BEST LENS TO BUY FOR THE NEW REBEL T1i

[fidamd]

Dear Bob,

Thanks for putting up the great site. I am an amateur photographer and got my first SLR. LIked the Canon T1i but it came with the 18-55mm lens. Sometimes I feel the depth of the picture is not as good as my friends Nikon D90. What one step can I take to improve the results? I would really want to not keep swiching lenses. Is there a single lens that I can buy and replace the standard one with?

Thanks

[Bob Atkins]

Well, the best lens in that focal length range is the Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM. A sharp, fast lens with silent and quick AF from the USM motor and very effective image stabilization. The only drawback is that it's pretty expensive. Otherwise it's a great lens.

At lower cost is the Tamron 17-50/2.8 DiII VC. Again it's pretty sharp, It doesn't have USM focus, but it does have image stabilization which again works well (I measured 4 stops or so). There's also a non-stabilized version at even lower cost, the Tamron 17-50/2.8 Di-II.

While you may not want to switch lenses, it may still be worth it to own the Canon EOS 50/1.8 II. It's faster and sharper than any zoom and cheap at around $100.

[fidamd]

Thanks Bob,

Not to confuse the issue. Would you recommend a Canon EF-S 18-200mm as a single lens to own instead of the 17-55 mm?

[Bob Atkins]

If you want one lens to do everything then the EF-S 18-200 isn't a bad choice. It's not as sharp as the EF-S 17-55 and it's slower, but it's also cheaper.

You always have to make a compromise between speed, image quality, zoom range and cost

[fidamd]

Thanks for the advice. Two last things:

1) How do we support you for the great work?

2) Would you recommend me upgrading to the canon t2i or an advanced camera for the money i will be spending buying the new lenses? If I buy the 17-55mm, is there another one you would recommend for additional range?

Thanks again

[KeithB]

It is easy to support Bob, just buy the lens from your seller of choice via the links on his page.