HELP - what lenses for a newbie??

Hi

I am looking for some advice - I currently have a Canon G3, and am looking to upgrade into the DSLR market with the canon 300d.

I am not sure however, what lenses I need.....I was probably going to get the 18-55 that comes with the kit. And then either:

Sigma Compact Hyperzoom 28-200mm, or
Sigma Macro Super II 70-300mm

Could anyone provide arguments for or against either option, or perhaps even an alternative. Cost is a factor, I do not have much cash, hence the cheap choices.

I will be using the camera primarily for covering events & gigs etc for local publication. And some general artistic style weekend photography (for fun)

Thank you....

Matt

Have a peek at the Canon 28-135 IS. Just a great all-purpose lens and on my camera 80%+ of the time.

matt bray said:

Hi

I am looking for some advice - I currently have a Canon G3, and am
looking to upgrade into the DSLR market with the canon 300d.

I am not sure however, what lenses I need.....I was probably going
to get the 18-55 that comes with the kit. And then either:

Sigma Compact Hyperzoom 28-200mm, or
Sigma Macro Super II 70-300mm

Could anyone provide arguments for or against either option, or
perhaps even an alternative. Cost is a factor, I do not have much
cash, hence the cheap choices.

I will be using the camera primarily for covering events & gigs etc
for local publication. And some general artistic style weekend
photography (for fun)

Thank you....

Matt

Click to expand...

--

http://www.pbase.com/jthomaslambert

There will be no shortage of opinions I'm sure Here's one...

I got the hyperzoom and like it, but it won't be confused with "L" glass. Here's a sample:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=9159200

I set out this weekend to take pictures with it to prove it needed to be replaced. Instead it performed quite well. Curses! Now I need another excuse to get a 70-200L IS.

Also a BIG fan of the Tamron 24-135 with is nice sharp and contrasty. On the other hand it weighs a lot and is prone to flare. It's still a great lens and gets the majority of "walkaround" duty.

I wished I'd looked into the Tokina 24-200 - it may be a good compromise between the two.

Also you can't go wrong with a Canon 50mm f/1.8. On the 300D it's a short telephoto which took me some getting used to.

Good luck chosing! It's always a struggle to figure out what you want. If you have a friend with a lot of Canon lenses to borrow that's a big help!

matt bray said:

Hi

I am looking for some advice - I currently have a Canon G3, and am
looking to upgrade into the DSLR market with the canon 300d.

I am not sure however, what lenses I need.....I was probably going
to get the 18-55 that comes with the kit. And then either:

Sigma Compact Hyperzoom 28-200mm, or
Sigma Macro Super II 70-300mm

Could anyone provide arguments for or against either option, or
perhaps even an alternative. Cost is a factor, I do not have much
cash, hence the cheap choices.

I will be using the camera primarily for covering events & gigs etc
for local publication. And some general artistic style weekend
photography (for fun)

Thank you....

Matt

Click to expand...

I've just bought the Rebel with the kit lens and also picked up a used
70-300mm canon lens.

I went out hiking yesterday and found myself changing the lens a lot.

I'd put the Kit lens on when taking wide angle shots, then I'd see something far away and change the lens... Kind of a pain...

I wish I could have found a 28-200mm for the $99 I paid for the 70-300mm...
The canon 28-135 IS looks tempting but I wish they had a 28-200 IS.

matt bray said:

Hi

I am looking for some advice - I currently have a Canon G3, and am
looking to upgrade into the DSLR market with the canon 300d.

I am not sure however, what lenses I need.....I was probably going
to get the 18-55 that comes with the kit. And then either:

Sigma Compact Hyperzoom 28-200mm, or
Sigma Macro Super II 70-300mm

Could anyone provide arguments for or against either option, or
perhaps even an alternative. Cost is a factor, I do not have much
cash, hence the cheap choices.

I will be using the camera primarily for covering events & gigs etc
for local publication. And some general artistic style weekend
photography (for fun)

Thank you....

Matt

Click to expand...

If you're still waiting, it may be worth waiting just a while longer until the Sigma 18-125 comes out (any time now). If that turns out to be a good lens it will be the ideal walk-around lens. No need to change lenses for all the shots I want to take.
However, we're all waiting for the first reviews and for availability.

matt bray said:

Hi

I am looking for some advice - I currently have a Canon G3, and am
looking to upgrade into the DSLR market with the canon 300d.

I am not sure however, what lenses I need.....I was probably going
to get the 18-55 that comes with the kit. And then either:

Sigma Compact Hyperzoom 28-200mm, or
Sigma Macro Super II 70-300mm

Could anyone provide arguments for or against either option, or
perhaps even an alternative. Cost is a factor, I do not have much
cash, hence the cheap choices.

I will be using the camera primarily for covering events & gigs etc
for local publication. And some general artistic style weekend
photography (for fun)

Thank you....

Matt

Click to expand...

--
former Agfa 1680 owner (was stolen by burglar)
Nikon Coolpix 950 owner (over 10.000 shots)
New Drebel owner

I've had a long hard think about zoom lenses for the 300D and quality for dollar coupled with versatility I just can't go past the canon 28-135 IS with sharp pics down to 1/8 sec hand held
The range is what we in the old days considered a good all round working range.

Nah! what do you young whippersnappers expect these days - spoiled by technology - I say.

(Place "tonge in cheek" emoticon here.)

BTW I did gert the kit lens but only by accident - if it wasn't for the accident I wouldn't touch it. It is my opinion after looking at the comparative lens tests I think on the canon site.

Hope this helps you make a decision.

My camera came with the kit lens and it served me well. After about six weeks of reading and looking for a longer zoom, I purchased the 28-135 usm is lens. This is my walk around lens and I love it. If I were buying the DR now I would buy it without the kit lens and apply the difference to the 28-135 is lens. I have not used the kit lens since I received the 28-135. I only keep it now so if I every buy a newer DSLR I can sell the DR with the kit lens.

Phil

--
I am not an art critic but I do know what I like.