Looking for new EF lens for photos of people and groups

[sequoialondon]

Looking for new lens for Canon rebel t7

For work, I take a lot of photos of people and group photos at events, and I am not happy with the grain-like texture that shows up in my photos. I'm shooting in raw, I'm editing on Photoshop, I go in and de-noise it both manually and automatically, but it never looks as sharp as I wanted it to. I want to better my craft, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to a different lens for event photography while still keeping my DSLR. Or if there's any suggestions as to which camera would be better, while trying to stay relatively on the cheaper side, that would be great. 

Thank you in advance! 

[deebatman316]

Do you have a budget to spend saying on the “cheaper side” isn’t a budget. What lens do you currently please provide the Full Name of the lens of the question. Provide the full and complete name. A full would be for example Canon EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM lens.

[sequoialondon]

Canon rebel t7 - EF-S 18-55mm IS II Kit is what I currently have

[sequoialondon]

Canon rebel t7 - EF-S 18-55mm IS II Kit is what I currently have. 

[deebatman316]

What is your budget to spend on a lens. Saying “no budget” “won’t break the bank” “as high as the sky” “on the cheaper side” is NOT a budget. We need a $$ amount.

[sequoialondon]

Less than $500. Sorry for not including that in the original post. 

[deebatman316]

Do you want new or used. Canon has discontinued production of DSLR cameras and lenses. So your options are limited with remaining stock or used.

[sequoialondon]

Wow I had no idea, would be open to used but prefer new. Thank you 

[deebatman316]

You can look into B&H Photo Used section or KEH.com for used lenses that have a warranty. The best DSLR lens for Canon’s APS-C was the EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM lens which comes with a hefty price tag if bought new. I used to own that lens until I upgraded to Full Frame. It’s not compatible with Full Frame DSLR cameras.

[ebiggs1]

"Or if there's any suggestions as to which camera would be better, ..."

Yes!

You already have the camera/ lens you need. From what you stated I doubt seriously the EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM would improve your IQ very much or at all. But that being said I would need to see some examples of what you are referring to as " grain-like texture that shows up". I would much more suspect, " I'm editing on Photoshop, I go in and de-noise it both manually and automatically,..." as the culprit. Again not knowing your expertise with PS without seeing some examples it's hard to tell empirically. The first rule using PS is "less is more". The first rule of the digital cameras is "sometimes the camera is smarter than you think it is."

U/l some examples. 🤔