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Forums > Back > What kit lens for new 550D
#1
I'm going to get my first DSLR as 550D in starting 2011. I don't have any lens with me. So i prefer to go with a kit lens. Here they offer 550D with EF-S18-55mm as well as EF-S18-135mm IS. I'm having confusion that which one to choose. In future i should buy a 70-300 lens from canon/sigma/tamron for my telephoto(I hope those are the low price telephoto glass i can afford) Those telephoto comes with out IS. So i like to buy 18-135 because of the long zoom with IS. If i buy 18-55 i loose some mm in the middle.. If 18-135 having good IQ then i don't care about the price. Coz i get IS up to 135mm. (216mm in 35mm). I can't afford so expensive lenses like L series. I like to choose one of this kit lens because of better compatibility in my starting point. Rather than a third party. Because if any problem i can consult with the dealer and so on



Some one please advice me. I'm mostly consideration is about the IQ.
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#2
IQ of these lenses is about the same, as are the maximum apertures. The only difference is size, weight, zoom range and price. So if you don't mind a slightly heavier and longer lens with a longer zoomrange, by all means, do get the 18-135. They are both amazingly good for their price,



However, if you can afford it, I'd suggest the 15-85 IS, which is a better lens (but again more expensive).



Kind regards, Wim
Gear: Canon EOS R with 3 primes and 2 zooms, 4 EF-R adapters, Canon EOS 5 (analog), 9 Canon EF primes, a lone Canon EF zoom, 2 extenders, 2 converters, tubes; Olympus OM-D 1 Mk II & Pen F with 12 primes, 6 zooms, and 3 Metabones EF-MFT adapters ....
Away
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#3
Personally I would skip both, and go for a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC OS HSM. Better optics, and f2.8, in a well built package.
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#4
My preference, I will go for Sigma 17-50mm OS F2.8 too because of its amazing IQ, and next option is Canon 15-85mm IS, and if less than $500 lens, I will go for Tamron 17-50mm VC or non-VC. Canon 18-135mm IS has poor IQ at wide angle but good at tele end. But the three lenses above have good IQ throughout the entire focal length.
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#5
Mmm, what about Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.0 OS? It's pretty inexpensive :-)
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#6
My suggestion is to look for a package that has the body plus 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS. The incremental cost of the 55-250 is not that much.



Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 OS is worth a look as well!
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#7
1) EF-S 18-55 IS + Sigma 70-300.....

2) EF-S 18-55 IS + EF-S 55-250 IS

3) EF-s 18-135 IS + Sigma 70-300...



1st option is cheap but I'm loosing some focal legnt between

2nd Option Good but I'm limited to 250 (I like to catch Birds)

3rd Option Expensive may be i can go



IQ is my consideration..
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#8
[quote name='mahinthan5' timestamp='1288767926' post='3930']

1) EF-S 18-55 IS + Sigma 70-300.....

2) EF-S 18-55 IS + EF-S 55-250 IS

3) EF-s 18-135 IS + Sigma 70-300...



1st option is cheap but I'm loosing some focal legnt between

2nd Option Good but I'm limited to 250 (I like to catch Birds)

3rd Option Expensive may be i can go



IQ is my consideration..

[/quote]



IQ is a good consideration. But keeep the following in mind:



a) the 18-135 is actually very good at f/8 througout its focal range. So landscapes and anything not moving to fast in decent light can be shot at very high quality and printed up to the largest poster sizes because of the IS. At wide open aperture at least the center image area is very decent, so portraits and all other subjects which dont extent to the edges/borders are also possible without iq sacrifice.



<img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='Sad' /> how big are you going to print? If you dont print larger than 11x14" (A4/20x30cm) the sharpness of all the lenses in the mix is perfectly adaquate, even wide open.(they all distort heavily,at wide angle). For the sake of putting IQ into perspective: I had a double page spread in Time Magzine taken with an old 28-105mm lens, the quality of which was alot worse than any of the lenses you mentioned here. Dont let yourself get fooled by 100% crops. They are only relevant for comparing lenses, checking Af precision and as a guideline for huge poster prints. If you print smaller than 20x30 cm (or even 30x45cm) they are irrelevant.



c) How often do you print posters from wide open shots with the border/edges containing important elemnts in focus? If you rarly or never do this, by all means go for the more flexible lens (which could either be the one with a greater focal range or the one with a wider aperture). Getting the shot is more important than having the sharpest shot with a bad composition!!!!!Changing lenses is one of the most frequent causes for missed shots!



d) My recommendation: If you dont intend to print bigger than 20x30cm from wide open shots on a regular basis get the 18-135 plus a 28mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2 or 50mm f/1.8 or 85/1.8 lens for low light and shallow dof applications. If you want a longer tele, you can always get a 70-300 IS later (get the tele instead of the fixed focal length if you shoot many long distance objekts, such as wild animals or birds.

The greater overlap of the 18-135 and the 70-300 is a huge advantage in practice, because you dont need change lenses back and forth if you cant gauge the reuqired focal length excactly. With a 17-70+70-300 or 18-55+55-250 combination, you will very often find that you have the wrong lens attached if your subject requires you to shoot in the 60-80mm or 50-70mm area respectivly).



If the great majority of your shots is under low light AND you need to zoom in these conditions, OR you require a very shallow dof at shorter focal length, get the Sigma 17-50 OS plus a tele zoom.



Finally, if you want a tele , go for a canon original. The narrow depth of field of tele lenses requires the AF to be very precise and Sigmas have not a good reputation in this regard (my own expereince). The Af is also faster, generally speaking, with Canon originals, an improtant factor for birds.



Canon 18-55 plus 70-300IS may also be a viable combination if cost is an issue. This way you may have to zoom with yur feet in the 55-70mm range, but you can catch your birds at 300mm. With birds you can never have enough focal range. You can then substitute the 18-55 for a better lens later.
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#9
I think your 3rd option is good choice, but personally I'd go with:



Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 OS + Tamron 70-300mm VC because these two lenses have better IQ at almost the same price, and Sigma is faster as well. Tamron is significantly better than Sigma in every aspect especially IQ at 300mm.
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