Upgrade to t1i Kit lens?

[Joe Butch]

Looking to replace my kit lens for a new "walking around lens" any suggestions on what to consider?

[NicoleScraps]

I have the same camera and I have been looking at this lens for general use. I would love to hear if someone has this lens and what they think of it.

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Joe Butch

Looking to replace my kit lens for a new "walking around lens" any suggestions on what to consider?

It would help if you gave a budget and a list of why you want to replace the kit lens. Also, (sorry, I know this sounds patronizing), if your list is just "I want something better." are you sure it's not your technique that needs improving more than the glass? And that what you really want is a replacement, rather than a supplement?

SLR lenses tend to be better at being special purpose tools, not general-purpose ones.

[Joe Butch]

I want to replace the kit lens preferably with something faster with a larger zoom. Price range is under $600

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Joe Butch

I want to replace the kit lens preferably with something faster with a larger zoom. Price range is under $600

Ok, that lens doesn't exist.

You can have faster (Tamron 17-50 f/2.8) or you can have a larger zoom range (EF-S 18-135, EF-S 18-200, EF-S 17-85, etc. etc. which are pretty much all the same f/3.5-5.6 max aperture your kit lens is). But you can't have both.

The lenses that probably closest fits your criteria are the EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM (which is slower than the kit lens at the wide end, but faster at the long end), but it's $900, or the EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM (which is longer, but actually has pretty much the same zoom range as the kit 70/24 = 2.9x, 55/18 = 3.0x) which is $1300.

The lens you may want to consider is the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. It's longer than your kit lens, and hecka faster, costs about $400. It just doesn't zoom.

Personally, I'd say get a telephoto zoom (EF-S 55-250 IS or EF 70-300 IS USM) for longer reach, and a fast prime (50/1.8, 85/1.8, 35/2) for portraits and low light, or save up for an f/2.8 zoom.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Joe Butch

I want to replace the kit lens preferably with something faster with a larger zoom. Price range is under $600

You're not going to get faster and larger range. There's the 17-55 f/2.8 IS (and the many off-brand equivalents), but even it costs upwards of $1000, generally. You can get a lens with a larger zoom range for under $600, but it won't be any faster then what you have.

[Joe Butch]

Thanks for the advice. I actually just upgraded my 50mm 1.8 to a 50mm 1.4.

What are your thoughts on the lens Nicole linked? EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Joe Butch

What are your thoughts on the lens Nicole linked? EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

I've never even seen one, but by the reviews, it looks solid but not stellar. Kind of like the EF-S 55-250 IS (which by looks and design looks like a sibling). The price ($400) is right, and it's definitely better optically than the EF-S 18-200 IS. The thing is, there's this oldfart rule of thumb that says any lens that has more than a 3x zoom range is likely to have optical compromises. How much those compromises matter to you is a matter of taste and budget.

The EF-S 18-135 IS was made to replace the old designed-for-film EF 28-135 IS USM that a lot of folks were purchasing for the zoom range when digital bodies first started coming out. The problem, of course, was that 28mm isn't particularly wide on a crop body.

If you're willing to pay a higher price for more optical quality, then the EF-S 15-85 IS USM (which replaces the EF-S 17-85 IS USM) might be more the ticket, but at $700+ it is awfully expensive for a slow zoom.

[Joe Butch]

Originally Posted by inkista

I've never even seen one, but by the reviews, it looks solid but not stellar. Kind of like the EF-S 55-250 IS (which by looks and design looks like a sibling). The price ($400) is right, and it's definitely better optically than the EF-S 18-200 IS. The thing is, there's this oldfart rule of thumb that says any lens that has more than a 3x zoom range is likely to have optical compromises. How much those compromises matter to you is a matter of taste and budget.

The EF-S 18-135 IS was made to replace the old designed-for-film EF 28-135 IS USM that a lot of folks were purchasing for the zoom range when digital bodies first started coming out. The problem, of course, was that 28mm isn't particularly wide on a crop body.

If you're willing to pay a higher price for more optical quality, then the EF-S 15-85 IS USM (which replaces the EF-S 17-85 IS USM) might be more the ticket, but at $700+ it is awfully expensive for a slow zoom.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to go with the EF-S 15-85 IS USM and a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens. These I think will pair up nicely with the 50mm 1.4 and make my lens collection complete for a while.