abigayle

right now i have a 55mm lens and was hoping to get a better lens im not sure what the best size would be. i mostly photograph animals if that matters =] thank you!

lightcatcher Loc: Farmington, NM (4 corners)

Which camera do you have :?:

abigayle

Canon Rebel eos XS

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Okay, now we know which camera it will go on... but alas there are still lots of questions!

The biggest question is what improvement in your pictures do you want to see from a new lens? The second biggest question is how much money can you spend!

By "animals", do you mean wildlife? Close up? Far away? Things that sit still or things that move fast? The kind of light you normally have makes a difference too.

Lots of variations, and some of them are best done with different lenses than others.

This is the kind of thing that makes photography what it is for many people. Some love fussing about equipment, some hate it. One result is that when you ask a question like that in a place like this, you'll get conflicting answers. In the end you don't learn which lens you want, you learn the many things that people consider. You are still stuck with making the decision!

abigayle

99% of my pictures are of domestic animals such as dogs, cats and various small critters. right now with the 55mm i feel like i have to get extremely close to what im photographing which makes it more difficult because it distracts the animal and i get photos i dont really want. So id like a lens that would work better from a little further away.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

abigayle. Personally knowing you have a 55mm I think if you had longer reach you could be much further away. Canon makes a very nice telephoto that is image stabilized that may indeed fit your needs and they are very reasonably priced, with good image quality.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5-6-IS-Zoom-Lens-for-Canon-AF-EOS-dSLR-and-Rebel-/281761233228?hash=item419a47394c

abigayle

thank you, so am i correct in saying that as long as the lens is made for canon rebel eos cameras it will fit mine?

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I'm not a Canon user, so can't advise on specific products.

Consider that with a 55mm focal length, if you are getting the framing you like at 2 feet, or 5 or whatever, a 110mm focal length will allow the same framing at twice the distance. From that you can judge the focal length you need to get the distance you'd like.

Consider getting a zoom lens. But there is a bit of a three way divide on what is available. First, there is the "superzoom". Lets say 28-300mm, or a 10X zoom range. Sounds great... and it might be, or might not be. A 10X zoom range means it won't be corrected well, in many ways. Probably the long end will be both soft and have an aperture that is small (large fstop number). Lots of people just don't have a problem with that, and just as many won't even think of using one! Your choice. If most of what you do is outdoors in good light, and if you aren't planning to exhibit your work as a 16x20 in an art gallery, a superzoom might be just the ticket!

The other two division are those zooms with lower range. Two very nice zooms are 24-105 or 24-70, and then there are the longer zooms of 70-300mm and 70-200mm. Those with f/2.8 apertures are extremely nice, and expensive too. But you'd need either two of them or to make a decision as two whether a shorter or longer range would be the best fit. (I shoot Nikon, and typically use either a 24-120mm f/4 or a 70-200mm f/2.8.)

Another consideration is to just use a fixed focal length as opposed to a zoom. Most of the discussion you'll see on that is pure nonsense! People say you should "zoom with your feet", but that is a myth that does not work. When making a shot, you first want to decide the perspective. That means you move around (work the scene) and choose the place that best presents your subject. Move to the left, the right, closer and farther; choose when the subject's size and place in the scene is what you want. When you find that spot, park your feet there and don't move! From that parked location, choose the focal length that frames the subject the way you want. You might want to frame a little loose, because you can edit it a little later on. But the perspective is determined by the location, not the focal length, and cannot be changed by later editing!

Hence either a moderate range zoom (up to 5x) or a superzoom would seem to be the most likely choices to suit your needs.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Yes, you can use any lens made for your Canon XSI including third party lenses such as Tamron and Sigma. Just be sure you get the Canon mount on any lens you purchase. Good luck in your animal photographing endeavor, as I'm sure you have many opportunities being a Vet Tech.

abigayle

Thank you! I chose photography as my "feel good" hobby outside of work because it captures the less stressful part of my job as I take a lot of injured and sick animals home to foster. I love being able to capture their progress it's very rewarding :)

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

abigayle, I am not positive that you have a 55mm lens.
It may be that it is a lens with a 55mm filter size.
Can you tell us all of the letters and numbers written on the barrel of the lens.

Donkas1946 Loc: Southern NH

I think with the camera and the 1 lens that you have and the fact you are shooting domestic animals the companion lens to the one you have the canon 55-250 stm lens would be very good. Inexpensive but good quality photos.

studavis

I'd look at a Tamron 17 X 300

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

If it came with the camera, likely 18-55 mm.

Abigayle, I think the 55-250 mm lens is a lightweight, affordable option for what you'd like to shoot. A company with great reputation is B&H. I've purchased several used lenses from them:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=canon+55-250&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&usedSearch=1&Top+Nav-Search=

I used an 18-55 mm for 5 years (on two Canon Rebel cameras). When I purchased the 55-250 I was delighted with the "reach" and the ease of focus. Anything with wider focal length (like 18-135, 70-300) will be heavier and more expensive.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

The EF 75-300 telephoto lens is about $180 at Amazon. It will allow much better photos of animals - and people. If you look around you will find that lenses vary in quality and price. All Canon lenses (and most lenses by other major manufacturers) will be good lenses. You can spend thousands of dollars, though, on the same focal length lens made of the highest standards - but this lens will get you started and you can have fun and get good photos with it. Be sure and post some here!

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300mm-4-5-6-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00004THCZ/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1438259425&sr=1-9&keywords=canon+lenses