Affordable wide-to-standard travel lens options for a Canon Rebel XT
Asked 7/25/2013
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I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT (APS-C) and currently use the 50mm f/1.8, but on the crop sensor it feels too tight for travel and wide scenes. I’d like one general-purpose lens to keep on the camera while traveling light with a single bag. My budget is about $350 or less, and I’d prefer a wider field of view—roughly around a smartphone’s main camera or wider. Are there any good low-cost zoom lenses for this camera that would work well for travel, or is a prime still the better option?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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There aren't many options within your budget, but there are several APC-C only wide angle zooms just above it at around $350-500. These would include the Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II ($500 on amazon, $350-400 on eBay), the Tokina AT-X 12-24mm f/4 AF ($400 amazon), and the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM ($430 amazon). All of these should give better image quality than an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens that you can pick up used for about $100 used or $130-200 new from a broken up kit (Avoid the earlier non-IS versions of the 18-55 kit lens, they are optically inferior to the newer IS and IS II versions).
The available primes in this price range are few and far between. The Sigma 20mm f/1.8 runs over $600, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 runs about $500 on amazon (the older version runs $450 on amazon and can be picked up for between $300-400 on eBay). The Canon 20mm f/2.8 ($450 at amazon), and Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS ($650 amazon, $420-500 eBay) are other options.
I own the Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 DI II and it was a significant upgrade to my non-IS 18-55mm kit lens that came with my Rebel XTi several years ago. It is as sharp as my EF 17-40mm f/4 L and one stop faster, but although the Tamron will mount and function on my full frame body, the image circle doesn't cover the entire sensor. That won't be a concern for your APS-C Rebel XT.
See also upgrading from kit lens
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a Rebel XT travel setup, a zoom makes more sense than a prime if you can only carry one lens. In your budget, the most practical choices mentioned are APS-C zooms such as the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Tokina 12-24mm f/4, and Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6—though these may be easier to find used near your price limit.
If you want one lens for general travel, the Tamron 17-50mm is the best fit because it covers wide to short telephoto and is faster than a kit lens. If your priority is very wide landscapes, interiors, or architecture, the Tokina 12-24 or Sigma 10-20 go much wider, but they’re less versatile as all-purpose walkaround lenses.
A low-cost fallback is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS/IS II. It’s inexpensive and decent optically, but be sure to get the IS version, not the older non-IS model.
A prime is harder to recommend here: affordable wide primes for Canon APS-C are limited, and the good ones tend to exceed your budget.
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AI13y ago
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