Decent all rounder lens for £100 - possible?

Diggsy

Diggsy

Diggsy

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
Posts
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Guys, I would like to add another lens to my current setup which merely consists of the 350D and 18-55 kit lens.

I find the kit lens both a little bit limiting and also not just as sharp sometimes as I would like it to be.

As such, I would like a new lens, either to replace the 18-55 altogether, or compliment it.

Problem is, there are sooooo many lenses and I have no idea what to go for.

I've looked at the Canon 55-250 IS which can be got for just over £150, but not sure if thats the right one to go for.

Any ideas? Budget - £100 ideally, but could probably stretch to £150.

As for usage, mainly for photos of my kids.

Thanks a lot for any suggestions.
 
Have you considered the canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II? It's a prime but it could suit your needs, especially on a cropped body. The lens usually goes for about £80 new and has excellent picture quality for the price, performs great it low light too.
 
Gibber said:
Have you considered the canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II? It's a prime but it could suit your needs, especially on a cropped body. The lens usually goes for about £80 new and has excellent picture quality for the price, performs great it low light too.
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+1
 
i was also going to say the 50mm 1.8 because you can be quite creative with the large apertures, and it fits the budget

on a crop body though you might find it a bit tight for indoor/small spaces depending on how big you room is

what type of mm do you shoot at the most with your 18-55 ?
 
Thanks a lot for the recommendations thus far guys. To be honest I am not certain what end of the scale I shoot most images. At a guess I would say more towards the 55mm.

The thing drawing me towards something like the 55-250 was for a little flexibility, but perhaps I would be better looking at the 50mm prime, or what about something like a used 28-135 or 28-105?

Or how about the 50mm prime and a 70-300 Tamron or Sigma, both 2nd hand. Should be able to source both for less than my £150 budget?
 
Diggsy said:
Thanks a lot for the recommendations thus far guys. To be honest I am not certain what end of the scale I shoot most images. At a guess I would say more towards the 55mm.

The thing drawing me towards something like the 55-250 was for a little flexibility, but perhaps I would be better looking at the 50mm prime, or what about something like a used 28-135 or 28-105?

Or how about the 50mm prime and a 70-300 Tamron or Sigma, both 2nd hand. Should be able to source both for less than my £150 budget?
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Avoid any 28-XXX.

The 55-200 IS is a fine lens I think but I don't know Canon (Nikon's equivalent is very good.).


The cheap sigma/Tamron 70-300s are generlaly not really worth it IMO. The Sigma 70-300 APO is a good starting point, but has no IS(OS in Sigma's terminology). So with the slow aperture you might find it hard to use..
 
Thanks again for your help guys.

So it looks like the 50mm is definately one to go for, and maybe a 55-XXX for a little more flexibility over the kit lens?

Do you think I could get both 2nd hand for in and around the top end of my budget (£150)?

If so that'd be the ideal compromise :)
 
Personally I'd say just get the 50mm then put the other cash aside for a bit until you can get something decent. No point trying to get a lot versatility on a really tight budget in my opinion.
 
As a slightly different option for you have you considered a second hand Sigma 17-70mm it's a massive upgrade from your current Kit lens and a brilliant range for a walkabout general purpose lens it's a bit over budget but mine hardly ever leaves my camera and I can't fault it.
 
a1ex2001 said:
As a slightly different option for you have you considered a second hand Sigma 17-70mm it's a massive upgrade from your current Kit lens and a brilliant range for a walkabout general purpose lens it's a bit over budget but mine hardly ever leaves my camera and I can't fault it.
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I hadn't, but I am open to anything that fits the bill really. Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into that. :)
 
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