A Question About DSLR Lenses

Hi, I had recently got a Canon T3i kit awhile back and have been using the lens that came with it. Unfortunately the lens doesn't have the capabilities I would like.

Does anyone have any advice for a longer range lens that is a reasonable price that will work with my camera? (The closer to $100 the better! )

Also, I had a question about "fish-eye lenses." My friend recently mentioned I should look into getting one, what are these and are there any good ones for a reasonable price? (Are they lenses or attachments to lenses, because when I tried looking it up some parts that claimed to be lenses looked like they were to be attached between the body and lens?)

Thanks so much in advance everyone!

If you're looking for an auto-focus lens, $100 is a very unrealistic budget. One thing that a lot of newcomers to DSLR photography don't understand is that the camera body isn't the expensive purchase -- the lenses are. If you want versatility/quality, you're going to spend more on lenses than you spent on your camera body.

The exception to this is the nifty fifty -- Canon's 50mm prime lens. It's an f/1.8 and it sells around a hundred bucks when you catch a deal on it. If I had a Canon DSLR, I'd be ALL OVER that lens. However, that lens isn't going to do what it sounds like you're looking for at all.

To keep things as close to your price range as possible, I might suggest this lens: http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-50-20...00mm+canon

Personally, I'd be happier with either the 18-135mm lens or the 18-200mm lens if you're looking for more range. The 50mm end of the Sigma might not give you the wide angle you'll likely want for some shots. Don't get me wrong -- I'd still take the 50mm prime lens and walk around with it all day -- but if you're looking for more range, I'd try to snag the 18mm end still.

Of course, the obvious question that others are going to ask is "What capabilities would you like?" Do you mostly take posed pictures of people, scenery shots, or wildlife? Are you trying to play paparrazi with the cute girl across the street? A little more info might be helpful.

I don't have personal experience with fish-eyes, so I'll let someone else handle that.

Best of luck!

Well, yeah. I've been told that. My friends have warned me, but since I am only an amateur and just do this for fun I didn't want it to be too costly (I probably should have got into a different/cheaper hobby! >.<)

I mostly use the camera for photographing flora, fauna, scenery and architecture. Occasionally I take pictures of my friends, but that's not the main objective.

Is this the Canon lens you are talking about? (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1C1PRFB_enUS459US459&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D5&q=Canon's+50mm+prime+lens&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9079362058149002410&sa=X&ei=6O_ST7W3K6a02gXIovWlDw&ved=0CLIBEPMCMAE#scoring=tp)

And I'm a bit confused. Is it the lower the mm the closer the range or does that not impact the range as much as the f?

Thanks!

Quote from lovethesummer : Well, yeah. I've been told that. My friends have warned me, but since I am only an amateur and just do this for fun I didn't want it to be too costly (I probably should have got into a different/cheaper hobby! >.<) I mostly use the camera for photographing flora, fauna, scenery and architecture. Occasionally I take pictures of my friends, but that's not the main objective. Is this the Canon lens you are talking about? (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1C1PRFB_enUS459US459&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D5&q=Canon's+50mm+prime+lens&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9079362058149002410&sa=X&ei=6O_ST7W3K6a02gXIovWlDw&ved=0CLIBEPMCMAE#scoring=tp) And I'm a bit confused. Is it the lower the mm the closer the range or does that not impact the range as much as the f? Thanks!

That link didn't work for me. This is the lens: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-...canon+14mm

However, that doesn't fit with what you want. Or what you think you want, anyway. With your budget constraints, you would have probably been better off getting a Rebel XS and some better glass than getting the T3i. I know that's not at all what you want to hear at this point -- but to spend in the range of $750 (or whatever slick deal you bought it at) on the body and then be looking for a $100 lens is really kind of doing it backwards. I always feel bad when I see someone spend a bunch of money on getting a high-end something when they haven't quite learned enough about that realm. I'm not at all trying to be as insulting or condescending as I probably sound -- but you should probably grab a book about Digital Photography before you go dumping any other money. If you're not sure about the difference between focal length and f-stop, do your wallet a favor and don't open it until you learn a little more about photography -- then you will be equipped to choose a lens.

I would highly suggest this book: http://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Peter...raphy+book

I imagine that what you mean by range is zoom capability. If you want to zoom in on something far away, you need a lens with a higher number of mm. The lower the number, the wider angle the shot (and hence the less "zoomed" it is).

The reason I suggest the 50mm lens is that it will teach you how to zoom with your feet rather than with the lens. Secondly, f/1.8 is an extremely wide aperture for this price range. That will enable you to do two things -- first is to control depth of field. You can really make your subject "pop" out and blur the rest of the field with a lens like that. The second is that it will make it a lot easier to get pictures in lower-light situations -- or to get action shots where you want a very high shutter speed.

However, that may not be the best lens for your purposes.

In fact, the more I think about it, maybe I misunderstand what you want. If you're taking pictures of scenery and architecture, maybe you're looking for a super wide angle lens. Then it would make sense that you are asking about a fish-eye lens. Personally, I don't own a fish-eye lens. I could see myself using it once in a while.....but I can't see walking around taking shots with it all day long. If you're looking for a wider angle than your 18mm....you're in for some disappointment. Those lenses ain't cheap.

I'm no pro either -- I'm a complete amateur (as someone is likely to point out in a response eventually). However, if I've learned one piece of wisdom that I can pass on, it's that it's better to learn more about it before you spend your money than to spend your money before learning. Maybe someone here will give you a fantastic suggestion for a lens I didn't consider -- but its abilities are going to be fairly useless if you don't arm yourself with a good bit of knowledge about photography. If you arm yourself with that knowledge, you'll likely find a much better answer than what anyone here can tell you. If you pick up a good phorography book, you'll learn enough to know exactly what you want and how much it's going to cost you.

Again, I mean no disrespect to you and I don't mean to discourage asking questions. I think questions are great. SD is an excellent place to get great advice. But the spirit of what I'm saying is that the greatest lens on Earth is a waste if you don't know how to use it. I'm not trying to insult your knowledge of photography -- but if you knew much about photography, you probably wouldn't be asking this question. You'd be saving for the lens you knew you wanted and you'd know why you wanted it. Unfortunately, I am not expert enough to condense the contents of the book into a message in this thread. Maybe someone else who responds will be. But, my thought is that you should spend fifteen or twenty bucks on a book first. That's my two cents.

For amateur shooting of just different things, scenery being one of my main focuses, friends and fun times second what lens would others recommend? Having a new T3i I am very unsure what the next lens is to get. I know some lens can't capture action shots, birds in flight, etc... Not sure cost but, but just completing my freshman year at college means not much of a budget. This is something I decided to try to do as a hobby to help get through the college stress and relax and separate myself from the craziness.
Hopefully it will be something I will keep a a hobby for a long time.

Thanks for the help.

Let me start by saying what I am about to recommend is way out of your budget. BUT... What I would recommend is that you spend a few months using the kit lens and learning about framing and how to use light and all of the things that make you a good photographer.

During that time, save up your money and look at getting this lens: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QJOIP8

I shoot with the Nikon version. I also shoot with the Nikon version of that 50mm lens recommended above. With the combination of those two lenses you have what you need for 98% of the shooting you are likely to do.

No lens is going to make you a great photographer. Only you can make you a great photographer. There are a great many free resources on the web to teach you how to improve your eye and as a result your photography. After a while you will just "know" when to shoot.

Look at this picture: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/n...10102/#/10

There was no real reason why I snapped when I did, it just "felt" like the right time. (BTW: the photo credit is wrong - it was corrected after the fact but too late for the vault).

W

What's the kit lens with the T3i - is that the 18-55IS? That's actually a pretty nice lens to learn with.

The 50mm prime (and the new 40mm prime [amazon.com]) are excellent choices for low cost faster lenses, and I'll second the suggestion for the 28-135mm (which you can get used for about $200).

But one piece of advice I'd give you is to BUY USED LENES. Canon lenses hold their value ridiculously well, so more often than not you can buy a used lens, shoot with it for 6-12 months & then re-sell it for the same amount you paid for it. It's a good way to try out a lens if you're not sure about it.

Quote from Jeffbx : What's the kit lens with the T3i - is that the 18-55IS? That's actually a pretty nice lens to learn with. The 50mm prime (and the new 40mm prime [amazon.com]) are excellent choices for low cost faster lenses, and I'll second the suggestion for the 28-135mm (which you can get used for about $200). But one piece of advice I'd give you is to BUY USED LENES. Canon lenses hold their value ridiculously well, so more often than not you can buy a used lens, shoot with it for 6-12 months & then re-sell it for the same amount you paid for it. It's a good way to try out a lens if you're not sure about it.

For a crop camera, like the T3 or T3i, I think the Canon 28 f/1.8 or 35 f/2 are far better and more versatile lenses than either the 50 f/1.8 or 40 f/2.8. 40mm-50mm are a bit long on the crop sensor and the narrow field of view will preclude it from being useful in a lot of situations, whereas a wider a lens, will be more useful in more situations. The 50mm f/1.8 is a good lens at a good price, but on a crop sensor, you'll just find it's more useful as a portrait lens than anything else. I, personally, use a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 as my normal lens and a 50mm f/1.4 as a portrait lens. The 30mm lens is used far more frequently than the 50mm lens.

As to the 28-135, you may have trouble selling that lens after purchase. The market has been flooded with tons of copies of the 28-135, because it has been included with many cameras as a kit lens.

I wouldn't bother with the 28-135 and would rather opt for several other lenses as a decent zoom:

- Tamron 28-75 f/2.8
- Tamron 17-50 f/2.8
- Canon 18-135

If you want a long lens to supplement your current lenses, consider the Canon 55-250. The market has too been flooded with the 55-250, so you'll probably be able to find it used from many people for cheap.

If you don't trust individual sellers, you can get used stuff at KEH.com for good prices.

While nikon, I got the tamron 75-300 to go with my 18-55 stock lens. I am very happy with its quality and it was far cheaper than the nikon. I think in the $150 area.

Quote from Jeffbx : What's the kit lens with the T3i - is that the 18-55IS? That's actually a pretty nice lens to learn with. The 50mm prime (and the new 40mm prime [amazon.com]) are excellent choices for low cost faster lenses, and I'll second the suggestion for the 28-135mm (which you can get used for about $200). But one piece of advice I'd give you is to BUY USED LENES. Canon lenses hold their value ridiculously well, so more often than not you can buy a used lens, shoot with it for 6-12 months & then re-sell it for the same amount you paid for it. It's a good way to try out a lens if you're not sure about it.

I agree here. The choice of lenses under $100 are pretty much non existent. The 50mm will be good for more bokeh, some basic flowers etc, better bokeh and its just fun. I would also strongly suggest the OP learn more about their camera, the terms, etc. There are lots of good websites for free, and some good low cost books. http://digital-photography-school.com/ is a good website to get your feet wet. I don't think you need to spend any money on education if you are wanting to learn. Photography is not a cheap hobby (SLR photography never has been) but it doesnt have to be terribly expensive either. Good education and knowing what your doing will go way farther than any gear you can buy.

Quote from kakomu : For a crop camera, like the T3 or T3i, I think the Canon 28 f/1.8 or 35 f/2 are far better and more versatile lenses than either the 50 f/1.8 or 40 f/2.8. <snip>

I agree with 100% of what you wrote, but I was trying to keep him ~<$200. Still lots of nice, usable lenses in the very low cost bracket (which is also where I find myself)

In a similar spot here, though with a T3. It came with the 18-55mm lens. I want to do some longer range shooting outdoors.