Looking for a good, wider prime lens. Suggestions?

Currently the only lenses I own are a Canon 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5, and a 75-200mm zoom lens. I have a Canon t3i and am looking for something closer to a 35mm. I want to get some wider shots with a bit more bokeh in them, but with the confusion of cropped sensors and what not I am having difficulty finding a wider lens that is both on the cheaper side and will help my cropped sensor to not double anything in length. Any suggestions would be great.

I'd suggest the 24mm f2.8 STM (aps-c specific) and/or the 40mm f2.8 pancake lens.

When you say that you're looking for a 35mm lens, do you mean in full frame terms or including the crop factor? I guess you're looking for 35mm ff equivalent, in which case I'd suggest the 24mm STM (which is also very cheap!).

JohnWLOneill said:

Currently the only lenses I own are a Canon 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5, and a 75-200mm zoom lens. I have a Canon t3i and am looking for something closer to a 35mm. I want to get some wider shots with a bit more bokeh in them, but with the confusion of cropped sensors

Click to expand...

It doesn't need to be confusing. Just forget about full frame equivalence and relate everything to what you have. Focal length is a physical property of the lens so any 35 mm lens, whether EF, EF-S or another brand, will give you the same field of view as your 18-55 set to 35 mm.

JohnWLOneill said:

and what not I am having difficulty finding a wider lens that is both on the cheaper side and will help my cropped sensor to not double anything in length.

Click to expand...

Like I said, forget about that.

So the big question is - how cheap does it have to be? There are two really good candidates, the EF 35 mm f/2 IS, and the Sigma 30 mm f/1.4 Art. Are they in the right price range for you?

Steve Balcombe said:

Steve Balcombe said:

JohnWLOneill wrote:
So the big question is - how cheap does it have to be? There are two really good candidates, the EF 35 mm f/2 IS, and the Sigma 30 mm f/1.4 Art. Are they in the right price range for you?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I can also recommend the Sigma 30mm f1.4, the older version before the Art one came out. Even though that FOV on my crop sensor camera is probably my least favorite, that was the one lens that I had the hardest time letting go when I sold a bunch of crop sensor lenses to help me find a FF camera at the time. That says something. It was a sharp and contrasty lens with great colors and the focus was spot on. When I shot crop sensor cameras regularly, I personally thirsted for every stop I could get so for me f1.4 made a big difference than a f1.8 lens with everything else being equal.

JohnWLOneill said:

Currently the only lenses I own are a Canon 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5, and a 75-200mm zoom lens. I have a Canon t3i and am looking for something closer to a 35mm. I want to get some wider shots with a bit more bokeh in them, but with the confusion of cropped sensors and what not I am having difficulty finding a wider lens that is both on the cheaper side and will help my cropped sensor to not double anything in length. Any suggestions would be great.

Click to expand...

The best options for a wide aperture prime in the 35mm range are one of the two versions of the Sigma 30mm f1.4. This will give you the option of getting smaller DOF. A 30mm lens would be wider than the 50 f1.8 but is not a wide angle lens.

I don't believe that your T3i has microadjust, so you would be better off with the Canon 35F2IS or the Sigma 30 Art. I am a fan of the Canon, as it has good performance wide open, fast and accurate AF, and excellent contrast and flare resistance. Both of these lenses give a relatively normal view from a crop camera.

Your decision about lens choices should depend on what you want to do with the lens. If you want to take photos of people in lower light, the Canon 35F2IS is a gem. If your interest is in scenery outdoors, and architecture, it may be too narrow. Here a 24 F2.8 would work better for you. I often need F2 inside with reduced lighting, but your decision depends on funds and need.

Spotted Cow said:

Spotted Cow said:

Steve Balcombe wrote:
So the big question is - how cheap does it have to be? There are two really good candidates, the EF 35 mm f/2 IS, and the Sigma 30 mm f/1.4 Art. Are they in the right price range for you?

Click to expand...

I can also recommend the Sigma 30mm f1.4, the older version before the Art one came out. Even though that FOV on my crop sensor camera is probably my least favorite, that was the one lens that I had the hardest time letting go when I sold a bunch of crop sensor lenses to help me find a FF camera at the time. That says something. It was a sharp and contrasty lens with great colors and the focus was spot on. When I shot crop sensor cameras regularly, I personally thirsted for every stop I could get so for me f1.4 made a big difference than a f1.8 lens with everything else being equal.

Click to expand...

I have the old version as well, I only proposed the Art version because that's what is available today and it has had equally good reviews. But actually, on a limited budget, a used original one would be a great idea. (Mine's not for sale!)

I am trying to decide between the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM "pancake", EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM , and EF 35mm f/2 IS USM as a prime complement to my 18-135mm. Initially I thought the pancake's compact size and 35mm's wide aperture would be a good pairing. but perhaps the 24mm f/2.8 IS makes the most sense?

JohnWLOneill said:

Currently the only lenses I own are a Canon 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5, and a 75-200mm zoom lens. I have a Canon t3i and am looking for something closer to a 35mm. I want to get some wider shots with a bit more bokeh in them, but with the confusion of cropped sensors and what not I am having difficulty finding a wider lens that is both on the cheaper side and will help my cropped sensor to not double anything in length. Any suggestions would be great.

Click to expand...

That 24mm f2.8 IS USM is an excellent lens for a 38.4mm apparent FL wide-normal lens on crop. The 24mm STM pancake is nice too, but no IS.

The advantage of crop is that you get more DOF for any apparent focal length.

The disadvantage is that you'll have a harder time getting very wide and still bokeh. 16mm --> 25.6mm apparent FL, but you get 16mm DOF at f2.8. Not sure if it will satisfy you.

Saving up the extra for a used 6D might be better than buying a lens if you want wide walkabout with shallow DOF. Then you could use the 50 f1.8 until you find a 35mm f2 IS or some such.