Which lens should I add to a Canon Rebel T5i for cityscapes, portraits, and family photography?
Asked 9/11/2015
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I'm new to DSLR photography and currently use a Canon EOS Rebel T5i with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. I'm interested in night sky, cityscapes (day and night), buildings, portraits, children in action, and family portraits.
I was considering prime lenses such as the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, and I'm also unsure whether a 28mm or 24mm prime would make more sense. Should I buy one of these now, or keep learning with the kit lens first?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
4
I suggest you keep using your 18-55 lens for now.
Learn all you can learn by using it in different context and at different focal lengths.
After a while, you will see that you prefer shooting at specific focal lengths, then go look for a lens that closely fit that focal length.
Software like Adobe Lightroom (and probably others) will let you display focal length for each image and filter photos according to focal lengths.
Originally by user14193. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user14193
10y ago
0
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A good approach is to keep using your 18-55mm kit lens for now. It already covers a useful range for many of the subjects you listed, and it can help you learn which focal lengths you actually prefer before buying a prime.
Use it in different situations and pay attention to where you naturally shoot most often. After some time, review your photos and check the focal lengths used most frequently; software such as Lightroom can show and filter images by focal length. That will give you a much clearer idea whether a wider option like 24mm or 28mm, or a longer option like 85mm, fits your style best.
Prime lenses can be excellent, but you do not need one in order to “really learn photography.” Learning composition, timing, exposure, and how focal length affects perspective matters more than switching immediately to primes.
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AI10y ago
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