What is the best lens for me???

Question

I have the Canon Rebel XTi. Currently I am using the kit lens (rarely) and a 50mm f1.4. I need a new lens that will fit any situation. I take a lot of pictures of my toddler son, but would like to find a lens that will take great pictures of him, landscape, groups of people, sports, etc. My main concern is getting good pictures of people, though. I am an amateur with hopes of someday being more. My budget is under $800. Any ideas???

Answer 1

the kit lens is actually pretty good as an all purpose lens for someone at your skill level. a lens that is a bit longer and faster would be good for sports photos. wide angle lenses in the 14-18mm range are also useful in lots of situations.

i buy only canon lenses for my canon cameras. the optics are better and worth the extra money than the off brands imho.

the xti is a decent enough camera but the colors can be a little flat so I usually bump the saturation up just a little and sometimes set the exposure 1/3 to 1/2 stop lower than what I would with other cameras.

Answer 2

Not sure what exactly is available for the Canon, but I like a 28-90 f/2.8 and generally have that on my body in the bag.  It's a nice wide to semi-zoom range.  Probably not enough of a zoom for sports, but there's probably a 20-200 that might work well for that.

Adorama has a great filtering method where you can pick your mount and type of lens.  They've got a Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 for $309, 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 for $369, etc.

Answer 3

Check out the Canon EF 28-125mm IS USM, it's great for landscapes, people and is wide enough for group shots.  It's not too bad for sports, if you are not seated too far away.  (about $400).  Another lens is the Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM, it's good for portraits, and sports, I use it a lot for both, not so much for landscapes or group shots. ($500)

Another way to go would be either the Sigma 28-300mm OS lens, or the 18-250mm lens, they would cover pretty much all the types of shots you are interested in.  Only drawback is they are slightly soft at the wide end and the long.  

Personally I stick with Canon lenses, they are superior to the others.