Beginner Another Lens query

mussEd

mussEd

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Name
Ewan
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I'm currently obsessing a bit about a new lens. So far so normal I hear you say...and you'd be right...I have recently and valiantly gotten over a prolonged and severe case of GAS in relation to my bike collection, was always upgrading this and swapping out that and generally looking for the new big thing...then suddenly I came to the realisation that when you get right down to brass tacks nothing beats actually sitting on the bike and riding the bloomin thing. So I just stopped buying stuff. Despite an onslaught of emails/offers from retailers who'd seen many many of my heard-earned over the years, I just stopped. I stayed strong and only buy stuff to maintain my bikes and keep them ready to ride whenever I get the urge.

Then my wife suggested we get a DSLR to replace a broken CSC camera. And it started again. The lens that came with my Canon 700d is a more than capable 18-55mm IS STM model which I really enjoy using. But straight away I went out and bought a 50mm 1.8 STM. Again I'm very happy with the results it's come out with, especially given the modest price tag.

BUT one day recently, whilst out and about with the camera in town, a slow, insidious feeling began to creep over me. I don't have enough reach I thought. I need something with more zoom. I need a longer Walkaround!!!

So I got online that evening or maybe the day after and started looking around. Several lenses jumped out as being suited to what I was after but I just don't know what to do...having looked through my pictures and it'd seem I was right and most of my shots are at 55mm end so I'm inclined to think I should go for something a little longer but what? At around the same time I started admiring a lot of the Bird photography on here and started fantasising about spending £10k on an ultra long zoom to capture some of the local birdlife we see around here. Then I realised I had no previous inclination to do this and that would be a really dumb move.

So I guess this is a long-winded way of asking what would you recommend for a replacement/upgrade Walkaround lens with a bit more reach and the potential to awaken the inner bird snapper in me? I haven't got and endless budget but at the same time there's no point buying something cheaply only to feel the need to change that as soon as I could. I'd be right into the classifieds if I could but I've not been around here for 60 days as yet.

Oh and please don't tell me to stick with what I've got and practice until I'm an expert because that's what my lovely wife would say and frankly we should keep her out ofthis debate. It is her birthday so Happy Birthday darling!

Many thanks in advance...
 
Ewan i can't help you with your lens but you are welcome to join the thread to help with your GAS
How about a thread for people recovering from GAS?
 
@mussEd what sort of budget do you have? Also birding is a different ballgame to what you probably do now with that lens. For birds nothing beats a big prime. You can get some good zooms but they'll generally start at a high focal length and get further like the tamron/Sigma 150-600s. I'm not a canon guy so I don't know much about the lenses available but you're unlikely to find something that can replace the FL of an 18-55 that can also be used for birds.
 
@mussEd from personal experience I first went for a tamron superzoom 18-270 I think which is about gbp 250ish new less second hand. This kept me happy for several years before I started taking lots more pictures.
 
Ewan,

Blow it all on a romantic getaway for your wife....then she will let you buy anything (y) when youve saved a bit more.
 
Sorry for the tardiness - night shift tonight.

Budget is a bit elastic - anything up to about £500 is palatable but could stretch it if something special is available...

Newbie1 -Was wondering about those Tamron/Sigma super zooms? Seen a few people being dismissive of these as being inferior to lenses of shorter focal ranges?

Btw Shreds no need for me to book romantic getaways - she's been on tonight texting to tell me she's booked a holiday in June and a weekend away to pals in July!
 
@mussEd the 150-600 Sigma and tamrons you mean? They are excellent value and get you close to birds if that's what you want to get into. Trouble is, they're on a different level to what you have now. They start at 150 obviously which is quite a narrow view as it is. You won't want to be carrying one of these around all day as a general purpose "capture all" lens. They're the kind of thing you'd carry around if you were specifically going out for wildlife. You asked for something you can use as a walk around that also doubles up as a birding lens, but unfortunately I think you'll have to choose: a) walkabout lens that will leave you short for birds, b) something like that Sigma or tamron which will be a good intro to birds but not a walk around lens or c) a super zoom like the Sigma 50-500 but then you'll sacrifice image quality quite a lot (image quality is obviously subjective but if you've been admiring some of the excellent bird images on here, you won't achieve that quality [very often] with a super zoom)
 
It's not really GAS if you're wanting a lens that does something extra that you have a need for. Canon 15-85 EF-S is the obvious answer for a quality standard range zoom with a bit more reach. Very good lens it is too. There are longer options, with the Tamron 16-300 being both the longest and the least compromised all-rounder of the super-zooms out there. It's quite big though.

Forget birding. That's specialist stuff needing very long/heavy lenses that take a bit of getting used to, not to mention a good deal of field craft and endless patience. If you just mean garden birds at the bird table etc, then be aware that all super-zooms (and many others too) suffer from 'focus breathing' which means at closer distances the effective focal length is significantly reduced, ie at 300mm marked setting, you're likely to be nearer 200mm in real terms.
 
The other option would be to add a second lens such as a 70-300 - it means carrying a second lens, and then swapping depending on what you wish to shoot, but is cheap (both Sigma and Tamron make quite acceptable lenses within your budget), reasonably light and 300 is long enough to get reasonable shots of the less skittish birds - and going over 300mm is when lenses start getting significantly more expensive!
 
As has been said, you're trying to find the magic "one-for-all" lens which is a bit of a tough quest.
As soon as you go into "superzoom" territory it's a bit of a minefield.
A can offer another vote for the 15-85, not a superzoom but it's a superb lens and perfect for "walkabout" purposes though it obviously lacks the length for wildlife.
However......I'll chuck this into the mix.....the good old lowly Canon 55-250 is a gem of a lens and so small and light it pretty much fits in your pocket, it also costs peanuts.
 
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