Beginner photographer looking for lens advice

[asprinkem90]

I have a Canon T6i and I absolutely love it. I want to start putting money towards new lenses and I'm looking for some suggestions to replace the kit lens. I picked up a EF 50mm f/1.8 STM which looks amazing and feels high quality in every way, but I'm finding it has limited use. I'd like to supplement it with something that has the versatility of the EFS 18-55mm that my camera came with.

Eventually I'd like to get the other lens that comes with the Travel Kit (EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM) but I'm thinking that's exclusively for landscapes and wouldn't be a good "everyday" lens.

Of course I'm a complete beginner here and really don't know much about this, just learning as I go, so any advice is helpful.

Thank you!

[Waddizzle]

1.  Which version of the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens do you have?  Does the model number end with "STM"

2.  The EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a great lens.  It is great for learning photography, and shooting portraits.

3.  Before I could recommend a lens, tell us what is it that you like to photograph?

[ebiggs1]

"3.  Before I could recommend a lens, tell us what is it that you like to photograph?"

Before you or we know this you will still just waste your money on lenses you don't need or like.  You found that out with the 50 mil purchase. While it may be a good lens it is so limited and specialized in its ability, it not for general use. Also, it teaches you nothing your kit lens can't.  BTW, your kit lens is the best general all around lens that is why Canon includes it in the "kit".

However, I know the feel and need to upgrade gear especially lenses. And, there is one that is a huge upgrade over the standard kit lens. The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens.  It is fast. It is a constant aperture lens. It is sharp with very good IQ. It is built much better than the kit lens. It is expensive but it is on sale right now. Plus you can sell your kit lens for whatever you can get for it and put that towards the new one. Matter of fact, you can even sell the 50 mil as I doubt you will ever use either of your current lenses again if you buy the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens.

To compliment and complete your bag the EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM makes sense. And, adding a tele zoom for the long end makes sense. One of the 70-200mm zooms for instance. Those three are able to cover anything you are likely to ever need.

[kvbarkley]

I find that a good walking around lens is the EF-S 18-135. It goes pretty wide, but yet extends into the short telephoto.

I think a lens kit that contains the EF-S 10-18, the EF-S 60mm macro, the EF-S 18-135 and the EF-S 55-250 will cover most of the gamat of focal lengths with only some overlap and add some macro capability, without breaking the bank too much.

If you want to do wildlife, you can also add one of the 150-600mm super zooms.

[ebiggs1]

"I'm a complete beginner here and really don't know much about this..."

So were we all.  Just keep in mind baby steps are best.  You need to put in the time for the learning. I know it hard is to decipher, especially for a beginner, but getting poor or bad advice is a problem.  My goal is to steer you correctly and cost you the least amount of time and money. 

Take the choice of buying the 50mm prime lens as an example.  At one time prime lenses, lenses with a single FL (focal length), ruled.  They still are great lenses but now we have zoom lenses that rival the IQ of even the best primes. The fact zooms cover multiple FL is a game changer.  It has regulated primes to a very specialized area. In other words you need a specific requirement for the prime that a zoom can't do. One of these requirements, for instance, might be fast f-stop like f1.8 in your 50mil. So, the question now becomes do you need f1.8 ? Do you need it bad enough to surrender the ability to zoom from 17mm to 55mm?

Perhaps you do!

Now the choice of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens ups the game a bit as it has a fairly fast aperture of f2.8 a little more than a stop slower than the 50mil.  Not much and it is also a constant f2.8. Sigma even has a zoom lens that is exactly as fast, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens, also constant.

"I want to start putting money towards new lenses ..."

This is where you need to decide just what do I want to shoot?  What is my goal? This will tell you your next best purchase. My advice is the replace the kit lens with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM.  Use it for a while. You'll love it.