help needed on choosing the lens

[Krishnadas N Mallya]

I'm occasional trekker and running on a very low budget(max 60K total).

I had almost decided to buy Canon EOS 550D(preferred over 600D, since the only selling point of 600D is the retractable LCD screen with around 14K difference in price) and a lens that have enough zoom that could help me shoot relative more objects than the Kit 18-55 lens and at the same time do not like to carry 2 lens at this time as I hope I will be able to buy another 70-300 or 100-400 in 6-10 months time. The options that I see on my budget is to buy either 18-135 IS or 18-200 IS lens.

I would be happy to sacrifice zoom for sharpness so my first bet was 18-135 but on my little investigation over the net, I found that there is not much difference between them when it comes to sharpness. I would love to hear from the users of these lens on how they felt about it.

Thanks
Krishnadas

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Hi Krishnadas,
It would be best if you decide exactly what would interest you most as photography subjects, and buy a lens accordingly. The 18-200 in my opinion will fall short if you intend to use it as a tele lens for wildlife, except maybe for large mammals or animal-scapes.

[Krishnadas N Mallya]

There is no specific terrain or species that I may go for. About the tele I know I need atleast 300 for wide life. Thats in my list.

For the primary lens I'm opting out from the Kit lens and looking for better alternative. So far 18-135 and 18-200 are the ones that I have caught up with. Cannot spend more than 30K for lens at this time. I do not expect these lens to give the results that a 100-400L produces, I would like to know which one is comparatively better.

The price as I heard over Phone.
Canon EOS 550D + Canon 18-135 ISII lens = 51.5K
Canon EOS 550D + Canon 18-200 IS lens = 61K

So a difference of 10K, is the 18-200 worth when compared to 135?

Generally I would like a lens with atleast 18-100 range or more. Let me know if there is any better options.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Sorry I misunderstood your question :o. If you plan to buy a higher FL zoom lens soon, wouldn't it be wiser to save 10K by getting the 18-135? I have not used these lenses personally, so cant give you many details on how they perform. But I was not aware of a 18-135 + DSLR package, at least for the 550D...? When I bought my 500D, the available options for the kit lens were 18-55 and 18-200.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I am a firm believer in buying right, even though it might look costly. It is better to plan and buy the best possible. No need to buy all the lenses at one go. Wildlife Photography is a life long journey. So keep on picking up lenses as you become more and more serious and confident about your photography.

As far as 600D vs 550D, I am fine with you going for 550D. The reason being camera depreciates faster. Better to invest in lenses. Also, the resolution and features of 550D is good enough.

My question is: Why not buy the 550D+kit lens with a 100mm macro?

Since you trek occasionally, the 100mm lens would come in handy in getting closeups of flowers, bugs etc as well as it will work as a sharp general purpose lens.

Also, when a person is shooting macro, there are enough subjects to experiment and learn your photography.

Later on when you are comfortable, then buy a telephoto or long zoom lens say 100-400.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Krishnadas N Mallya]

Thanks Sabyasachi Patra.

I should have read this before buying the camera. Now having bought the 550D+18-135 Kit I totally agree with you that I should have gone for the 550D and 100mm Macro 2.8. I even believe that going with 550D+50mm 1.8+100mm Macro will be an worth investment for a starter. I wish I had read this much earlier, my bad luck.

Thanks once again,
Krishnadas N Mallya

[Sabyasachi Patra]

The 18-135 gives you a range. My suggestion for the 100mm f2.8 is because you can do really great in the macro area and it is also a sharp lens and can be used for large mammals close by. I believe better to spend money in good lenses and buy one at a time. You can experiment with your present lens and can upgrade whenever you are ready in terms of photography as well as your budget.