next step up?

[iphonemaster93]

I have the kit lens that came with the T3i itself and a 50mm F1.4 but I want to go up a step. Looking primarily for prime lens but I'm ok with standard telescopic lens as well. What would you guys recommend? I do mostly auto photography, most of the time is when the car is at a stand still but I'd try a few rolling shots here and there. Thanks!

[jrhoffman75]

What capability are you missing with the kit lens? Do you want more reach (longer telephoto), more expanse (wider angle lens), faster autofocus, softer backgrounds (wider max aperture)?

Knowing that can help us give advise.

[ebiggs1]

Almost any lens you decide on will be "better" than the kit lens.  The 50mm f1.4 is already a very good lens so you aren't going to better it without some carefull shopping.  But with out knowing what you really want to do, I can't reccommend anything.

Are you wanting fast, wide, tele, macro super sharp or ..................?

[Skirball]

A 60mm macro would be nice for cars, but it's not the best place to put your money considering you have a 50mm 1.4.  Upgrading any other focal length would be a step up from the kit lens...  wide angle?  Telephoto is nice, but not really needed for showroom cars.

[iphonemaster93]

Sorry for the late reply guys, I was out of town for a while and had basically poor quality wifi connection. I'm either looking for a wide angle lens or something that would shoot further than the kit lens. I went to an auto track racing event unprepared and didn't know how far away I'd be from the cars and only a few pictures with the kit lens turned out really well. I'm also hoping that one of the two will allow me to capture pictures that have really shallow depth of field because that's normally how I like to take my pictures. Thanks for the help guys and again, I apologize for the late response!

[ScottyP]

You need a wide aperture telephoto lens. For the reach you want telephoto and both the telephoto and wide aperture work to give the shallow DOF.
If you have the budget ($2,300) you can't lose with 70-200 f/2.8 IS mk2

Getting good at panning will help you too.

[ScottyP]

... And if that particular 70-200 is not in your lens budget, frankly all the white Canon 70-200 L lenses are optically great ang fast focusers. There are 4 or 5 levels (f2.8 or f/4) and (IS or non-IS) (ver 1 or ver2) if you are counting discontinued models. The least expensive at about $750 is the f/4 non IS version.

Is 200mm long enough for your moving cars? If you can get close enough to make it work those are all great lenses. On a crop body it really should be long enough unless you are up in the stands and expecting a close up. If you are that far away there is a 400 f/5.6 L, and some 3rd party alternatives. What is your budget?