streetracing901

I finnaly saved up enough money to purchase a lens. I have a Rebel Xt. I think this camera can take some way better pictures if it wasnt for the crappy 15-55 lens that it came with. I want something that would be more of a all purpose lens. Due to my age money is a issue and I wont be purchasing another lens for quite some time. I have around $500 to spend and would like IS. Is there any lens that you guys would reccomend before I go out and decide for myself? The guy at the Ritz Camera told me that the brand doesnt really matter. I was trying to purchase a canon lens and he said brand doesnt really matter. Let me get some advice from the camera guru's please. Thanks.

wndrlst

There's lots of good info in this thread. Check it out, & see if it helps you.

I have the EF-S 17-85 IS. While not the sharpest lens in Canon's line-up, I've been pleased with the results most of the time, and it's a great range for a walk around. It does have pretty noticeable distortion at its extremes, esp at the widest angle. B&H has the import for $500, & the US product for $515.

Dan Martin

I also think the 17-85 would fit your needs well. The Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 would be another great choice, although it doesn't have IS, it is a little cheaper and quite a bit faster: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

streetracing901

Some people have told me they love IS, then some say they rather save a few hundred. Anyone have any personal experience with IS? Is it worth it? Thanks for the info so far btw.

fdl

IS is helpful in some situations, and useless in others. Personally I would rather have a faster lens than something slightly slower with IS.

fdl

But if money is no object, I'll take something fast with IS

streetracing901

Im looking at some of the lens. Most of the IS are up in the 4 digits. Crap I guess i'll have to settle with a quick lens. Whats a good quick lens?

streetracing901

I stumbled upon this. What do you guys think?

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-17-85mm-...e=UTF8&s=photo

cl_jay

Umm...

streetracing901

Sorry I should have paid more attention. Whats the difference in the Imported and the US product? Thanks for helping me find my new lens.

wackjum

Import lenses are usually slightly cheaper but Canon USA might not (will not, but you never know) acknowledge them for warranty repairs.

They are brought into the US by the dealer who is selling them and you return it to them for repairs, in an ideal situation.

Generally, if I was going to pay the new price for a lens, I would not buy an import one.

streetracing901

Thanks, I just want to know. whats a quick lens also? Just so I can do a little more research. I shoot alot of parties around town, so I though of getting IS for the night shots. But I also shoot auto events that would require something a little quicker.

wndrlst

^^

wackjum

I'm not 100% sure your question was what is a quick lens as in give me examples of quick lenses or what is a quick lens in general? Also, the usual term is "fast" lens.

Anyway, to answer both possible questions:

A 2.8 lens is going to be about as fast as you get for a zoom. There's some 4/3 lenses that have a 2.0 for zooms but you can't use those lenses. So that 17-85 2.8 is a fast lens.

If you don't know what a fast lens is, it just means it has a wide max aperture. For zooms, 2.8 is about as fast as it gets. With primes, you can get them in the 1.4 range. A bigger aperture means you can use a faster shutter speed. Hence the name.


I think for the type of photography you are describing, IS is pretty useless. Party shots involve people and if you're going to be using shutter speeds that are slow enough that you'll need IS on a wide lens, your subject will blur from moving anyway.

When you say the kit lens is limiting your photography, what do you mean?

Depending on what kind of party photography you do, I think a better choice would be to invest the money in a good flash like the Canon 550EX. Or the Tamron 17-85 2.8 Dan referenced. Or both! That setup will get you better results in a wider range of situations than a lens with IS.

streetracing901

Thanks for the info. Exactly what I was looking for thanks. Flash wise I have a 430EX. I dont know how much better the 550EX is then the 430. Ok Im done here.