Budget Walkaround / Landscape Lens for Canon 650D

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Hi,

I recently bought a 650D + kit and I am now looking to get a lens for it within a budget, ideally I would have liked something like a Canon EF 35mm or the 10 - 22mm but there are way over my budget. I'd prefer something under £150 maybe stretch to £200, so I am limited in what I can get.

One option I'm looking at is the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM. It has great reviews, and 2nd hand is £80. But I'm not sure how it would do in landscape shots.

Another option I considered was the older Canon EF 28mm f2.8 not the newer USM one. This can be had under £100 on ebay as well. However I havent seen much reviews / feedback on this one.

At the minute I am leaning towards a 40mm f2.8, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend any lenses within my budget that would be good or if anyone has experience with the 40mm and can comment on it. How does it compare to the 18-55 kit lens?

Thanks.
 
For landscapes it could be worth looking at a second hand sigma 10-20mm if you find one in budget. You already cover the 40mm range with your kit lens so something different maybe a better buy for now until you can splash out on a 24-105 or similar. Remember you don't usually require fast 2.8 for landscapes so maybe wasting money for that feature.
 
I quite like the 40mm but I wouldn't say it's ideal for landscapes :\ 40mm gives quite a narrow FOV so it's only for certain types of landscapes.

I like my Canon 10-22mm and Sigma 18-35mm lenses for landscapes but they're not particularly budget.

The Canon 15-85mm lens would be good I guess if you're looking for a one lens does it all solution or the latest 18-135mm maybe?
 
For landscapes it could be worth looking at a second hand sigma 10-20mm if you find one in budget. You already cover the 40mm range with your kit lens so something different maybe a better buy for now until you can splash out on a 24-105 or similar. Remember you don't usually require fast 2.8 for landscapes so maybe wasting money for that feature.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. The Sigma 10-20 is something I have been looking at, along with the Tamron 10 - 24mm. It's just that they seem to be around £250, just a bit above what Im looking at currently. I have considered selling the 18-55 to help bring my budget up to buy the 10-20mm. However I wasn't sure what the 10-20 would be like as a walk around lens. I had also considered selling the Kit Lens for the 40mm as well after reading reviews.

Also, thanks for the tip on not requiring the 2.8 in landscapes. Something I never thought about.
 
Any lens can shoot landscapes, nothing says they have to be wide.. and when you do want to go really wide, a slightly longer lens is better for stitching than a wide or ultra-wide.

The 40mm sounds a reasonable choice (haven't tried it myself), slightly longer than I'd prefer with APS-C but definitely an improvement on 50mm (which is the other autofocus budget alternative). The budget non-autofocus alternative is to consider an EOS-m42 adapter and try some vintage glass, perhaps less convenient as a walkabout as you'll lose several auto options (focus, Tv, P and scene modes - but Av will still work with the right adapter).
 
I quite like the 40mm but I wouldn't say it's ideal for landscapes :\ 40mm gives quite a narrow FOV so it's only for certain types of landscapes.

I like my Canon 10-22mm and Sigma 18-35mm lenses for landscapes but they're not particularly budget.

The Canon 15-85mm lens would be good I guess if you're looking for a one lens does it all solution or the latest 18-135mm maybe?

Hi,

Thanks for replying.

The Canon 10-22mm is what I would love to have most, its just the price that is stopping me. If I could afford it I would go for it. I know I am limited myself with my budget.

Thanks for commenting on the 40mm as well. Just curious, can you notice a difference between the 40mm and the 18-55 ISS II Kit Lens? If you have used both. I'm just wondering if the kit lens is worth replacing with the 40mm.
 
It's your call but I would keep the kit lens for now until you can afford to replace with something with a similar walk about range but better quality. Have to say I've never used either of those myself, I started with the 17-85mm kit lens on my crop body which I found very good for a walk about/general purpose lens if you can get one in budget. Get the usm-is version though, that would be worth replacing the kit lens with. It's wide enough for a general landscape lens as well.
 
I quite like the 40mm but I wouldn't say it's ideal for landscapes :\ 40mm gives quite a narrow FOV so it's only for certain types of landscapes.

I like my Canon 10-22mm and Sigma 18-35mm lenses for landscapes but they're not particularly budget.

The Canon 15-85mm lens would be good I guess if you're looking for a one lens does it all solution or the latest 18-135mm maybe?

Hi,

Thanks for replying.

The Canon 10-22mm is what I would love to have most, its just the price that is stopping me. If I could afford it I would go for it. I know I am limited myself with my budget.

Thanks for commenting on the 40mm as well. Just curious, can you notice a difference between the 40mm and the 18-55 ISS II Kit Lens? If you have used both. Im just wondering as Im considering switching the Kit lens to the 40mm.
 
Any lens can shoot landscapes, nothing says they have to be wide.. and when you do want to go really wide, a slightly longer lens is better for stitching than a wide or ultra-wide.

The 40mm sounds a reasonable choice (haven't tried it myself), slightly longer than I'd prefer with APS-C but definitely an improvement on 50mm (which is the other autofocus budget alternative). The budget non-autofocus alternative is to consider an EOS-m42 adapter and try some vintage glass, perhaps less convenient as a walkabout as you'll lose several auto options (focus, Tv, P and scene modes - but Av will still work with the right adapter).

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely have a look into the m42 adapter and some older lenses. I'm still new to photography, so just trying to get as much advice as possible when deciding what to purchase.
 
As Andy just said. One step at a time. Use the kit zoom and over time note which focal lengths in its range you favour - this should provide a guide to what primes if any you should consider. And only then, because it already has a useful range, think about how you mght extend beyond that range. Photography isn't mainly about shopping .... it's about controlling what you have to make images.
 
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