Lens Recommendation under $350

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Archive 2012 · Lens Recommendation under $350

abqnmusa
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p.2 #1 · Lens Recommendation under $350

not exactly $350 each but close enough

Canon 50mm F1.8

my favorite is the Canon 100mm F2
it is sharp wide open, isolates background well, good for low light stage work
works very well with extension tubes for macro

Jan 03, 2012 at 05:31 PM

kjcramer
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p.2 #2 · Lens Recommendation under $350

Another vote for the Sigma 30mm 1.4

Probably my favorite lens on a 1.6 crop body.

Jan 03, 2012 at 06:06 PM

gpop
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p.2 #3 · Lens Recommendation under $350

how about you lend her the 85, on the condition that she's got to use both it and the kit on each day. give it a week and see what focal length she prefers.

if she hates the kit, she can sell it for the cost of the 50/1.8, and then get the 30/35 or 85/100 if that's what she likes best.

>>If she liked the 85 then she would like the 60 macro.<<
+1 to that.

Jan 03, 2012 at 06:21 PM

Tom Dix
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p.2 #4 · Lens Recommendation under $350

canon 35 2; noisy but quite good. I prefer the iq to the sigma 30 1.4. However, the sigma is wider and a stop fater. Siggy is around $500 new and the op asked for under $350 lens. I may be beyond his budget.

Jan 03, 2012 at 07:22 PM

Gochugogi
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p.2 #5 · Lens Recommendation under $350

I agree, the EF 35 2.0 is a great lens for the bucks. However, I would not characterize it as noisy. It is audible in a quiet room but about as loud as a human whisper. Perhaps pianissimo is a more apt characterization? Nevertheless, AF is not as surefooted as the average USM zoom or the 85 1.8, so it demands a little more skill on the part of the shooter.

The EF 50 2.5 CM also falls within the OP's budget and it is one of Canon's sharpest optics at any price. Same buzz AF as the 35 2.0 but a more flattering perspective at close range, pin sharp wide open, distortion-free and focuses close enough for portraits of baby eyes. Although no FTM, the MF is smoother and finer than the average consumer zoom or prime. One of Canon's best lens bargains.

Of course if they loved the 85 1.8 USM--some people like more space when shooting--it seems like a no-brainer. No close focus but beautiful bokeh.

Jan 03, 2012 at 08:36 PM

Jeff_Stapleton
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p.2 #6 · Lens Recommendation under $350

I would let my sister borrow it for a bit longer, but she lives 4 hours away. This is not the easiest of choices.

Jan 03, 2012 at 09:49 PM

fiyawerx
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p.2 #7 · Lens Recommendation under $350

I also have a t2i, bought for my first child. I went the route some are suggesting, with the 50 / 1.8, and a Nissin Di622 Mk2. I would really suggest a flash, as the "low light" capabilities of the lenses like the 50 1.8 are great, but you can get such a shallow dof, if you're forced to go that open, you can get a nice in focus on the baby's face, and blur the person that's holding them. Both of the above items cost about 300$ in total, and then I started saving up for my 15-85mm 3.5-5.6 zoom. (Which still works great indoors with the above mentioned flash, to boot, as well as being a great all purpose walk around lens.)

Not to mention, once that kid hits 2ish, you WILL want a nice zoom. They can go from across the room to behind you faster than you can turn the zoom ring to even get a bead on them

Jan 03, 2012 at 09:50 PM

looscanon
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p.2 #8 · Lens Recommendation under $350

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Best lower priced lens for the money. I think it rivals the Canon 24-70mm for image quality but not built quite as well or focuses as smoothly. It can be had for around $350.

Jan 03, 2012 at 11:01 PM

curious80
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p.2 #9 · Lens Recommendation under $350

erikburd wrote:
The 35 f/2 would be a good choice given the price point. The 85 f/1.8 is a great lens, depending if it works for them or not. It might be a bit on the long end, given it would be 136mm FF equivalent.

I would lean more towards the 35 f/2. The 50 f/1.8 is a plastic toy, but it takes good pictures for what it is, and would probably fit their needs. The f/1.4 version has a focus clutch problem that can cause it to stop all together.

New borns are tiny - with a lens like 35mm f2 you have to get very close to them with lots of distortion. 85mm on crop is not that long if you are taking portrait style shots of your infant. My wife sometimes even used the 135mm when our daughter was a tiny infant. So 50mm 1.8 + 85mm 1.8 can be a good combo at the early stages. As the child grows and you want more of environmental shots then the wider 35mm f2 will become more useful. And even at this stage, the 50 and 85 would be great for candid shots.

Jan 03, 2012 at 11:24 PM

kevinsullivan
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p.2 #10 · Lens Recommendation under $350

The T2i is a 1.6X crop camera, so multiply focal lengths by 1.6. So a 50mm lens has the same field of view on a T2i as an 80mm lens on a regular 35mm film or full frame digital camera.

80mm is a classic focal length for portrait photography. So I agree with those saying 50 f/1.4 *if* what your friend wants is a dedicated portrait lens.

To suggestions of 24-70, 28-80 or similar lenses I would say those zoom ranges are intended for full-frame camera, and are too long on a 1.6X crop body. The 18-50 kit lens, times 1.6, is almost precisely a 28-80! That is to say, the 18-50 is the crop "version" of the classic 28-80, or 24-70, or similar zoom for full-frame bodies.

What I *speculate* your friends would be happiest with, if what they want is a single lens of high quality and flexibility. is a greatly improved standard zoom for a crop camera. Their best bet, in my view, within a $350 budget, is a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 zoom. It's a "fast" lens, meaning good in low light and also capable of nice background blur. It's optically of very good quality. And it has the highly flexible zoom range of 28-80 equivalent.

With this lens (buy it used from someone here on FM for $325 or $350) they'll see clear and immediate improvement in image results. And they won't be locked into a single focal length.

By the way, if they go this route they should sell the kit lens. They can probably get $60-100 or something like that for it, offsetting the cost of the upgrade to the Tamron f/2.8 zoom.

Jan 04, 2012 at 12:21 AM

CW100
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p.2 #11 · Lens Recommendation under $350

if they like large aperture primes indoors on a crop then I would also recommend the Sigma 30mm 1.4

Jan 04, 2012 at 10:45 AM

WestFalcon
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p.2 #12 · Lens Recommendation under $350

6o mm macro is a great lens...portraits, macro and fast enough at 2.8 for good available light shots....one of canons sharpest lenses for around $300

Jan 04, 2012 at 11:52 AM

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