Lense for a T2i

[dfedzina]

My wife recently gave me the go ahead to get a new DSLR and I've decided on the T2i (yet to purchase as I want to see if kit or buying lense separate is cheaper). I'm really a newbie with photography, but want to be able to get really nice shots of my new son around the house and for vacations. I don't anticipate ever getting serious with photography to the point of really caring a lot about the corners of a photo. I stumbled across this site and have been reading a lot for the past week or so. I've read a lot of great reviews/opinions and gained a lot of insight. Anyway, my lense options formy budget (around $300-$350 in addition to the body) are limited as far as I can see. I can either purchase the T2i with the 18-55 lense and add the 55-250, or just pick up the 18-135 or 28-135.All 3 optionswill run right around the same price ($1,100 with camera). What would you do? If you think of other alternatives, I have an open mind.

[darklord]

Be careful, buddy. I started out thinking the same thingnot caring about corners etc but after barely one year, I now have 4-5 large tied up in my camera and lenses.[]


The 18-55 and 55-250 combo is a good one to start with. Go to the 18-135 if you really don't want to change lenses. But the 18-135 is heavy and expensive and the 18-55 and 55-250 are very light so very easy to change and carry.

[Shea Design]

I would get the body & a 50mm f/1.8 AND 85mm f/1.8 - Now I don't expect a newish photographer to understand that advice, but if you want sharp images and the ability to open up the aperture for subject isolation Via thin DOF - these two gems can bring it. Natural light,.. etc.


The problem with zooms is there is too much glass in the tube, softening and adding aberration along the way. The problem with kit lenses is you typically outgrow them and they rarely offer the features mentioned above.


Open that mind as far as you can, you can always start with the nifty fifty for under $100 and see what fast primes are all about.


-Shea

[Chris White]

Welcome to the forum dfedzina. As darklord points out it may become more addicting than you now know.


As far as glass goes, $300-$350 does not buy you the best available. It will be better than P/S, though. As an example, the EF-S 17-55 lens is generally considered to be the best of the general purpose zooms for APS-C bodies, but it runs around $1100.


I would suggest you go down one level to the T1i. Still images will be excellent and not very distinguishable from the T2i. The main advantage to the T2i is the better video recording capabilities. If video is important to you, then stick with with the T2i. If you are mainly interested in still photography, I would recommend the T1i. Currently the rebates favor it. If you click on the "Canon News" tab at the top of the page you can see the current offers. As of today it can be had with the 18-55 and 55-250 lenses for $900.00. You can put the extra $200 towards better glass down the road.


Although you may want to consider 50D or better, in the price range you mentioned, these are your options. The more you spend, the better gear you will get. Therefore, any suggestions need to be considered within you budget to be useful. If you can spend more, I would look to a 7D as a body.


For what it worth, of the lenses you mention, the 28-135 is the best of the group.


Chris

[Sheiky]

Well I guess I'm going against the first two advices for a couple of reasons.


My advice is to buy the T2i with the 18-55 kit lens. Since it's in the kit it only costs you about 50 bucks more?


I suggest you to shoot a lot the first few weeks/months and see what you like and don't like about your camera and lens. This is particulairy interesting because you are mentioning longer zoom lenses in your list.


If I would recommend you a lens with a lot of zoom it would be at the loss of aperture. If I would suggest you one good low-light lens, it would be at the loss of the longer focal lengths or even the zoom capability(with primes). Either way you would loose at some point. Since you are a beginner, you probably haven't figured out what is more important to you, so it would be a game of chance and you might lose that game.


Anyway if you save up some money, buy the kit-lens, practice a lot, see what you long for and buy a second lens from the money you have saved....you'll probably enjoy it much more.


If you really do want to buy a good lens now, it's a tough choice between the longer zooms and low-light capabilities.


If you're looking for a good general lens which has good aperture and image quality, take a look at the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non-IS


It fits your budget and will be the best zoom you can get for your money in this focal range. Which is often enough, since you can crop a lot with 18MP if necessary...


For the longer lenses you listed I know just as much as you do by reading the reviews.


If you do want to get a better low-light lens with the kit-lens you could take a look at the Canon 50mm f1.8 prime, which is awesome for the money.


Good luck choosing!


Jan

[dfedzina]

Well I definitely appreciate all your responses so far in a quick time frame. Keep your thoughts coming. I have a lot to ponder over.

[StapledPhoto]

Welcome to the forums!


My vote is for the T1i kit. It's $200 cheaper than the T2i kit, $235 cheaper if you're getting the 55-250 with the current rebates. I'd say you're better off putting that money towards your new glass fund, but read the reviews and see if the T2i is worth the extra money to you.


If you know that you're going to want a telephoto lens, the 55-250 is the best option before you get into some expensive territory. I'd say it's worth the extra money over the other entry-level telephoto options, canon's being the 75-300. 250 and 300 are not very different at all so I wouldn't worry about that.


I'd really recommend getting the 50 1.8. At ~$100, you get a cheap introduction into the world of wide aperture lenses. If not as part of your starting kit then soon afterward. Having that type of lens will let you play with depth of field more and figure out what kind of photography you really enjoy.


Shea said to get the 85 1.8 as well. It's a great lens, and its focusing and build are way better than the 50's, but you can get a feel for wide aperture from the 50 and save the decision on getting the much more expensive 85 for after you've gotten a taste and see how you like it.


To summarize:

• T1i + 18-55 + 55-250 kit $900
• 50 f/1.8 $100
  

A great kit for $1000 right now at B&H. Leaves you with money leftover to put towards your next lens after figuring out what you want.


If you want the T2i it's as follows:

• T2i + 18-55 kit $900
• 55-250 $235
  
• 50 f/1.8 $100

Still a great starter package at $1235, but what is that extra money really getting you?


Cheers,


-Yoni

[Sheiky]

see if the T2i is worth the extra money to you

The biggest improvements I see to the 500D/T1i are the 63-zone iFCL metering system and the video-capabilties are increased.


There are also a few small(less important) changes:


- the screen is 3:2 aspect with a higher resolution.


- It has 18MP vs 15MP


- It's slightly faster in burst, 3.7 frames/sec vs 3.4 frames/sec


- and some other like ISO-performance, which you can all read about in the reviews.


I think Yoni is right that with the current rebates(till 31 juli) the 500D/T1i can be very interesting!


Jan

[dfedzina]

Thanks everyone. Now i'm seriously taking a look at the Canon T1i with the 18-55 and 55-250 kit lenses, and also picking up the 50 f1.8. Everyone keeps talking about the rebates. Where do I go to see the rebates and how do they work?


Thanks - Dave

[Chris White]

Dave,

Everyone keeps talking about the rebates. Where do I go to see the rebates and how do they work?

The great thing about the rebates is they are already reflected in the prices we have been quoting. Canon lowers the price to the dealers and reputable dealers pass them along. This brings up a good point that you may not be aware of. Beware of online dealers with unreasonably lower prices. Most of them are unscrupulous boiler rooms that are selling stripped kits, for example the battery is not included, refurbished or used. They then try to sell you over priced less than generic items. By the time they get done you may end up paying hundreds more than if you went to a reputable authorized Canon dealer.


The other thing to keep in mind about a couple of the lenses mentioned is that although they are good lenses, they have a very shallow depth of field at f/1.8. The main thing you need to know without a long technical discussion is that when used wide open -- at f/1.8 -- images may be soft or slightly out of focus. You may need to stop them down to get sharper images. Higher end Canon bodies have AF micro adjustment which allows you to calibrate the camera and lens for optimum auto focus. I do not believe that either the T1i or T2i have this feature.


For what is worth, I am seriously looking at the T1i for a "take along camera". For clarification of that good advice you may want to look up the "BYCS" thread here. Just enter BYCS in the search function at the top right corner of the forums page.


Chris
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