Need Camera Lens Opinions/Advice :)

W

whites19

New member
Hi All! :) Anyone willing to help me out by telling me which DSLR lenses are your favorites/recommended... and why?

Late last year, I got a new DSLR to replace my years-old Canon point-and-shoot camera (which, subsequently, I still carry in my purse as a "just in case the kids become smeared in chocolate syrup in public, thus necessitating immediate photo capture" type of fail-safe camera, LOL).

My new "main" camera is a Canon T2i, which I love. Love love love. :wub:

It came with the following kit lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
And I also purchased the following prime lens*: EF 50mm f/1.8 II

*I love this lens so much I would give part of my inheritance to it, if that weren't frowned upon

Anyway...
...I have a birthday coming up, and am in the market for a new (probably zoom?) lens... and I am wanting recommendations from all of you. What lenses are your favorites? What lenses would you avoid? And why? etc. etc.

TIA! :D
 
I have no advice, mostly because you already have my favorite lens on the planet, lol. I'll be watching this because I hope t get a zoom lens this fall for my anniversary and birthday, lol
 
I'm off the zooms. I only buy primes now. I have a 28mm for a little wider angle than the 50mm and I also recently purchased an 85mm for my kids sports & just general outdoor play.

I have a Tamron 28-200 that I use occasionally. it's heavy. slow to focus when zoomed. i don't love it.
 
My question would be, what isn't working with the current lenses you have now? You mentioned zoom but what situations are you finding yourself in need of it? (Indoor, outdoor, sports, etc) Also, what kind of price range were you thinking?
 
Thanks for all of the info so far, ladies! :)

Lynnette, here's my gig...

I love my 50mm lens. I use it 80-90% of the time. Mainly b/c most of the photos I've taken to this point have been indoors, and it produces nice, bright images even in low-light situations (like our house, etc.). Usually it's perfect, but every once in a while I'll run into a situation where I start trying to take photos of something funny the kids are doing -- and I wish I had the wider lens on the camera -- but there's no time to switch it out, so I am literally backing into walls and climbing up on chairs to get my shot, LOL. That's fine, I can deal. :) My 18-55mm just doesn't deal as well w/ low-light, and so most of the time I'm better off w/ the 50mm, even if I have to deal w/ the above scenario/problems.

Now, I got the camera in December. We live in Michigan. Thus, most photos have been taken indoors. It's April now, and spring has sprung, and we're outdoors more often. I find myself wanting to shoot things the kids are doing, etc. without getting right up in their business, so as to capture candid moments without intruding... and that's where my feeling that I need a zoom comes into play. I'm not against the idea of using a prime (as Celeste suggests) like an 85mm, as I really do love my 50mm prime and am not that opposed to physically "being the zoom" when I take photos (as long as I can get shots from a little further away, without getting in the middle of things and thus disrupting the moment, if you KWIM). But I also know that outdoors, I won't be as concerned w/ the lack of light and how it affects images (one of the main things I love about my f/1.8 50mm) as I am when I am indoors shooting things... so I can obviously deal w/ a lens that isn't f/1.8.

So there's my situation. :)

ETA: I forgot to answer your question about price range, Lynnette... I don't have an exact range in mind, but I guess I'll just say that I'd like to spend less than the cost of my camera, LOL -- so sub-$500-ish? Obviously, the less I spend the better... I LOVE that my 50mm f/1.8 was only about $100, but that's rare and I know I'll surely have to spend more this next time around. I'm OK with that... :)
 
Last edited:
i just got my new T2i yesterday. it came with the kit lens and i bought a 70-300mm because best buy had a special; buy that camera and get to pick a telephoto lense for half off. so i got that lens for $100. i have a 50mm lens that i've had forever and pretty much have just used it. but i'm excited to take my zoom lens to the zoo this summer :)
 
i'm no help. i only have the kit lens and then just purchased the 35mm. i had to choose between the 35 & 50 and chose the 35 since my place isn't huge and i don't want to be all up in a corner trying to take pics lol

i'm getting lens envy though with all these pretty lenses.
 
Part of it depends on what kind of photography you do. If you like prime lenses, with that camera you might want to get a wider angle prime lens (28, 35?) which will give you more flexibility inside and in tight spaces. If you shoot a lot outside, I love my 85 mm prime -- gives you a little more reach and great blurry backgrounds.
 
I'm getting my 2nd 50mm 1.8 but not the Mark II version. I'm bidding on a Mark I version and hoping to win it. I had a BAD experience with the Mark II lens.

First warning - don't ever ever drop it. Even if its just a low fall. It may look fine but it will give you problems.

My DD dropped mine from the couch while it was on the camera. I've heard of others who've dropped it too without it being attached to the camera.

The reason? It may not look broken but if you put it on your camera, you'll end up in a tough situation. My camera looked fine after I examined it and tested it. The next day, the autofocus failed. When I tried to remove it, it would not come off my camera. It was holding my camera hostage! After much researching online, I found this to be a common problem. Apparently, the AF will stop working iand if it doesn't, the plastic mount will fail. That is what caused it to become stuck to my camera. I had to take apart the lens (which didn't work) and then eventually break the lens off the camera. My camera, thankfully, was fine. I checked Canon and they wanted $200 to repair it. No way. I rather sacrifice the $100 lens instead.

Mine likely happened from the drop but the info i found online, there are others who never dropped it but the lens got stuck on their camera!

I can't afford the 1.4 lens at the moment so after much research, I decided to find myself the Mark I version of the 1.8 lens which has a metal mount. Apparently, the plastic construction of the 1.8 Mark II lens may be the problem.

This info is more FYI.

As for lens recommendation, I'm thinking to get the 85mm prime. I shoot indoors and sports alot as well as portraits. I'm also looking at the zoom lens previously mentioned. For now, I'm hoping to get the 1.8 Mark I lens and then save up to buy a zoom lens :) Happy shopping!
 
My favorite zoom lens is a Sigma EX 24-70 f2.8 lens. However, it's a bit out of the price range, at $749. It was purchased when my wedding photography business was booming 6 years ago (and then motherhood called :p).

I'd recommend a 35mm f1.8 lens - if you love your 50mm, you will absolutely LOVE the 35mm - it's wider and less limiting indoors.

If you don't have an external flash, GET ONE!!! You will be SO glad you have it - it makes the weather outside pretty much a non-issue when taking photos indoors!

I can't make a recommendation on an external flash for Canon; I'm a Nikon gal. :D
 
If you want to stay in that zoom range... I just got the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 VC. So far I'm happy with it. It doesn't get much cheaper for a low light standard zoom. It's heavy though, not sure if weight is important to you? And of course won't reach a 28-35mm prime. I do love wide angle shots, but if you're not into them, then a prime will probably be a good idea.
 
britaneejean said:
i'm no help. i only have the kit lens and then just purchased the 35mm. i had to choose between the 35 & 50 and chose the 35 since my place isn't huge and i don't want to be all up in a corner trying to take pics lol

i'm getting lens envy though with all these pretty lenses.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to decide between the 35 & 50, too. Our house is pretty small, so if you're happy with the 35 mm, maybe that's what I'll pick, too. Do you like it?
 
OK, with my 18-55 kit lens (even if not the greatest in terms of aperture/speed)... and my 50mm f/1.8 that I love... I'm pretty well set in the 50mm-ish and less realm, at least for now.

What about lenses on the other side of 50mm? ...link me up to the ones you simply love love LOVE?! :wub: Purty please?! I'm open to whatever (fixed or not)... just curious to know what your faves are for the whole "shneaking up on your kiddos without them knowing it and snapping candid shots from across the yard/playground that you can embarrass them with in 20 years" thing. KWIM? :D Thanks!
 
joelsgirl said:
I've been trying to decide between the 35 & 50, too. Our house is pretty small, so if you're happy with the 35 mm, maybe that's what I'll pick, too. Do you like it?
Click to expand...

i LOOOOVE it! everytime my camera comes out, my girls run towards me and i have room to get everything. with the 50, i couldn't do that. i tried on a 50 mm in the store and i knew immediately that it wouldn't work for my family life. now, when i took pictures of my friend's 4 yr old, i wished i had had a 50 or 85 mm. i was getting pretty close to him.

anyways, i love it though & it never comes off my camera.
 
whites19 said:
OK, with my 18-55 kit lens (even if not the greatest in terms of aperture/speed)... and my 50mm f/1.8 that I love... I'm pretty well set in the 50mm-ish and less realm, at least for now.

What about lenses on the other side of 50mm? ...link me up to the ones you simply love love LOVE?! :wub: Purty please?! I'm open to whatever (fixed or not)... just curious to know what your faves are for the whole "shneaking up on your kiddos without them knowing it and snapping candid shots from across the yard/playground that you can embarrass them with in 20 years" thing. KWIM? :D Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ok so I think a couple of people had mentioned the 85mm lens. I think for your price range, that is the best option. Now you can go for a variable aperture zoom but then it gets tricky. The more you zoom, the less light gets in (it closes down the aperture), and so if you were shooting the kiddos in the shade outside, it may be underexposed or more snapshot like since you won't have the pretty blurred background. Zooms just tend to get expensive fast! Course so do primes. Have you thought about a used lens? Maybe you could get a variable aperture zoom lens used, and then keep saving for a good prime with some "reach" like the 85 or even the 135.

A lot of photographers usually sell their variable aperture zooms once they figure out their limitations and have something better (more expensive!). That is why I suggest that one used.
 
i love my Tokina 50-135mm f2.8 lens. it is so sharp and i love the bokeh. i got it around $540 (but it is pretty hard to find, saw listing on ebay for $750)
it takes great pics indoors and outdoors, and i mainly bought it for when the kids are performing on stage in school (i don't have to crowd around with the other parents trying to get a closer shot) it is pretty hefty but the lens don't zoom in and out.
i have a Sigma 30mm f1.4 and Canon 85mm f1.8. while i love the picture quality of the 85mm, i rarely use it because sometimes there is just not enough time to change lenses if i want to take group shots and there isn't enough space to back up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2026 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top