Canon XTI lenses .. help !?

Question

hey :)

after a LOT of thinking i've decided to get the canon xti, it's light and i think it meets my needs reffering a dslr...but i've got a couple of cuestions...since i'm saving some money (considering i wanted the sony a700), i'd like to get a lense or two...

i photograph basically everything, and i really want to grow into a proffessional in the field. landscapes, portraits, macro, night...the point is that i have no idea what lense to get, since this would be my first slr...

considering that the kit lense is the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, i was thinking about getting the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens...i've also always loved pictures taken with the fisheye, so i was considering the Tamron 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens with 0.25x Fisheye Lens...

i'm not quite sure about the performance of third party lenses, but i'm sure someone will be able to help me out, or recomend me any other lense that'd work for me...

thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Well, the 18-55mm is a good lens to start off with; the 75-300mm telephoto is an okay telephoto. But I don't see the logic in getting the 28-80mm lens (which covers focal lengths covered by your first two lenses).

The 0.25 "lens" isn't really a lens in the regular sense, but instead an adapter that screws on the front of a real lens. However, it'll give you a poor quality fisheye, but if you just want a cheap fisheye look, I guess it'll do.

In any case, I'd get the basic lens to start off with, and then decide where your photography needs to go before buying another lens. Then buy according to your needs; you may decide you want a higher quality telephoto zoom for example, or you may want to go wider first, then telephoto.

Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma lenses are fine third-party lenses, but there are variations between samples and performance differences from the OEM Canon lenses (example: very slight color tints vs. neutral colors from an OEM lens). A Tamron/tokina/Sigma lens might be better than or worse than an equivalent Canon too.

Answer 2

IMO you need to take some photography classes before buying a DSLR. Once you understand light and f-stops and shutter speeds and composition and ISO you'll be better informed about what DSLR to buy.

I also suggest looking at the Pentax K100D Super and the Sony A100.

The K100D Super is 6.1mp, has Image Stabilization (IS) in the camera body, and accepts every K-mount lens made since 1975. It also has dust removal for the sensor.

The A100 is 10mp, has dust removal for the sensor, has Super Anti-Shake in the camera body, and accepts every Minolta Maxxum AF lens made since 1985.

IMO these cameras offer more features and benefits than their comparably priced competition.

Personally I would not waste my money on a 0.25X "fisheye lens" unless you aren't concerned with image quality.