Need lens recommendation for EOS Rebel XSi

[patricia_moss]

<p>My sister's Christmas wish is a zoom lens for her EOS Rebel Xsi.<br>

She uses her camera indoors for family pictures and outdoors to photograph her daughter showing draft horses at county fairs.<br>

I'd appreciate recommendations on what to buy.<br>

Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

[i._l.]

<p>Gift card is the best approach.</p>

[luis_g]

<p>What lens does she have now?</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>Budget? A gift card TOWARDS a lens may be a good idea. A nice zoom is probably more than you want to spend. EF 24-70mm L, 24-105mm IS L, 70-200mm L. All are great. For cheaper, 17-85mm IS is decent and can be bought for cheaper.</p>

[dhhensler]

<p>Ah yes, whenever a lens recommendation is needed the "L" proponent come out in force oblivious to the fact that most non-pro's will never be able to afford such luxuries. However, we need more info. What does she have now and what is your budget. Cheers!</p>

[alan_green4]

would recommend you try to talk her into a fast prime for indoors. you can get a 28 or 35 for a couple hundred. will work as a fast normal indoor lens for kids birthday parties, etc. you might browse a pawn shop -- they carry that stuff for very cheap -- like $35-$100. a lot of people have been selling camera equipment these days...

 

for outdoors a zoom might be a better choice. my point is, she could have both and still stay in budget

[JDMvW]

<p>Ask her what zoom <em>she wants</em> and buy it for her. but don't just guess.<br /> Otherwise, not really enough information here to know what to recommend.<br /> I would never recommend a "gift card" however, but a lovely check is always nice. Cash is sweet too. She can spend the money anywhere; a gift card limits her to what the store has and their prices. Many cards are never cashed in, and sometimes they expire, so not a good deal.</p>

[danny_low]

<p>The big problem for family photos in the home are the group shots. Photos of individuals have no special needs. Depending on the size of the rooms, an 18mm or shorter focal length is needed to get group photos such as the family opening presents around the Christmas tree.</p>

<p>For the fair, the question is how close can can your sister get to the actual showing. If she can get within 50 feet, then a short telephoto such as 100m is good enough to include the horse and girl with enough background to give an idea of the situation.</p>

<p>There are several possible zooms that will meet your sister's need. An 18-200mm zoom will meet all her needs. They are expensive at around $350. If your sister got the kit lens, as most people did, when she got the camera, then all she needs is a tele zoom to supplement the kit lens. A 70-200mm or 70-300mm would be a good choice and they can be gotten for under $200. A Sigma 55-200mm will leave her with less of a gap in focal lengths and it is about the same price as the 70-200mm zooms.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

 

[ed_v.]

2 more questions that you may or may not be able to answer: how far away are the horses and does she prefer not to use a flash indoors?

[jeff_higdon]

<p>Assuming she already has the 18-55 IS zoom lens (you should check or ask to be sure - because if she does not have it, it's a good choice if that range is not already covered by what she does have), then get the Canon 55-250 IS zoom lens for about $250.00. Make sure it's the version that has Image stabilization.</p>

[angel_bocanegra]

<p>I have been reading good reviews about the ef-s 18-135 IS. Look it up, its a new canon model.</p>

[gertle]

<p>Unless she has mentioned <em>specifically</em> which of the many zoom lenses she wants, another vote for the gift-card/store-credit.</p>

[matthijs]

<p>I don't mean this demeaning but does she want a zoom or a tele?</p>

<p>In response to indoor primes: field of view is very personal. I love 50mm on a crop indoor (80mm on FF) because I like tighter crops. Other people think that 20mm on a crop is the way to go.</p>

<p>Between the lines you can read: let the sister choose for herself (money/certificate) ór buy at a local store where you can easily trade it for something else.</p>

<p>By the way: I support the advice for the 55-250/IS if that's roughly in your budget range. Otherwise it gets more complex...</p>

[brett_w.]

<p>I would recommend a gift card from B&H or Adorama</p>

[markonestudios]

Because she's already expressed her wish for a zoom, it might not be a bad idea to find out which lens and then either get that lens or a gift card towards it...