I decided to buy a new camera as I want to get a Lensbaby. I spent days on google and finally came up with this one which seemed good enough for me. Can anyone please recommend some useful Canon lenses that are worth having? What would I need for landscape etc? I would really appreciate some advice as I do not have a clue, thanks.
I started with a Canon Rebel, was gifted a Canon T3i, and now have a Canon 80D. My lenses are all Canon EF lenses, which I've put together over the past eight years and used on all three bodies. That being said, a 50 mm is a must. Mine is an f 1.8, which is not expensive. This is my fastest, best low-light lens.
Because I love wildlife, I have a 70-300 f4-5.6, which has become my go-to lens because of it's versatility for me.
I also love macros, and my macro 100mm is my second go-to lens. One doesn't really need a dedicated macro lens for macros, though. I have a set of Kenko extension tubes which, when used with my 50mm, work just fine for macros. They come three in the set, connect for auto focus, and are not nearly as expensive as the dedicated macro lens.
Finally, when I attended a landscape workshop years ago I bought a Canon 10-22mm, which gives me great skies and is my go-to for any astrophotography.
I've talked with some photographers that use only prime lenses. I love the versatility provided by zoom lenses. So, I have a few primes, and a few zooms, and it always seems that the one I want to use in the moment is the one I left on the shelf. Good luck!
that's so exciting diana! just popping on to say good luck - can't help re canon cameras i'm afraid. also want to echo april @aecasey's second last sentence :)
If you can push the boat out a bit, there's a reasonably priced L series lens which became my favourite when I was using the 7D MkII (with the same size sensor as the 800D) - the EF 17-40mm f4.0L USM. With the small sensor it gives you effectively the equivalent of a 27-64mm zoom and I found this versatile enough it stayed on the camera most of the time. New they are around £600 I think, used would be about half that. Best of luck and enjoy discovering the new camera.
The Canon EF-S 10-18mm is a must have for ultra wide, sweeping vistas. It is cheap too and much better than the older 10-22mm (I have both and I am trying to sell the 10-22mm now). The 10-18mm also has image stabilization which is great when you're shooting hand held (the 10-22mm does not have IS).
I also want to mention the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 lens (Canon has a 17-55mm f/2.8 but it is big and expensive). The 2.8 lens is great for shooting details and portraits and get some nice bokeh and shallow DOF.
I see the EF 17-40mm is mentioned but I don't think that is a good idea. I've had 2 versions of the lens and they are very soft in the corners (it is a common complaint with this lens). A better alternative would be the Canon EF-S 15-85mm - very good quality lens.
Oh and, Canon EF lenses are for full frame cameras but can be used on crop sensor cameras as well but will be big and bulky. Canon EF-S lenses are made for crop sensor cameras like the one you have.
The 3 kit lenses from Canon, the EF-S 10-18mm STM, the EF-S 18-55mm STM and the EF-S 55-250mm STM are actually quite decent lenses and not to expensive.
I'd recommend picking up a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC lens. With the camera's 1.6 focal length multiplier it'll be close to a 50mm equivalent on a full frame camera. I had the first version of that lens, years ago, and I loved it on my DX nikon. It's awesome for low light and indoors.
I would echo what @helstor has mentioned. I hope your camera comes with the kit lens--my kit lens with my 7DMII was a great easy lens, and it's an upgrade from the Rebel T2i had (which btw, the Rebel series is GREAT!).
I did buy two lenses that have been great walkabout lenses:
Tamron 24-70 mm 2.8 (great portraits, great landscapes, nice forgiving aperture for low light). It's heavier, so I would get a feel with your kit lenses first!
Other recommendation:Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO Lens for Canon. I actually got this lens from a fellow 365er who was so nice to send it to me! This lens can do a nice wide shot, it's got great zoom capabilities, and it's not a heavy beast! When I'm trying to get around and don't want to bother in manual mode, this one comes through all the time. So you can go wide for a landscape or up close for a macro.
Hope this helps! I have other lenses--I echo the 50mm recommendation (but on crop sensor, that is closer to 75mm) and you get a bargain with an inexpensive 50mm.
@aecasey Thanks so much April for your very informative contribution. One I can tick off is the 50mm lens which I already bought. The rest I will tick off in time :-) @pistache Thanks Clare, all for the love of your Lensbaby shots :-) @helstor Thanks so much Helge, you too are obviously very knowledgeable and I appreciate your input very much :-) @dulciknit Thanks for the link Alison, it sure helps :-) @peadar Many thanks Peter, I will see how it goes. It was so much easier not to have to worry about lenses :-) @sudweeks Thanks so much for your input :-)
Hi Diana, I bought a Tamron 16-300mm lens at the same time as I got an 80D a few years ago and it is on the camera 99.5% of the time. The versatility it provides is just brilliant.
I also have a Tamron 70-300mm, a Canon 10-18mm and a Canon 100mm Macro.
I have conducted tests by taking the same photo at the same focal length using the different lenses and I honestly cannot tell the difference between the Tamron 16-300 and the more specialised lenses. It is a brilliant everyday lens.
As an aside, I was photographing surfers at the beach a few years ago and managed to drop the Tamron 70-300 onto rocks after which it rolled into the sea water between the rocks. Retrieved the lens after much profanities and cleaned the sea water off as best I could and it still works perfectly. So they are pretty tough.
Diana, I've got the Tamron 16-300mm and it stays on my camera more or less permanently. I had the 75-300 but it's not as versatile as the 16-300 so I traded it in. Check the Orms website for any specials.
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Because I love wildlife, I have a 70-300 f4-5.6, which has become my go-to lens because of it's versatility for me.
I also love macros, and my macro 100mm is my second go-to lens. One doesn't really need a dedicated macro lens for macros, though. I have a set of Kenko extension tubes which, when used with my 50mm, work just fine for macros. They come three in the set, connect for auto focus, and are not nearly as expensive as the dedicated macro lens.
Finally, when I attended a landscape workshop years ago I bought a Canon 10-22mm, which gives me great skies and is my go-to for any astrophotography.
I've talked with some photographers that use only prime lenses. I love the versatility provided by zoom lenses. So, I have a few primes, and a few zooms, and it always seems that the one I want to use in the moment is the one I left on the shelf. Good luck!
I had a Canon 500d camera for some years and my 18-200mm lens hardly ever left the body.
It's not a fast lens but it is still very versatile.
I also want to mention the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 lens (Canon has a 17-55mm f/2.8 but it is big and expensive). The 2.8 lens is great for shooting details and portraits and get some nice bokeh and shallow DOF.
I see the EF 17-40mm is mentioned but I don't think that is a good idea. I've had 2 versions of the lens and they are very soft in the corners (it is a common complaint with this lens). A better alternative would be the Canon EF-S 15-85mm - very good quality lens.
Oh and, Canon EF lenses are for full frame cameras but can be used on crop sensor cameras as well but will be big and bulky. Canon EF-S lenses are made for crop sensor cameras like the one you have.
The 3 kit lenses from Canon, the EF-S 10-18mm STM, the EF-S 18-55mm STM and the EF-S 55-250mm STM are actually quite decent lenses and not to expensive.
I did buy two lenses that have been great walkabout lenses:
Tamron 24-70 mm 2.8 (great portraits, great landscapes, nice forgiving aperture for low light). It's heavier, so I would get a feel with your kit lenses first!
Other recommendation:Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO Lens for Canon. I actually got this lens from a fellow 365er who was so nice to send it to me! This lens can do a nice wide shot, it's got great zoom capabilities, and it's not a heavy beast! When I'm trying to get around and don't want to bother in manual mode, this one comes through all the time. So you can go wide for a landscape or up close for a macro.
Hope this helps! I have other lenses--I echo the 50mm recommendation (but on crop sensor, that is closer to 75mm) and you get a bargain with an inexpensive 50mm.
@pistache Thanks Clare, all for the love of your Lensbaby shots :-)
@helstor Thanks so much Helge, you too are obviously very knowledgeable and I appreciate your input very much :-)
@dulciknit Thanks for the link Alison, it sure helps :-)
@peadar Many thanks Peter, I will see how it goes. It was so much easier not to have to worry about lenses :-)
@sudweeks Thanks so much for your input :-)
I also have a Tamron 70-300mm, a Canon 10-18mm and a Canon 100mm Macro.
I have conducted tests by taking the same photo at the same focal length using the different lenses and I honestly cannot tell the difference between the Tamron 16-300 and the more specialised lenses. It is a brilliant everyday lens.
As an aside, I was photographing surfers at the beach a few years ago and managed to drop the Tamron 70-300 onto rocks after which it rolled into the sea water between the rocks. Retrieved the lens after much profanities and cleaned the sea water off as best I could and it still works perfectly. So they are pretty tough.