Newbie needing lens advice

[Deanna]

Hi! This is my first time on this forum. I’ve been reading a lot of the posts and find them very helpful, thank you. In April I will be purchasing my first digital SLR, the Canon Rebel XT. I was contemplating the 20D, but think the Rebel XT is the most bang for the buck. From what I’ve read, it has been suggested to not buy the kit because the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is not that great. So I would love suggestions on what lens to buy. My budget is around $400. I will be taking mostly nature photos, and am looking for a good all round/every day lens to get me started. I would also like the lens to be compatible with future cameras, whereas the kit lens is only compatible with the 20D or Rebel XT. Thank you for any suggestions you may have!!

[JSPhoto]

Actually a better deal may be the new 30D. But lns wise you can go a number of ways. For a single lens that covers just about any situation there is the Canon 28-300 but it's price is $2400 Sigma has the 50-500 but it's pretty pricey too.. For most nature you need something with a long reach. A 600mm would be great, but ots $7,000

JS

[another view]

I don't know much about Canon - I use that other brand...

In general, I think it's a good idea to spend the money on lenses and save it on the camera body unless there's an important reason to do it otherwise. For example, a Rebel XT probably wouldn't be the thing to get if you're trying to get a career shooting sports. Nature doesn't move very quickly so I think you can get excellent results with that camera. I guess we should clarify if you're talking about scenic stuff, landscapes, etc or wildlife though.

Others can give you more advice, but I'd probably go with the Rebel XT and maybe the "next up" lens. Oh, and a sturdy tripod!

[Deanna]

Thank you both for your replies. Unfortunately the 30D is out of my price range.

To answer the question about what natures shots I would be taking, it will mostly be scenic photos while camping/hiking and also along the shores of the ocean.

I was thinking of buying the Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Aspherical (IF) Lens. Any positive or negative thoughts about this lens?

Thanks again!

[SmartWombat]

With a small budget, I'd say the 30D doesn't offer that much more than the 20D that you will want ... and the good news is the introduction of the 30D will encourage the prices of the 20D to drop in the stores.

I really don't know enough about lens prices in the US to recommend a specific one.

If you're taking scenic shots, then take a tripod with you. Because you will want to use a small aperture (f16, f22) and a long shutter speed with a slow ISO speed to get the best quality, and the greatest depth of field.

The only Sigma lens I used gave quite good images, but the autofocus was too slow for me and the image stabilisation not good enough - compared to the Canon equivalent.
The difference is, I wasn't on a tight budget ... so I bought Canon.

[Deanna]

SmartWombat, thank you for the feedback about your experience with Sigma. I went to http://www.bhphotovideo.com to see if I could find info about the comparable Canon lens you mentioned but didn't see it. Would you please let me know the model, because I could stretch my budget if it isn't significantly more.

By the way, I'm all set with a tripod. Fortunately I won't need to upgrade it.

[Anbesol]

Hi! This is my first time on this forum. I’ve been reading a lot of the posts and find them very helpful, thank you. In April I will be purchasing my first digital SLR, the Canon Rebel XT. I was contemplating the 20D, but think the Rebel XT is the most bang for the buck. From what I’ve read, it has been suggested to not buy the kit because the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is not that great. So I would love suggestions on what lens to buy. My budget is around $400. I will be taking mostly nature photos, and am looking for a good all round/every day lens to get me started. I would also like the lens to be compatible with future cameras, whereas the kit lens is only compatible with the 20D or Rebel XT. Thank you for any suggestions you may have!!

Well a common misconception among people looking at the 20D and rebel XT is that they use the same image sensors, when in fact - they do not. The 20D's image sensor is significantly better with noise performance and all around better performance. In addition to that - the 20D FEELS like a real camera, whereas the XT feels a little tight adn small, dont know what they were thinking when they made that , light and compact my foot - more like cramped and uncomfortable :P.

no but seriously i love both cameras both are very good camera's and CMOS technologies are hard to beat.. either way you go you'll be happy. go with the kit - it only adds $100 and you have a decent daily-use. it is a lot better then many people give credit for...

hope that helps.

newb here :P, thought I'd help somebody out before i asked for help..

[dmm96452]

On a budget of about $400 I would probably go with something like this. The Canon 28 -135 f3.5 - 5.6 IS. For the type of shots it sounds like you want to take it should do well. It has a good range from fairly wide angle to telephoto (about 45 - 216 on the Rebel XT) and the Image Stabilizer will be a great help when you are hiking and don't want to take the time to set a tripod up. It has gotten good reviews here as well.

Hope this helps.

[dmm96452]

...I was thinking of buying the Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Aspherical (IF) Lens. Any positive or negative thoughts about this lens?

Thanks again!

It seems well reviewed (only 3 reviews) but it is a DC (Sigma's designation for digital only lenses) lens so if at some time you upgrade to a camera with a full frame sensor you will not be able to use it.

[Loupey]

There was another thread similar to this in the Canon forum. In case you have not yet read that here it is 20D lens for SHARP photos

To reiterate what was said there, the Canon 24-85 was recommended. It would fulfill your requirement for "a good all round/every day lens to get me started". As for nature, it may not be wide enough nor long enough depending on your subject matter. But, it is compatible with both digital and film bodies. Sharpness is good. And within your budget.

As for trying to get a single zoom to cover one extreme to another (i.e. 18-200), doing that will probably provide you a lens that you will quickly outgrow. Better to wait and get a Canon 17-40 for landscapes and Canon 70-200 f4/f2.8 for sports/nature later.

[SmartWombat]

I was shooting motorsport with the Sigma 80-400 G IS Zoom.
Comparaed to the Canon 100-400 L IS at approximately the same zoom range.
But about 50% higher price !

I don't think that £1200 ($1800?) is in your price range, or what you need.
Unless you're going to start photgraphing birds or other wildlife as well as "mostly scenic photos" then you don't want the longer lens.
Perhaps just as important while you're camping/hiking you won't want all that weight !

[Deanna]

Thank you all for the latest advice! I am going to look into the following that have been suggested:
Canon 28 -135 f3.5 - 5.6 IS
Canon 24-85
Canon 17-40
Canon 70-200 f4/f2.8

It's so tough to start off just committing to one lens, but it will help me learn and decide what lenses I want/need in the future. Thanks again!