Old and New Lenses - Not Sure What I Want

[Noonievut]

I have a new T5. It came with an 18-55 IS lens. Light, lots of plastic. It's ok for my noob skills.

When I was last into photography 8-10 years ago I had an Élan II with Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM and 100-300 USM lenses.

First, I'm not sure how well the old lenses work on the new digital camera. Second, the older lenses are heavy compared to the 18-55.

I hike and like to bring a DSLR with me to take photos of nature.

I'm not sure if I should sell the lot and get one walk around lens, or maybe 2 prime lenses. Or keep the three. I only take one lens when I hike, though I could take the 100-300 as a second lense should any wildlife be around.

Thoughts?

[RobertTheFat]

Keep them all, for now. I think you'd be silly to unload any of your equipment until you've found out how well it works for you, and by your own admission, you haven't. After a while you'll form your own opinions about what your next move should be.

Recent versions of the 18-55 are generally considered to be significantly better than their predecessors. Your 28-105 is unfamiliar to me; I didn't realize there was an IS version, much less an IS II. The original (non-IS) version was a moderately decent lens in its day, though it's worth next to nothing now. My guess is you wouldn't get enough for yours to make it worth selling. The 28-105 line was superseded long ago by the much better 28-135 IS.

[cicopo]

I don't own any of those nor have I used them but my advice is simple & cheap. Use what you have doing what you'd do & see whether you like the results. If the images appear a bit soft (not well defined or sharp) or have poor colour / contrast you most likely need to "bench" it / them. Depending on your needs & expectations you may be happy with a superzoom (18-200 thru 18-270 etc) or you may want something like the 24-105 L IS. Your needs dictate what gear you'll need but start testing what you have to see how it works on your new body.

[ebiggs1]

I agree with Bob from Boston.  What you have is not worth very much on the used market.

I have one of the "three" versions of the 28-105mm and I can tell you is is not a gem.  As Bob from Boston said the EF 28-135mm is a world of difference better.  It is a real gem!  Plus you can find a good used one for $200 or less.  It would be a great all-in-one for a hiker.

[Noonievut]

After spending more time hiking and snapping photos with the stock lens on the new T5, I decided that I really only want one lens, and a lens that has decent range, but not so much that it ends up being a cheapy lens with poor IQ.  Also, I use the cotton carrier strapshot on my hiking pack and didn't want a lens that is so heavy it affects the fit of my pack.  I visited my local camera shop and they gave me decent trade-in value on my two old and one new (stock) lens (I'm not a collector -- happy to get rid of them).  Those come off the price of the new lens before tax, so even better.  I went with the EF-S 18-135 3.5-5.6 IS STM lens (on sale -- black friday...in Canada, eh).  With the crop factor of my camera the focal length is of course longer than stated.  Got a good hoya filter on sale to put on it.  I like the fast and silent autofocusing, the improved range over my stock lens and the feel of it on the camera in my hands.  Will hopefully go test it out today!

[cicopo]

Go out & have fun. Does your screen name reflect where you live?

[ebiggs1]

" I went with the EF-S 18-135 3.5-5.6 IS STM lens ..."

You will enjoy this set up.  Have a wonderful time hiking and snapping pictures.  

[Noonievut]

No, just a nickname from my wife. I'm in Ontario