stenojj

When I purchased my first DSLR last March (Rebel T6s), every time I saw an awesome photo posted I "had to have" that lens in my arsenal. Now that I've had my camera for awhile, I find I rarely use some of those lenses. My question is, what would I be safe to hang on to and what should I try and sell? As I live in the country, I take mostly birds, flowers, and my cats. Very rare do I take photos of people although once in a while will take some family photos when they come to visit. I would really like to invest in better glass than a new camera. Thanks in advance for any advice. It's all so new to me.

Canon 18-135 3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens (which I really like)
Tamron 70-300 VC USD 4.0-5.6
Canon 55-250 4.0-5.6 STM
Canon 24 mm 2.8 STM
Canon 50 mm 1.8 STM
Canon 85 mm 1.8 STM

(I just ordered the 100-400 "L" IS II USM)

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Keep 'em all
Have fun!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Keep the lenses you have the most use for, sell the ones you have little use for. In the future, buy only the lenses you need for what your present lenses do not provide.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

If you are getting the 100-400L II, you should consider getting rid of all the other lenses except the 18-135 & 85. The 18-135 covers wide to telephoto. The 85 is great for a lot of things, especially portraiture and the 100-400L II is simply an amazing lens. Read Ken Rockwell's review of that lens.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

A change of attitude may be what you really need. Keep the 18-135 and 100-400 when it comes. Is the extra sharpness of the primes really that important? It's possible that you are the only person that'll look closely enough at your pictures to see any difference. Perhaps keep the 85mm for portraits and other family shots. And learn not to scrutinise any closer than NVD.

Ol' Frank Loc: Orlando,

Geez, you really have GAS, even more than me. I hope you understand that there is no cure. Keep the glass you use most and be sure to save the 85 and 50 prime. I would keep anything that would go from small like the 18 to 135 and the new 100 to 400. You would be covered very well. Good luck and let us know you have done.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

You ordered a great Canon lens. Although the "L" lenses are best suited for full frame cameras, it will serve you well, even with a 1.6X crop. You have some very good prime lenses. I would keep all of them. The zoom telephoto lenses, with the exception of one, the 18-135mm, can be absent from your collection. IMO. Good luck.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

There is a cure. Cut up your cards or give them to someone with a bit more impulse control.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Keep them all.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Keep the 18-135. That will cover 90+% Keep the 100-400, a good lens from all reviews I've read. Sell the rest. The days when "primes" were seriously better than zooms are over. Zooms have become quite good. Only a pixel-peeper will notice any difference.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I will never let go of my "primes".

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

True. Use them all, but after 6 months decide on which ones always stay at home and sell them. I have a 10.6 mm Nikon fisheye that I only use 2 - 3x a year.

Until then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NElWEh2BC-0&t=7s

BebuLamar

If I were you I would buy a FF camera. You have more FF lenses.

MW

Suggestion: When viewing photos by other people never look at the technical data (focal length, aperture, shutter speed). Look at the photo and relations between the different image elements. Ask what the photographer was trying to do.

Suggestion 2: Keep all your stuff. Take a single lens with you. Find a a scene or subject. Figure out what you can do with the camera and lens on hand. Keep at it until you do something good.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

OK, my personal take on it. I do mostly birds, bugs/butterflies and flowers. But I also do events like Steam Punk and Civil War Enactments and trains/streetcars/car&truck shows at the museum I belong to.

The 18-135 is a good general purpose lens, roughly the same as my 24-105 in application, I have gone all day at a Steam Punk or Reenactment event with just that lens. So, Keep It

The 100-400 mkII is a great lens for birds etc, it and the 18-135 will make a great 2 lens carry kit for just about anything you may run into.

The 55-250 and 70-300 are now redundant. Unless you do something that doesn't need the 400 reach and want to save size/weight.

The 24 might be good for stars/astro or indoors in fairly dim light, it is good for landscapes, I use a 14mm f/2.8 for those things. Unless the higher quality is important to you the 18-135 covers it, at least in good light. If you get into landscape/astrophotography in a big way I would say replace the 24 with a 10-20 or similar. If you are going to go wide, go wide. I had a Tamron 10-24 but my daughter fell in love with it so I gave it to her for a college graduation gift. When I put my 14mm on my 6D it covers a wider angle of view anyway. (Multiply all you lenses focal lengths by 1.6 to get their angle of view on your T6s. That 24, on your camera, has an AOV of 38.4-wide but not real wide. The 100-400 will have a 160-640 AOV. Your 18-135 is 28.8-216mm AOV)

The 50 1.8, I own one for cases where I am working in dim light, I hardly use it but since 50mm is what I learned on in the 60's I keep it.

The 85 is a very good portrait lens, but that is all, so unless your are really into portraits ??? Too long for wide angle and too short for much telephoto. If you put up humming bird feeders or do butterflies then it would be pretty good when the 100-400 is just too big and heavy. I often use a 100mm macro or 180mm macro when sitting in a chair by the feeders (hummers will get used to you and feed with you pretty darn close), but the 18-135 will cover that-if not with the same Image Quality.

So the only two I don't see a lot of need for are the 55-250 and 70-300.

I do think you might consider a good macro, I would go for at least 100mm, bees, butterflies etc need some room to avoid spooking them, I use a Tamron 180 for them and also hummingbirds at times (on a 7DII).