Need advice for camera lenses.

[Dana Grant]

OK, here is the scoop.

I need to buy an all-purpose kind of lens that I can use for every-day shooting.

I need something that is wide angle but also capable of shooting from far away - telephoto?

I have a 55-250 mm lens and an 18-55 mm lens (the kit lens)

I prefer the 18-55mm lens for most things, but I can't see something far away and zoom in on it with that one. Then when I change lenses and use the longer one, sure enough I will see something that is too close up to get with the longer lens.

Isn't there something that I can buy that will satisfy both of those needs without changing the lenses all the time? So tedious and irritating. That was one thing that I loved about my fuji camera -- the one lens. I love everything about my new Canon, but I just don't like changing lenses all the time. A royal pain. And I'm very slow at it. the opportunity escapes by the time I get the lens changed.

Any thoughts on the subject?

Thanks,
Dana

[Hans Deventer]

Well, Canon does have a EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Of course there is the eternal discussion because such a lens is always a compromise. But then again that is a discussion that already started with the first zoom lens, and they are generally accepted now.

Here are some reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/...3p5-5p6_is_c16
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ns-Review.aspx

dpreview says it all: "So overall, this lens has to be accepted for what it is: a general purpose solution which allows the photographer not to worry about fiddling around changing lenses when out traveling, but which makes inevitable optical compromises to achieve this goal. Those seeking the ultimate in technical image quality will need to look elsewhere, but as an overall package it's likely as good as any other DSLR superzoom out there. So for users looking for the convenience of such a lens, it's a perfectly good choice."

Myself, I use the Nikon equivalent a lot. I'll exchange it every now and then for my Sigma 10-20mm, and quite rarely for the Nikon 50mm 1.8.

[Dana Grant]

It looks like that is what I'll be buying. From the reviews, it seems that it will fit my needs nicely.

It will have to wait until this next vacation is over (not really a vacation, but taking Lindsey back to college -- we're going to put FUN into it, though, so I guess you could call it a vacation!!)

Hopefully before Christmas!! That would be nice!

Thanks, HANS!!!

Dana

[Hans Deventer]

Dana, it's always a good idea to check the competetion as well, if only in order to know why you bought what you've decided upon.

Sigma 18-250
Tamron 18-270

[Jonathan Long]

Dana,

If you don't need the longer range of the zoom you may want to consider the Canon 18-135mm IS lens. Here's a review:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography...is_review.html

I own a copy of this lens, I use it on the T2i body as a general purpose lens instead of the kit lens. I also use it for video work on the same body.

The review is pretty accurate in my opinion. While it's not considered to be a top of the line lens it does function well as a general all around lens. The price is reasonable for its abilities too.

My main dislike is that it's a variable aperture lens. Which means at 18mm wide open it is a f3.5 aperture, but at the 135mm it's a f5.6 aperture lens. That makes blurring the background nearly impossible. If you can live with that... it's a nice lens.

One option lens that I think you should consider is a 50mm f1.8 lens. While it's a fixed focal length lens the f1.8 aperture makes it a great low light lens! On your camera it would work as a mid telephoto lens, something perfect for portraits. The other plus for this lens is that it's incredibly cheap. I'd shop around for a used version with a metal mount, the newer versions have a plastic lens mount. That may not be an issue for some people but I prefer metal mounts for their durability.

Jon