What budget prime lens is best for indoor family photos on a Canon T3?
Asked 2/8/2013
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I’m new to photography and use a Canon T3 with the 18-55mm kit lens and a 75-300mm zoom. I mainly want to photograph my wife and two very young kids, mostly indoors and sometimes outside in daylight. My budget is about $100–$150. Which Canon-mount prime lens would be the best fit for family photos in this price range?
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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Pretty sure you only have one choice for that price. Luckily, it's a good and reputable one for portraits and general low-light usage. They call it the nifty fifty: Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II.
The bright F/1.8 aperture lets it shoot in low light and also gives a shallow depth-of-field which is often used in portraits. Plus, the 50mm focal-length, equivalent to 75mm on a full-frame, gives a flattering perspective for portraits.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For your budget, the most commonly recommended choice is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (“nifty fifty”). Its f/1.8 aperture helps in low light and can give nice background blur for portraits.
That said, on a Canon T3’s crop sensor, 50mm can feel tight indoors, and even 40mm may require you to back up more than you’d like when photographing family in small rooms. If indoor family photos are the priority, a wider option like the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 is often easier to use because it needs less working distance.
Trade-offs:
- EF 50mm f/1.8: best low-light ability in your budget, great for portraits, but tighter framing indoors.
- EF 40mm f/2.8 STM: a bit wider, but not as bright.
- EF-S 24mm f/2.8: easiest indoors, though not as fast as f/1.8.
If you choose the 50mm, be aware that at f/1.8 depth of field is very shallow, so you may need to stop down for multiple faces or active kids. Buying used can stretch your budget further.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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