Looking for some advice on lenses for the EOS 40D

[madaraboss94]

Hey everyone! I could really use some advice. I recently got my first camera — a Canon 40D — and it came with a 38-76mm f/4.5-5.6 lens. I’m thinking about getting a fast prime lens and also something that can reach at least 200 or 250mm. My budget is quite tight though, around €100 per lens. I mostly shoot portraits, and I’d also love to take photos of wildlife and landscapes while hiking. Do you think there’s any chance of finding decent lenses in this price range? Thanks a lot in advance!

[normadel]

38-76mm is an odd focal length. What is the lens brand and model?

Your 40D can use Canon EF and EF-S-mount lenses. These are plentiful on the Used market. You can find all kinds of prices. The best American used-equipment dealers are MPB.com, UsedPhotoPro.com, and KEH.com. MPB is British-based so they have a European site too.

Remember that your APS-C sensor camera (Crop-sensor) has an equivalence factor 1.6X the lens's actual focal length. So a, say, 50mm lens would give the equivalent view of an 80mm lens on a full-frame camera body ( or a 35mm. film camera). A 28mm wideangle lens won't be wideangle on your 40D. It'd be equivalent to 45mm.  A 200mm lens would act like 320mm on your camera. The longer the focal length is the harder it can get to hand-hold it steadily. Keep this in mind when choosing lenses.

EF and EF-S lenses have  focal lengths geared to their sensor sizes. You don't typically find EF and EF-S with the same focal length. New, EF-S lenses were a lower-price family than EF. On the used market, anything goes. Depends on age and availability.

[jrhoffman75]

The 38-76mm lens is an old EF lens.

EF38-76mm f/4.5-5.6 - Canon Camera Museum

[ebiggs1]

"Do you think there’s any chance of finding decent lenses in this price range? "

A basic rough answer is, no. I need to know what landscapes and wildlife you want to shoot. A 1000mm lens is a good landscape lens if you are shooting the Moon. A 200mm lens is not a good wildlife lens if you are shooting small birds.A 50mm prime lens is OK for portraits but so is the 38-76mm zoom you already have which has 50mm included. Set it at 50mm and try it.

Again the basic answer for a good GP wildlife lens look at one of the 150-600mm super zooms. Budget notwithstanding and keep your 38-76mm. Unfortunately good lenses are not cheap and $120 buck won't buy much. It's going to limit you to the used to very used market so check out each lens very carefully before you lay down your money. Mold and fungus are main concerns. That can not be fixed.