Canon t3i - One More Lens to Buy!

C

croman5

Member
Hey gang,
So I am getting a refurbished t3i in the next couple days, and I found a deal on Adorama where I can get the kit lens (18-55 mm) and a 18-135mm lens for $900. I am also going to get the 50mm 1.8 II because I'm on a budget and a beginner, so I don't want to get a five thousand dollar lens and not know what the hell to do with it. My question is, if I were to get one more lens, what should I get? A telephoto lens for distant objects? I feel like that would cover all of the basic situations for video/photos for a beginner. If you could help me out, that would be awesome! Thanks!

Best,
CSR
 
it depends on your style: I would prefer to go for a wider lens (tokina 11-16 is the usual recommendation), since I feel 135mm on APS-C is long enough, but for some stuff a 70-200 would be more useful, and some people just need a fast normal prime (I'd suggest the samyang 35mm f/1.4)

I have several recommendations here:
http://www.similaar.com/foto/equipment/us_lensc.html
but you'll have to get your need sorted first


I think you'll find this useful: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2010/07/lenses-dont-collect-the-whole-set
 
The kit 18-55 lens and the 50mm 1.8 together make a pretty good beginner's kit. Having the 18-55 and the 18-135 is a little redundant, since you have the 18-55 covered twice. Also, the longer the range you have packed into a single lens, the more issues you have to deal with... especially on the extremes of the scale when you have a wider lens. If you're going to have overlap, you're better off with something like an 18-55 and a 24-70.

The suggestion of the Tokina 11-16 is a good one. You'll likely need a wider (16-70) range before you need a longer (135-200) range. At 11mm with the Tokina you get a bit of barrel distortion on the edges, and that's pretty much a specialty lens. At 16mm, it's still there but much more subtle.

Also, $900 for those two lenses seems a bit steep. Are you talking about the EF-S lenses? The 18-55 goes for $150-200, and the 18-135 goes for $399-499. That's about $700 tops for the two of them, at least on B&H.
 
Definitely depends on what you want to do with it. The first lens I attached to my T3i was a 600mm :) My second a 70-200 :)

Cheers,
Pete
 
Alex H. said:
The kit 18-55 lens and the 50mm 1.8 together make a pretty good beginner's kit. Having the 18-55 and the 18-135 is a little redundant, since you have the 18-55 covered twice. Also, the longer the range you have packed into a single lens, the more issues you have to deal with... especially on the extremes of the scale when you have a wider lens. If you're going to have overlap, you're better off with something like an 18-55 and a 24-70.

The suggestion of the Tokina 11-16 is a good one. You'll likely need a wider (16-70) range before you need a longer (135-200) range. At 11mm with the Tokina you get a bit of barrel distortion on the edges, and that's pretty much a specialty lens. At 16mm, it's still there but much more subtle.

Also, $900 for those two lenses seems a bit steep. Are you talking about the EF-S lenses? The 18-55 goes for $150-200, and the 18-135 goes for $399-499. That's about $700 tops for the two of them, at least on B&H.
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thanks for the help. i should clarify a couple things: i agree that having the 18-55 and the 18-135 is a little redundant, but a new t3i with the 18-135 lens in $949 on most websites. i'm getting a refurbished t3i with BOTH lenses for $900. since they are roughly the same price, i figured, it wouldn't hurt to have another lens, you know?

but thanks again! i'm looking into wide angle lenses now and seeing the major differences between them and telephoto lenses. i feel like i might be leaning more towards subjects rather than architecture and landscapes, so maybe a telephoto would be the way to go? or can wide angle lenses be used for pictures with actual subjects? obviously i know that anything can be captured with anything, but i'd like to know the effect each has. i've done some research and i saw a photo of a car and the wide angle lens made it look WAY better than the telephoto.

thanks for all the help everyone!
 
croman5 said:
thanks for the help. i should clarify a couple things: i agree that having the 18-55 and the 18-135 is a little redundant, but a new t3i with the 18-135 lens in $949 on most websites. i'm getting a refurbished t3i with BOTH lenses for $900. since they are roughly the same price, i figured, it wouldn't hurt to have another lens, you know?
Click to expand...

That makes a difference. From your original post, it didn't sound like the $900 included the camera. So yes, that's a much better deal.

croman5 said:
i'm looking into wide angle lenses now and seeing the major differences between them and telephoto lenses. i feel like i might be leaning more towards subjects rather than architecture and landscapes, so maybe a telephoto would be the way to go? or can wide angle lenses be used for pictures with actual subjects? obviously i know that anything can be captured with anything, but i'd like to know the effect each has. i've done some research and i saw a photo of a car and the wide angle lens made it look WAY better than the telephoto.
Click to expand...

Wide angles like the Tokina 11-16 are great for landscapes, architecture, and making certain subjects look grandiose. For portraits, a range of 35-85 is much more practical. It really does depend on what you're shooting, as 100-135 can be a range used for portraits as well. But now I have to ask, are we talking about still photography or video?
 
The 18-135 is a much more useful lens for APS-C than the 18-55. Better build too if memory serves correct.

I have an APS-C 7D and all I use anymore is my TAMRON 17-50 f2.8 non VC. I have primes too but with this lens I long for an 85mm or a 105mm sometimes. Not often. I'm shooting a lot of narrative.

I'd just get the body and a Tamron. It runs around $500.00. You won't need the 50mm f1.8 but's its only $100, so get it if you must. I'd rather spend the money on a $150 tripod with a fluid head like the Fancier 717, can be found on Amazon.

I also have the Tokina 11mm - 16mm. I use it for establishing shots and when in close quarters indoors. Money well spent.
 
thanks for all the help.

SAMUEL H: those portraits look terrible haha. good to know what the lens can do to a person's face. those other pictures are dope though.

ALEX H: to be honest, i don't know what i'm going to primarily be doing. most likely just pictures. but i appreciate your help and advice. i'm more of a portrait/person kind of photographer, so maybe a wide angle lens isn't the WISEST investment at this time. i'm not that into taking pictures of buildings and landscapes.

WHITEMONKEY: i'll look into footage/photos with the tamron lens. thanks!

you guys are awesome.
 
Take a look at Nikkor primes like the 28 2.8 ais or ai. Vintage lenses like the nikkor ais's have a very good build and are very sharp. That would be a way to save money. Caleb Pike did a great video on Nikkor lenses.
 
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