Zoom lens for Canon 350d

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PaulNI

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This is my first post as i am in the process of buying a 2nd hand 350d which comes with the 18-55 kit lens.

I want to get a zoom lens aswell and i would like sum advice on what one 2 go for.

I dont have much of a budget so the cheaper the better.

Also if i was to buy say a sigma lens do i still get all the functions that i would normally get with a genuine canon lens.

Thanks for your help.
 
Hi Paul and welcome to TP.

The 18-55 kit lens is a zoom lens and covers a decent range from a decently wide angle (18mm) that's great for landscapes, up to a sort of short telephoto (55mm) that's good for portraits.

You don't say whether you want a lens which is wider than the kit lens, longer than the kit lens, or works better in low light than the kit lens. All three are possible, but not simultaneously, and not necessarily cheaply. Of course this depends on what you want to take photos of, and you haven't given us any clues in that respect.

My advice: Save your money for now. There will be plenty of opportunities to spend money later! And it's also worth remembering that the lens is the second biggest factor in the quality of photos (the person behind the camera is the first) so skimping on cost can be a false economy. Use the kit lens to get to know how the camera works and what you enjoy photographing. The 350D is a fine camera but like all DSLRs there is a learning curve to climb. Ask questions here on TP if you're stuck or confused. As you do so, try to note situations where you felt a different lens would have helped. That will point you in the direction of upgrades when you're ready.

Have fun!
 
I agree with Stuart, to a degree, but I know what it's like to have just got the bug too. You don't give a clue of budget but this canon seems to be a good un for the money
CANON EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS.

check prices here

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod596.html

To answer your question about the sigma lens anything with DG in the name is 100% compatible with your camera.

I bought a sigma 70-300 DG APO as my first zoom and for the money I paid (2nd hand on the bay) it's pretty good.

Whatever you get though, you do have to get to know it and your camera to get the best out of it;)

Tara
 
I agree with above posts too, abnd also i have the sigma 70-300 apo dgmacro, and it is a great lens for little under 160 brand new.
 
I got a Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro (1:2) when I bought my 400D. You can pick it up for less than £110 online. And it isn't a bad starter lens and also has a 1:2 macro mode as well. OK it has it's limitations (not great in poor light) but if you are finding your way and don't have a big budget this wouldn't be a bad bet.

On the other hand if you can wait I agree with the above and try and save until you have some more money to get better quality glass.
 
I am in the exact same boat with my 400D, and from shopping around

You can get a brand new Tamron 55-200mm for around £60, and I also know where I can get a second hand Tamron 70-300mm for £40.

But one thing I found is that the lenses shift for good money on eBay, so buy a cheap lens, play with it for awhile, and you will almost certainly make most of your money back on eBay.

So what is you lose £10, but I have seen lenses go on eBay for more than you could get them new :thinking:.

You will not lose much of what you pay, maybe even make a profit
 
Sorry i should have said its a lens to get me closer to the subject i want.
But my problem is knowing what lens to go for what i mean is i dont know how much magnification each is gonna get and what they would be suitable for.

Thanks
 
Closer to a distant subject, Paul, or closer to a nearby subject?

For distant subjects you need a telephoto lens, which is one with a longer focal length. For example the Sigma and Tamron 70-300 lenses have a focal length of 300mm when fully zoomed, which is over 5 times the reach of the kit lens with its maximum of 55mm. So distant objects will appear over 5 times bigger with a 70-300 than they will with an 18-55. The lenses mentioned above are good budget choices; lenses with focal lengths of up to 300mm are available quite cheaply, but going longer than 300mm is pretty much always going to be expensive.

But to get closer to nearby subjects you need a macro lens, which is one that's designed to focus on really close things. A true macro lens has a magnification of 1:1. This means that you can fill the frame with a subject the same size as the sensor, which is roughly the size of a postage stamp (22x15mm). True macro lenses tend to be a bit pricey though. Many general-purpose lenses claim to have a "macro mode" which simply means that they can focus fairly close; for example the Tamron 70-300 mentioned above can achieve 1:2, so you can fill the frame with an object twice the size of the sensor or 44x30mm. In general if a lens says it can achieve a magnification of 1:N then it can fill the frame with an object N times the size of the sensor. Unfortunately you usually can't tell the magnification from the name of the lens, so you need to read the specifications or reviews, or ask.

Does that help?
 
I do sound like i know nothing lol. Which i suppose is right.

Yea closer to a distant subject. The kit lens is decent enough for me to learn with. But i wanted something that could get me closer to wildlife or whatever i may be photographing.

Yeah StewartR that was more than helpful thanks very much greatly appreciated.
 
No probs Paul. We were all beginners once, and that's what Talk Photography is here for.

For wildlife you generally want the longest focal length you can afford. If you're on a tight budget, some flavour of 70-300mm (or similar) zoom is likely to be your best bet.

If you get to the point where there are one or two specific lenses that interest you, start a new thread to ask for optinions about them. If you put the names of the lenses in the title of the thread it will help people know whether they have anything to contribute and you'll get better responses.
 
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