Whats my next Lens?

How good do you really want your lens to be? With all due respect, I'm not sure I can say "good" and "$300 budget" in one sentence.

Have you checked out dpreview.com for reviews and samples from the lens you're looking at?

If you look at prices on B&H there are exactly two Canon zoom lenses in the telephoto range that are being sold for less than 300$:
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III (~200$)
EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS (~250$)
Dunno how GOOD these two lenses are, I guess it depends on what you're going to use your photos for. If you don't intend to print large or crop your photos then I guess any of these two should be good enough.
Your other options are either buy used or buy a third party lens.

also, don't forget about fredmiranda.com for reviews from buyers.

Check PBASE.com, flickr, smugmug, photosig as well for samples.

That lens you are referring to, run as far away from it as you can! The best lens you are going to find for that price is the 55-250IS. Even then, i wouldn't pay more than $200. The EF-s 60mm MACRO is a great lens, and can be had for $300 range.

You may get lucky and find a steal, like i did with the Sigma 10-20mm.
If I were you, i would hold off and wait until you have some more cash. You can find the 70-200f/4L for $530-$600 used, in perfect shape.

I rented the 24-105L for my XSi a few weeks ago when we went up to Seattle. I got home, sold all my gear (including my bogen tripod), and bough ALL new stuff, including an L lens.

In your price range, the Canon 55-250 F/4-5.6 IS is a nice lens.

Check out these reviews:

http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/194-canon-ef-s-55-250mm-f4-56-is-test-report--review

This is a very good lens for the price, and if you're reasonably happy with your 18-55 IS, this lens will please you. It's a step up from that lens.

However, in setting a $300 budget you should be aware of the limitations of what you're going to be able to get. Compared to a lens like the 70-200 f/4, which is more than twice as much, you're get significantly worse build quality, color, contrast, bokeh, and resolution. Read reviews of what you can get if you save up more as well, and decide for yourself if the difference in price is worth it to you.

If that is your budget, check out used 55-250's. They outperform the 75-300 by a wide margin (but you obviously lose 50 mm on the long end).

Landscapes are normally shot with wider lens, not telephoto.

Very few (no?) zoom telephoto lenses are true macro lenses. A true macro lens will let you shoot an image at 1:1 (same size on the sensor as in real life). Most telephoto zooms are ~0.2:1 (the image is five times smaller on the sensor than in real life).

The telephoto does come in handy for animal shots, but decide what and when you are shooting first. If you are shooting birds in flight, 250 (or even 300) are not really long enough. To consistently get good bird shots requires car priced lenses. If you are shooting animals at dusk or dawn, a $300 zoom lens will not let in enough light to get the shot in most situations. If you want to shoot squirrels and birds at a feeder during daylight hours, the 55-250 will work well (obviously other lenses can produce better pictures, but not in that price range).

The most important thing is clearly defining what you want the lens to do and what lighting conditions you are going to use it in. Then move on to what lenses can accomplish what you require. Then how they fit into your budget. It is normally cheaper in the long run to buy the lenses you need the first time. For instance, typically I recommend people save up for a while longer to get a version of the 70-200 as they take stellar pictures and allow more light in, but they do cost more so each person needs to decide for themselves.

do yourself a favor save up a few more dollars and get this lens.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/183198-GREY/Canon_2578A002_EF_70_200mm_f_4L_USM.html

Its an amazing lens and one of my biggest regrets was selling it. I probably will be buying one again in the near future.

jplg842 said:

thanks guys!
Im checking the 55-250 F/4-5.6 IS

Click to expand...

I second heavy2healthy and would save up. $300 is a lot of money to spend on a mediocre lens people would want to upgrade earlier than they think...

Don't waste your money on those lenses. I'd save up for the 70-200mm f4. Personally, I'd recommend the 135mm f2L, since it's super fast and best bokeh eveeeer.

I purchased a T1i at Christmas, with both the 18-55 kit lens and the 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS lens. I figured two lenses would keep me busy learning my first DSLR, before expanding the lens set. I have researched the EF-S 60mm Macro, which was mentioned favorably in this thread. Now that I'm ready to buy I'm finding it priced around $420 and up. I wish I wouldn't have waited as I saw it around $390 after the holidays. This thread mentioned it in the $300 range. Am I looking in the wrong places, or are you talking used. Thanks.

I'll echo what the others have said, save your money just a little longer and then buy some nice used glass. You will be glad you did. Then, if you change your mind, you can always sell it and get something else down the road without losing your....

If you don't put good glass on your camera, you will always start off a step behind. I have L glass and leica glass and I even get picky with them sometimes because I know their limits.

Once you put a nice lens on the front of your camera, wether it be a new 1DS or just a rebel, you will be smiling like a kid again.

Good luck with your choices!

crmacfan said:

I purchased a T1i at Christmas, with both the 18-55 kit lens and the 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS lens. I figured two lenses would keep me busy learning my first DSLR, before expanding the lens set. I have researched the EF-S 60mm Macro, which was mentioned favorably in this thread. Now that I'm ready to buy I'm finding it priced around $420 and up. I wish I wouldn't have waited as I saw it around $390 after the holidays. This thread mentioned it in the $300 range. Am I looking in the wrong places, or are you talking used. Thanks.

Click to expand...

I was talking used prices. I hardly buy anything new anymore, especially camera bodies. I see the EF-S go anywhere from $270-$350, just depends on the seller. Don't forget about the 100 f/2.8 Macro.

I'd agree and say save the pennies and go white. I've got the 70 - 200mm f2.8L and 24-70 f2.8L and can't speak highly enough of the L series, the optics are superb. If the f4 70-200 is anywhere near as good then i'd say save and get it - pretty cheap second hand here in the UK now.

S.

jplg842 said:

thanks guys!
Im checking the 55-250 F/4-5.6 IS

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I would recommend to complement your kit lens. You don't need L-glass to take decent photos.

It just depends on how serious you are about photography. If you are just a hobbyist and just shoot casually, and don't enlarge, etc etc., than i would stick with the 55-250IS.

If you are going to be printing, want to take photography more serious, shoot a lot in low light, have a tripod - then i would bypass the 55-250 and get the 70-200L. It is about $550 used (might be a little more with the bing.com cash back), but it one of THE BEST lens optically you can get from Canon.

I will give my own review of the 55-250. I owned this lens for about 9 months.

The first thing I noticed about this lens is that the build quality was better than i expected. Seems a step up from the kit lens for sure (MK1 mostly).
The image quality was superb for its' price. It is for sure better than the 28-105 II, and is on the same level as the 28-135IS. The 17-85IS might be a little better, but for the price that these two lenses costs, they should be avoided!

The bokeh is really nice and unexpected for this price point. Colour rendition is not extraordinary, but above acceptable. IQ, even wide open, is pretty good. This lens really SHINES in bright light; no pun intended. This lens disappoints in anything less than bright light. If you have a tripod, this will negate that a bit, but if you wanted a tripod mounted lens, you wouldn't be buying this one to begin with.

So in closing, for $200 or less (look around, ebay sells them $189 shipped BIN (buy it now), and with bing cash back, it is like $180). I sold mine, in immaculate shape (as all my gear is in) for $170.

Remember, that when you buy glass used, you usually don't take a loss, especially for L glass. It is easier to sell L glass then prosumer, as the 55-250IS doesn't fit pro bodies.