total noob question

i have a canon rebel xsi and absolutely love it. thing is im looking to get a new lense because the one that came with it just is too...normal i guess. i want something better for the type photos i take. i usually shoot random things laying around, sunsets, cars and every now and then i'll do "rolling shots" on cars. whats the best lense for the buck?

 

got in the same situation before, looking for lens that i want to use than my kit lens. i keep asking people i admire with their photog skills. one time i asked the same question you were asking, then i was asked by one of my friend if i can explain further what are aperture, shutter speed and iso. answered some basic info and i was told to read books where i can learn more about aperture, shutter speed and iso.

i did and learned a lot more just using my kit lens, then i have decided to get my all around lens and got stucked with it for like a year or two.

just my two cents..

 

so are you saying try to learn more about apeture, shutter speed and iso, and then see where that takes me?

 

i was setting an example on how i was inspired by the photos i have seen by learning more using my kit lens and maximising its use before going to the lens i want, and the kind of photography am going into. aperture, shutter speed and iso are the main ingredients of a good image.

 

you might wanna shoot Panda Jerk a PM....he does a lot of photography

 

yeah i agree, although having another lens would be nice, the kit lens is good for most stuff, just get out and shoot that way you learn how to use the kit lens better, that is what im trying

if i were to get lens for that type of shooting, i would probably get the nikon 35 f1.8 or the 50 f1.8 if the autofocus worked for the 50 on my camera, im not sure what would be equivalent for nikon though

im sure panda jerk will see this and give some better input than me though

 

im hoping he'll catch wind haha. ive been shooting the hell out of my kit lense and it is quite amazing for my skill level. my mom was a photographer for 15+ years and has done it as a hobby her whole life. she has some AMAZING cameras but they are all film and her lenses are not compatible. she has taught me almost everything i know about photography as well. still learning though since technology is getting better and better.

 

oh thats awesome, thats a great resource haha

 

so for your canon i would recommend the 35mm f/2.0 you can get one new from Calumet Photographic (highly recommended, thats where i buy all my camera gear) for $299.99. wich is a great deal. (it says $319.99 but add the lens to your cart and it goes down to $299.99).

another one people will try to talk you into is the 50mm f/1.8.. its a good lens for its price. but on a cropped sensor like yours you wont get a very wide angle of view, if youre limited on space then you will have to compensate...but thats what i did with my nikon for 3 years and it worked great.

Out of recommendations though, definitely the 35mm f2.0.!

if you have any other questions feel free to PM me. im always up for helping people out!

 

that right there is one of your best foundations for learning...

i got into and learned photography in the day of film, and still shoot film to this day... you want to learn about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and if you can get those principles down with film cameras, the transition into digital is seamless...

a couple years ago, i was shooting an ad campaign, and along with digital, i was shooting medium format film...

during the shoot, i handed the film camera to the assistant photographer to reload as i adjusted the lights... he stood there for 10 minutes trying to figure out how to open the camera back and load it... turns out, while he was great with a digital camera, he never got the basic education of photography, so had no experience with film...

i felt bad for him when my boss told me to let him go... it took me months of interviewing to finally find a replacement who knew how to handle digital and film cameras...

anywho, back to your original question, i vote the Canon 24-105mm 4.0L

i use that as my primary lens on my work cameras and it's a work horse...

or, if you want something a lil faster, the Canon 28-70 2.8L is awesome, and for less money, the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 is really good...

 

hey Robby... saw your site... you're a FRAME21 member? so am i...

hahaha

i am "Michael Anthony" from pinoygraphers/frame21

small world...

 

if you have the money, absolutely Try for those L lenses. But if you arent on a pro photographers budget, check out these lenses:

it's a "trinity" so to speak, and Tokina is a GREAT lens.

Tokina 11-16 2.8
Tokina 16-50 2.8
Sigma 70-200 2.8

all constant aperture, you cover all zoom ranges (almost) and ALL for under the price of ONE nikon Trinity lens.

And Tokina lenses are GREAT for the price, built the best out of all third party lenses, (better than some nikon lenses) and great optics, definitely check them out.

 

Wahahahaha small world Mike...

 

I got Tokina 11-16 2.8 and loving it much...

 

Yeah ive used it before, its a great piece of glass.