Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I can't decide between Canon EF-S 17-85 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM or the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS for the zoo/landscape and all around... I'm tired of my kit 17-55mm for my canon t1i.. the zoom isn't that great but with the 1.6x crop I don't think the 28-135 would be a great idea.

Just Basically looking for something that'll be great for all around and a lot better than my stock lens (17-55mm) From what I read/researched those two lens above would be my next best bet.

What would you do with the $300-$400..(I am buying one more lens for this camera for this year).. and I'm getting the 50mm 1.8f

If you're shooting at a zoo, the 28-135 would be smarter. the 17-85 isn't too far off from what you have now. I've tried shooting with it at a zoom before when I first started and I couldn't get too many close ups.

17-85 is great for a start, you get a little more distance than 18-55, but its main advantage is it is USM with IS, it's also a bigger lens than 18-55, I wouldn't go for it if I were you, unless you have tight budget. I myself upgraded from 18-55 IS to 17-85 USM IS, and now want to get rid of it BUT, I now developed my own style and know what I need, that is 10-22 USM IS Yours depends on your style

I had the 17-85 - the IS and the focal length and sharpness was great. The barrel distortion really bothered me though so I got rid of it. The only thing that you be giving up with the 28-135 would the some usefulness at the wide end but it all depends on the type of shooting you plan on doing.

28-135 isn't nearly long enough for the zoo.

You need 200mm + an extender at the least.

13inches, what you think of this:
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens?

That would probably be your best choice, don't think I would go for it, since I am concerned about image quality and distortions, but in terms of flexibility this choice is really good. Again, since you're just starting up, this would fill all your needs, and once you learn and evolve, you can upgrade again, I personally don't mind switching lenses, that's why I got an SLR in the first place

Seriously... if you've only taken 25 pics with a lens, are you really sure you need something else?

Keep the 18-55 and buy a 55-250 or 70(or 75)-300 with your $300-$400. High quality glass is great, but on a budget I'd rather have enough focal length to cover a huge spectrum and work on learning about composition and other techniques.

Just don't go shooting any weddings with that setup

I can get a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto for $140.. was thinking of buying that for shits and giggles.

Just buy the lenses you want. But we're just trying to warn you that later on, you'll probably end up trying to sell them. We keep saying that the lenses you get should depend on what you shoot. But you haven't discovered that yet... so.. the main question on our minds is.. why waste your money? The lower end lenses lose their value over time. You'll probably have to sell it for less than what you got it for.

You should consider the "normal lens" offerings by Sigma and Tamron. You can pick up ~18-50 f/2.8 for $500ish resale

if budget is an issue, you can always get 3rd party...

tamrons 17-50 f2.8 is a fun lens