lenses lol. i really need someone to just spell it out! what lens do i get from each lens type (example telephoto, wide angle, zoom, etc)

[takethislife5150]

Telephoto is usually defined as a lens from around 70m onward
Zoom is any kind of lens with a variable focal length.
50mm f1.8 <- Prime
18-55mm f3.5 <- Zoom

You weren't wrong in your thinking that the 55-250 is a telephoto

[ntinlizi]

nice! im starting to get it!

[vsa]

A good advice I've read and heard many times:
If you don't know why you're getting it, you don't need it.

Get to know the gear you got first and then judge if you need more or better lenses. Or if you got just shitload of money to spend (I'm talking about the "wiping your ass with $100 bills" level) then just go all out with any and every L lens you see (note that this last sentece is really bad advice).

I don't know whether you're total beginner or full pro (not very likely? ) or whatever but sounds like you need to do more research on lenses overall and get to know what means what and how stuff work. You can always get more and better gear later but what's the point if you don't really need them or don't know how to get the best out of them. I know I'm lusting after all them red circle (Canon L series) lenses when I see them but I know I don't really need them since I'm just a hobbyist. Nor can I even afford them. >.<

[ntinlizi]

Originally Posted by vsa

A good advice I've read and heard many times:
If you don't know why you're getting it, you don't need it.

Get to know the gear you got first and then judge if you need more or better lenses. Or if you got just shitload of money to spend (I'm talking about the "wiping your ass with $100 bills" level) then just go all out with any and every L lens you see (note that this last sentece is really bad advice).

I don't know whether you're total beginner or full pro (not very likely? ) or whatever but sounds like you need to do more research on lenses overall and get to know what means what and how stuff work. You can always get more and better gear later but what's the point if you don't really need them or don't know how to get the best out of them. I know I'm lusting after all them red circle (Canon L series) lenses when I see them but I know I don't really need them since I'm just a hobbyist. Nor can I even afford them. >.<

very true, i feel like the more i try to research, the more confused i get, there is so much to learn! i think ive got the ones i own down, just wish i would have done more research before i had bought them. thanks for all your help!

[sk66]

Originally Posted by ntinlizi

what are the must have lenses that every one uses? i have a canon rebel xsi with a 18-55mm and a 55-250mm (which im now thinking wasnt the best choice). i mostly shoot landscapes, portraits, close ups/macro. and dont have a whole lot of money to be spending... so i guess im asking what you guys think is the best lens to buy for all these photography types.

IMO, save your money.
Work with what you have and learn it well...When lens quality is what's holding your pics back, then upgrade.
If anything, that 10-20 might be a good addition.
FWIW, there is no such thing as "perfect kit" for everyone or a lens "everyone uses".
Of my kit, I have 2 "specialty lenses", a 10-20mm and a 150mm f2.8 macro. They were bought specifically for what they can do and my other lenses can't. My other lenses are zooms and have their "compromises", but they've never prevented me from getting good pictures.

[ntinlizi]

Originally Posted by sk66

IMO, save your money.
Work with what you have and learn it well...When lens quality is what's holding your pics back, then upgrade.
If anything, that 10-20 might be a good addition.
FWIW, there is no such thing as "perfect kit" for everyone or a lens "everyone uses".
Of my kit, I have 2 "specialty lenses", a 10-20mm and a 150mm f2.8 macro. They were bought specifically for what they can do and my other lenses can't. My other lenses are zooms and have their "compromises", but they've never prevented me from getting good pictures.

i was just trying to get a general idea of what other people are using. not planning on getting another lens for a while anyways. but i do know that the next one i get will be the 10-22mm....will be saving for a while though.

[inkista]

Agreed. What other people are using isn't necessarily a great guide. This is more like clothes shopping--what fits or works for someone else may not fit or work for you. You're looking for the best fit for what and how you shoot.

For example, the second lens I bought was an 8mm circular fisheye, because I was fascinated with spherical panorama shooting. This is NOT a lens most other shooters would have/want/need in their lineups at all, let alone get as their second lens. But it was perfect for me and it never leaves my bag.

You have to work out what you want from a lens and how much you're willing to pay for it.

This is a good basic guide on lens features and why you might want them.

I'm with everyone else in saying, if you don't know what you want, then wait until you do. Also realize that the lenses you have are perfectly fine. Getting "better" lenses may not actually improve your photos any if you haven't yet learned how to get the best out of them and how much light they need. Stopping down to f/8 goes a long way for sharpness. Good handholding technique or a tripod (or just paying attention to your shutter speed) goes a long way to eliminating motion blur. Mastering your autofocus system and learning to use a single focus point and help with sharpness. Post-processing can do wonders with contrast, saturation, and sharpness.

Try seeing how far technique gets you before going to the glass. You really only want to go to the gear when technique fails you and isn't going to get you what you want.