What's the best Lens for a brand new Canon 450D?

Question

I'm a first time DSLR user, (untl i get my Canon 450D), and I'm really in a dilemma here, I have a budget for buying a Canon 450D Twin Kit Lens, and probably add a Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens. However, reading through articles regarding DSLR, one of the complaints i read most are those that talks about bringing too many lenses to a shoot, or in getting your sensors dirty.

Thus, i have tried to researched about this and feel that one solution is for instead of buying the Canon 450D twin kit lens, i'll buy its body only, and buy a Sigma 18-200mm OS lens, so that i'll not be tagging along those two standard kit lens in my travels and reducing the chances of getting dusty sensors.

I really need your advice on what should my starting lens for my canon 450D be, the Sigma 18-200mm, or both the Canon 18-55mm IS and Canon 55-250mm IS? and is the canon 50mm f/1.8 worth its price? hoping for your advice. thanks

Answer 1

First of all the 450D, or Rebel XSI in some countries, has automatic and manual sensor cleaning  so don't get high centered worrying about your sensor.  You don't mention what kind of photography you do but my guess is that if it's general travel/people pictures, you're going to settle into that 18-55 and stick with it for most things.  Remember that with the 450D the conversion rate is 1.6 so your 18-55 will be the equivalent of approximately 29-88mm on a 35mm camera.   If you buy the twin lens kit, I can't imagine needing the 50mm add-on lens unless you're doing it just for the lens speed, and in that case, I think you'll find as time goes on that you don't use it very much.  The 450D has a broad range of ISO settings which will compensate for a lot of that need for speed.   I have a 450D/XSI and the 18-55 and 55-250 lenses that you mention.  Let me say here that the 450D is not touted as a professional level camera but I have years experience in professional level photography with my work in magazines, advertisements, galleries, and stock photo agencies.  So why did I buy a less than pro-level camera?  Because I bought the features that I needed.  I'm no fool...why pay twice the money for something that I wouldn't use?  As far as the lenses go; sure, there are better quality lenses.  But unless you're doing commercial work or full page spreads for magazines, the L-Series lenses are just too much money for the difference that you're likely to see.  If I were you, I would forget about the 50mm 1.8 lens - at least for now - and concentrate on getting to know the 18-55 and 55-250 lenses.  Unless you're really driven by image (yours, not the ones you take) you will probably have nearly everything, lens wise, that you need.  The only thing that I'm really wanting for at the moment is a 100mm macro.  Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The following advice applies to any system of DSLR Canon or otherwise.

Buy the best lenses you can afford, they are an investment. If you can afford them Sigma EX range or Canon 'L' series. Large apertures have the advantage, not only in low light, but also in controlling depth of field. I know they cost an arm and a leg, but, looked after, you only have to buy them once and you never have to worry about image quality in any conditions.

All lenses have compromises in their design, none more so than wide range zooms, I have yet to see one where I am happy with the image quality, go for smaller range zooms (say a 3:1 ratio max) or primes.

The dust on the sensor is a none issue and is something all DSLR owners have to contend with. Even if you fit a wide range zoom to a perfectly clean camera, you'll get dust on the sensor. Zooms are like 'sloppy' pistons, they suck air in and blow air out, this introduces dust.

Sensor cleaning is a 'heart in the mouth' job the first time you do it, but its not a hard as the doom and gloom merchants would have you believe, and is a necessary part of keeping your equipment clean.

I have a sideline judging images for local photography clubs, I can't tell which make of camera was used, but you can tell instantly the quality of lens used.

If you haven't bought the camera yet, bear in mind you are buying into a system, the camera is just you're down payment.

Consider buying just the body and one quality lens in the 18 - 55mm range.

Chris

Answer 3

Canon lenses.

Your most important investment is lenses.  Your digital cameras will hang around for from 18 months to 4 years and then you will replace them ... you lenses will last for decades.

If you don't change your lenses in windy conditions, you won't have to worry about dust on the sensor ... besides.  the 450D has a dust removal scheme:  

• Low-pass filter vibration at power-on

• Anti-static coating on sensor surfaces

• Software based dust-removal (camera maps dust, removed later)

If you have even the basic camera handling skills, IS is only an advantage with longer lenses, 55 mm and longer unless you plan on shooting a lot of handheld low light shots, but then you have to be concerned about your subjects movement.