What is a good, entry level telephoto lens (min 200mm) for the Cannon Rebel Xti?

Question

I'm newer to the SLR world and love it! Now I need a telephoto lens that will get me started, but not cost more than the camera did. Right now all I have is the kit lens than came with my Rebel Xti. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

You have several options. First, there are 3 flavors of a 55-200mm zoom. This zoom range perfectly takes over from the 18-55mm kit lens. Also, all of these options are under $210.
* Canon 55-200mm - $210
* Tamron 55-200mm - $180
* Sigma 55-200mm - $150
Not only are these in order of descending price, they are also in order of descending quality. If you can conceivably spare the $210, don't even think about the Tamron or Sigma. The Canon lens will also hold it's value better if/ when you decide to upgrade.
If you'd rather have zoom reach than image quality, there are also a few 70-300mm zooms within your budget:
* Sigma 70-300mm (APO DG version) - $200
* Tamron 70-300 - $190
* Sigma 70-300mm (non-APO version) - $140
But all three of these are 'cheap reach'. They are poorly made, have sloooow auto-focus, and offer poor image quality. Frankly, you'd probably get better results if you used the Canon 55-200mm and cropped the picture, rather than using any of these 70-300mm zooms at 300mm. In fact, forget I even mentioned these 70-300mm lenses! They are a waste of a great camera and a 10 megapixel sensor.
When you're willing to upgrade, Canon makes a very good 70-300mm lens. Their version costs $550 however.

Answer 2

I have looked at the comparisons on the side by side tests of the Nikon D80 vs. Rebel XTi. There is some softness in the image magnifications of the Nikon D80 ... That said, what the test really shows is that the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens is sharper than the Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Those tests really don't have much to do with the camera body (unlike point and shoot cameras whose lenses are permanently attached). The D80 uses a image processing engine similar to D200 / D2X, the top of the line Nikon digital cameras, so I would trust the camera to provide at least as sharp an image as the Canon. I have always found lens sharpness tests to be interesting, but not very practical when shooting in the field. After composing the shot, making sure that the subject is in focus and no camera movement degrades the image is the real job of the photographer.

Answer 3

I'm just writing to agree with the gentlemen above me.

My preference is to stick with the same brand as your camera, as long as you can afford it. This way, when you add more lenses, they will all pretty much work the same way and you won't have to re-learn things for every lens you have. Not to mention, at any given price point, they tend ot be better than the 3rd party lenses - although, in the past, there was no doubt that the "major" brands bought some of their entry-level lenses from a 3rd party manufacturer. This still goes on today.

Since you say, "to get me started," I'd look at the Canon 55-200 that OMG mentioned. I bought more-or-less the same lens from Nikon for my wife to use on her D50 and the results are perfectly adequate with no major problems.

If all you want to do is keep the cost below the cost of your camera, I'd side with Koko to get the 70-200 f/4 lens. B&H has it for $580 and 13 people gave it sterling reviews. Go there and read them.

Answer 4

I personally would NOT skimp on the telephoto lens. If you pay cheap for it your going to regrett it in imagine quality. But if it doesnt matter to you then what OMG said those lens are decent but I wouldnt get them. I would get the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L lens IF you really need to below $700. Its a great lens and is basically the same as my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens but it does not have a very large max aperature. However this is not ideal for portrait shots because it does not have a large aperature. Its a perfectly good lens just dont use it for sports, it will kill you there. If your going to do low light sport you will need a large aperature (f/2.8). If not have fun! Great lens. O yea its around $500-600 depending on where you buy it.

Answer 5

when I have a question about lenses
I go to adorama.com
type in the name of the camera
there will be a whole list of lenses