Which lens to get?

[Jillybean_tx]

I am new to DSLR photography and got my Canon EOS Rebel XSi in October of this year. I got the kit lens (18-55 IS) with it but feel like I need a zoom of some kind. I take a lot of travel photos and shots of my son (programs with school, etc) and just can't get close enough with the kit lens when I need to.

My dilemma is I can't decide between two lenses that I think will help me with this. They are the Canon 70-300 and the Canon 55-250. I like that the 55-250 lens has IS but am not sure it's worth giving up the extra zoom that the other has.

My buget is about $250 so these are really the only lenses I can afford at this time.

Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

[OsmosisStudios]

Lets cover 2 things here: You HAVE a zoom lens. It changes focal length and is therefore termed a zoom lens (vari-focal, I know, but hey).

what you need is a LONGER zoom. Something with a longer focal length and thus more "reach"

The 55-250IS is a great lens, especially for the price. You're comparing it either to the 75-300 (non IS) or the 70-300 IS. Canon don't make a 70-300 non IS.

I'd go with either the 55-250IS or the 70-300IS, but that's me.

[Jillybean_tx]

Thanks, Os.

Yes, the 55-250 is an IS lens and I found it for $239.99 which I thought was a great price.

The 75-300 is not an IS lens (the IS was too far out of my budget) so I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra 50 of zoom.

Both have aperture of f/4-5.6.

Thanks.

[inkista]

Ok, I think we're talking about three different lenses here.

The EF 70-300 IS USM is about $500-$600 new, so that's probably not the lens you're talking about.

The EF-S 55-250 IS you have dead to rights. And it would be the one I'd recommend going for, simply because it's a newer lens with a good optical design. With one caveat. The lens does not have USM. So, its autofocus performance will be slightly slower. If you plan on shooting sports with this lens, you want to know that this might be an annoyance.

The EF 75-300 III, which I think is what you're looking at, pricewise, is a much older lens--practically one of the oldest in the current Canon lineup. It's optically soft at the 300mm end, and being just as slow and longer and unstabilized will make it harder to use (which is why the 70-300 IS USM whomps it, but also why it costs more than twice as much). If you're shopping used, you might possibly find the IS USM version, but I believe that new they only offer the non-USM and USM versions. I own the plain vanilla non-USM non-IS version, and while it's usable and can give you good images, the samples I've seen from the 55-250 are better, and you'll have IS. And the 55-250 IS is smaller and lighter, making it a great travel lens.

If you have found a 70-300 IS USM for $250 in good condition--grab it. That's a bargain price.

[natek313]

Another thing you're really going to want to consider is the maximum aperture. If you're going to be shooting a lot of indoor performances, the f/4-5.6 aperture range just isn't going to cut it unless you bump the ISO to 800 or 1600, and ISO 1600 is not pretty on the XSi. Haha.

But, if your budget is only $250, then my suggestion would also be the 55-250mm f/4-5.6. The IS on it might save you when you're shooting indoors. I owned the lens for about 6 months, and it served me well considering the price.

[nswphotos]

Go with the 55-250 IS, it's fantastic for a throw around lens,(it's not expensive to replace) & because it has the is you can get the shutter speed down to compensate for the apeture,(if required) I use it as my outdoor lens or at the school doos when I'm stuck at the back. You will not be disapointed with it, and the quality of the picture is also comparable to other high end lenes.

[Jillybean_tx]

Thanks for the input everyone. I was leaning toward the 55-250 because of the IS so that will probably be the one I get.

I looked at the 75-300 that is $500+ but just don't have the funds right now to go that much and since I'm new to DSLR photogrpahy I don't want to spend that amount of money on something that I won't use to its fullest capacity.

I'm also taking a trip to Las Vegas in January and wanted a longer zoom for that trip and I think the 55-250 will be a great addition to my kit lens.

Thanks again for helping me to make up my mind.