EF S18-55 or EF S18-135


Ling01

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Dec 27, 2010
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I am intending to buy the Canon EOS 550D, but can't decide what lens to get.
EF S18-55 or EF S18-135?
Is EF S18-55 sufficient for normal use?
 

I am intending to buy the Canon EOS 550D, but can't decide what lens to get.
EF S18-55 or EF S18-135?
Is EF S18-55 sufficient for normal use?
welcome to clubsnap.
If you stop for a moment, take a step back and read your question again, hopefully you'll realize that there isn't a clear-cut answer, especially with the limited amount of information you've provided.
 

For me I choose 18-135mm cause of distant cam shooting. Well it boils down again to budget, interest and what you usually shoot.
 

I would suggest getting the 18-55, and buy another 55-250...

In the end, it all boils down to personal preference.
 

I face similar questions when i was buying my camera...
In the end i chose 18-135 for the extra zoom factor :)
 

if you are planning to add lenses to your gear within the next 3 months (and every 3 months thereafter) then just get the 550D body + lens in the focal length of your choice. i'm suggesting this because if you have the budget and you are going to be buying lenses in the immediate future, skip the kit lens.

however, if you are not planning on getting any lenses in the next 6 months to 1 year, get the 18-135mm. you'll have more (focal length) to play with than with the 18-55mm.

cheers!
 

Thanks for all your responses.

I guess I wasn't very clear in my questions as this is my first dlsr, hoping to get one value for money and yet not too heavy as compared to my exiting point-and-shoot.
The photos that I've taken are just anything that I see and want to capture.

Was considering to get the 18-55mm as I read that this should be good enough for daily shots (eg. for gatherings indoor and outdoor, baby's picture, etc)?
18-135mm would be more for landscape, right?
 

well if its going to be the one lens for years and years to come, there is the 18-2xx range of lens as well.
 

Thanks for all your responses.

I guess I wasn't very clear in my questions as this is my first dlsr, hoping to get one value for money and yet not too heavy as compared to my exiting point-and-shoot.
The photos that I've taken are just anything that I see and want to capture.

Was considering to get the 18-55mm as I read that this should be good enough for daily shots (eg. for gatherings indoor and outdoor, baby's picture, etc)?
18-135mm would be more for landscape, right?

18-55 can do landscape too.

If you are looking at just one lens, then 18-135 or 18-2xx.
If you are looking at getting more than one lens, then 18-55 and 55-250. The 250mm end will give you pretty good zoom.
 

If budget is not a constraint then you should go for the 18-135mm... It allows more creativity on your photography.

My first lens is 18-55mm which I regretted buying then as I felt that it limits my creativity. However, after using the camera for a while, I realised that most of my shots (90%) falls within the range of 18-35mm cos I mainly used them to shoot my family and friends at home. So my 18-55mm isn't really that bad after all. The only time that I regretted not having a 18-135mm is , when I wanted more zoom at a event or outdoor where I wanted to capture "moments" of pple without alerting them.

However, after reading up more. I found more that longer zoom isn't necessary that perfect after all. Cos although they provide you the zoom, the image qualities it produces is not as good as those prime or shorter zoom lens. Furthermore, the aperture on this long zoom lens are quite small (i.e slower lens). So your image will suffer more blur when taking a moving object. Now even when the subject is a static one, you might encounter blur image also if you zoom it to the max telephoto range cos at this range, it requires you to stabilise the camera more (e.g on tripod or holding it really firm and steady).

Another disadvantage which I personally feel about longer zoom lens is that sometime by the time you zoom till the 135mm or 200mm, the "moment" is already gone (unless you leave it at that range through out).

Lastly, about this longer zoom lens is that as their aperture are usually small (F3.5 at 18mm, F5.6 at 135mm) so you cant really achieve as much bokeh as compared to a prime fast lens or F2.8 zoom lens. This again is the limitation of longer zoom lens.

So do take notes of the limitation of these lens before deciding which one to buy. And take future lens upgrade into consideration too. Despite all that I have mentioned about the longer zoom lens, I will still desire to have one if money is not a problem (18-135mm should serves you better than 18-55mm if you are not very particular about image qualities). Of cos topping it up with many other fast prime and fast shorter zoom lens...

Hope this helps...
 

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Depending on your needs, but I find the 18-55mm useful for most shots and it is portable too.
If you need to use a longer focal length, a separate 55-250mm is better.

Note that the 18-135mm is rather heavy though it gives more flexibility in the zoom.
 

550D dont have 18-200 as kit lens?
 

if budget is not so much a constraint, i would suggest 550D + tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non VC, i use this as my first dslr which works great for daily - potrait shots of my gf. Can also get 50mm f/1.8 as additional prime, which only cost $100-$120 for a good bargain.

Learn from there, then you'll slowly will notice if need a longer zoom. And borrowing lens is a good idea to get to know what you really need
 

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=518391
The 18-200 exceeds the price range of kit lenses for entry level models. Still, you can get it in a combination "body only + 18-200" as your own special setup. You just need to add another $500, roughly.
cos i saw kit III for 500D with 18-200mm... so i was wondering why 550D dont have this kit lol.
 

IMO, if you wanna learn photography faster and have the budget go for the longer lens. Buy new lenses only when you become more familiar and 'pro' and yearn for better/faster glass. For now find the range you use the most (e.g wide angle, standard, short tele, long tele or even macro) to justify the next lens purchase.

If on budget, the 18-55 + 50 + 55-250 combo gives the best IQ for the money but you will need to overcome the inconveniences at times.
 

Hi all, I just bought my 550D with EF S18-55 lens..

When I was shooting landscape at 18mm with my wife in the foreground... the part on my subject focused very well, but my landscape background was blurred...

Is this the lens' limit? I understand my lens' aperture limit is 18mm (3.5) - 55mm (5.6) and I understand also the higher the aperture number (i.e f/22) the more depth I can achieve; which makes everything in focus from foreground to background...

Or can I do some settings to keep the whole picture focused from corner to corner just like how a compact camera works?
 

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Did u use a large aperture for the shot? If u did, try using a smaller aperture (ie larger f number) like you've mentioned, to achieve a deeper dof..