I think I know what I want.

[dlee975]

I'm new to photography but am learning so much on this forum. I was wondering if you guys could give me some input on the Canon EF Telephoto lens - 85 mm - F/1.8. As I am on a limited budget, I was wondering if this lens was practical for everyday shooting. I mainly plan on taking photos of my family on the new T2i.

 

[CSpectre]

Main question you have to ask is does that focal length suit your style of shooting? Certainly a good portrait lens, but it wont be as practical out in the wild when trying to frame shots in rapidly changing circumstances.

 

[miatamich]

As a newbie, I'd think you'd want a lens better suited to more situations like the 18-55 kit lens. Then, when you discover what subjects you like to shoot, you can consider more specialized lenses. If you're convinced you want to buy a prime lens (single focal length), you'd probably be better suited with a more "normal" focal length, something in the 30mm-50mm length.

You may be enthralled with the quality of the 85/1.8 lens, but any lens Canon makes (or even 3rd party manufacturers like Sigma, Tamron or Tokina) should provide high quality images.

 

[sterretje]

If you opt for only one prime lens, something in the range from 28mm to 35mm is far more universal on an APSc body.

If it's an addition to the kit lens, you can use as it gives you a little more reach. However, its usefulness indoors might be limited due to focal length, not due to the widest aperture.

--
WimS

 

[Deleted1929]

Unless you are an experienced photographer then just get the kit lenses.

The 85mm f1,8 is a good quality lens, but is very restrictive for general use. People who want this lens have a specific shooting style that it matches.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600

 

[Ansonn701987]

The 85 F/1.8 is a fine lens but it's focal length is too limited for general shooting. It will be 136mm on the Canon T2i. You will be better off with the 18-55 IS lens. Opticly it is very good and will give you 28 - 88mm. Ansonn

 

[dlee975]

I want a lens for taking pictures of my family that will give me crisp images and nice blurry backgrounds.

 

[John Deerfield]

What you need is knowledge of how it all works. No lens will impart that. What you want to Google and learn about is DoF (Depth of Field and Bokeh). In a nutshell though, you want to use the longest focal length you can to blur the background. The catch is, the longer the focal length, the further back you have to stand. To take a picture of a family of four with even an 85mm lens means you are standing pretty far back.... something that probably won't be done in most homes.

 

[Deleted1929]

You can do this with kit lenses.

You just need technique. Without the technique you would not do this properly with any lens.

The main trick is to get the background much further away than the subject and use a relatively wide aperture ( between f3.2 and f5.6 ).

The 85mm f1,8 at f1.8 will give you those lovely blurred background BUT ( and it's a very big but ) it will also make getting the right focus very , very hard.

At f1.8 the distance range within the scene that is in focus is very small - less than an inch. It takes very little movement of subject or camera to put the entire face out of focus. This is why a lens like this requires experience and skill to exploit.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600

 

[slayboss]

I want a lens for taking pictures of my family that will give me crisp images and nice blurry backgrounds.

do a little research!
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum

there are better lens for family pics with "crisp and blurry backgrounds" and knowing the settings and camera controls really helps

 

[dlee975]

Thanks everyone for your input....I am doing my research as I post questions on this "beginners" forum. I'm sure I'll have a lot more pointed questions in the future and will thank you all in advance for helping me out.