Rebel XS and kit lens (18-55)

[Scrapgirl3]

I just got my very first SLR and I haven't completely read the manuel yet, however I have been playing around with it.
It appears to me that the lens does not zoom very well at all. In fact, if I am doing it right, it appears that my old point and shoot gets better zoom than the lens on the Canon. Could that be right?
Do I already need to get a new lens just to take basic photos of my children's sporting events? I'm not looking for professional pictures, just good photos from the sidelines.
If I am zooming wrong, how do I zoom?

Thanks,
Lisa

[davefootball123]

I assume u are using manual zoom. But the kit lenses aren't very good and have an equivelent zoom of 3x. So u may want to get a 50-200mm or something like that. Mabye even an 18-200mm multi function

[JamesV]

Lisa,

Congrats on the new camera and Welcome to the forum.

As stated the kit lens isn't going to out zoom your point and shoot camera. For sports a longer zoom is needed. Just a few questions?

What is your budget for the lens? What kind of sports do they play, is it all inside, outdoors or both? Would it also consist of outdoor at night?

Take a look around and hope you stay, this is a great place for help and information. Be sure to check out the "Sports" forum for tips and help that you might run into.

James

[Scrapgirl3]

They play outdoor and indoor- soccer, swimming, basketball. Plus all their other stuff like band, etc...
I think I am going to have to spring for a different lens, someone was advising me to rent one first to see if it will work. I might try that option so I can not spend money on a lens I won't use.
Pricewise, I don't mind spending money on something I am going to keep and use forever.

[JamesV]

Renting a lens is a great way to figure out which is a good fit for you. I am going thru the same thing, I can't decide between 2 lenses so I will end up renting them and see how they compare. I rent my lens from LensRentals and never had any problems.

James

[Loupey]

Even before you rent, I think you should go into a superstore (or even to just a "store" like BestBuy) to handle them to get an idea of what you think you'll want to rent. Sounds like you may need something like a 70-300mm lens to complement the 18-55mm.

If you're looking into superzooms (>10:1 zoom ratio), the 18-200mm might be of interest to you. I don't have firsthand experience with it by others here do and seems to get some nice reviews.