Lens upgrade paths (sub $1000) for the EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens for Canon APS-C cameras

Question

This is somewhat a follow-up to my earlier question on the limitations of the kit lens. I have browsed through quite a lot of sites including this one for user opinions & reviews of different Canon lenses, but haven't found a comprehensive answer to the possible upgrade paths from the kit lens, particularly since I don't have a specific usage scenario in mind. Here are a few that I have found that answer the question partially:

Canon 400D lens upgrade test on Camera Labs (Quite old)

Buying first lens after kit lens (for Pentax though)

What's a good all purpose compact lens for a DSLR

Upgrade strategy for Canon EOS DSLRs (more about the cameras)

If you could pick two lenses as a starter kit which ones would you go for?

What's wrong with the Canon EF-S 15-85mm?

Is it worth to have a 50mm 1.8II canon lens.

For this reason, I thought it would be useful to have a list of sub-$1000 upgrade lenses for the kit lens for APS-C format DSLRs (like the 550D, 60D, 7D etc), as a lot of people are upgrading to DSLRs nowadays. The key points that I seek are:

• Pros\cons compared to the kit lens
• Price
• Scenarios the lens is suitable for

Keep in mind that it is primarily for APS-C cameras, so, EF lenses meant primarily for the full frame cameras would end up with the magnification factor of 1.6x. Also, this is focused towards hobbyists & amateurs for which reason I've added the sub-$1000 bit.

P.S. This question might be more suited for a wiki like article (albeit with user opinions included)

Answer 1

Well, upgrades depends on your need. Something what you consider an upgrade might not be the same for a lot of others. You need to think a few things and get decided on the specs you'd like the new lens on and make a priority list of the features.

• What focal length are you planning on? Do you need a telephoto or a wide angle? If you shoot birds, you need something with a minimum 300mm on the longer side. If you shoot landscapes and sunsets, you'll need something around 10mm.
• Typically when do you shoot? If you shoot mostly in broad daylight, there's no point buying a f/1.4 lens. But if you shoot in low lights, fast lens might be on top of your priority list.
• Do you shoot moving subjects at low-light? Get something with stabilizer, otherwise its a waste.
• Do you use CPL filters? If yes, get a lens which doesn't have a rotating front element.
• Do you plan to upgrade your kit lens in a sense that you want to replace its focal length with something having better image quality or you need a lens which complements your kit lens's focal length reach? I always believed, if you need a better performer in the same range of your kit lens, get 17-55mm f/2.8. If you need something to complement your kit lens, decide on the focal length you need, telephoto or wide angle.
• If you shoot macro, get a 1:1X macro lens. If you're a extreme macro user, get MP-E 65mm 1:5X macro lens.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

The obvious answer would be one of the f/2.8 lenses of similar zoom range. Sigma 18-50, Tamron 17-50, Canon 17-55. With or without IS depending on how useful you find it.

Answer 3

I think you nailed the problem with finding good answer saying:

but haven't found a comprehensive answer to the possible upgrade paths from the kit lens, particularly since I don't have a specific usage scenario in mind

I this situation you simply asking " I want to spent $1000 on a lens to replace 18-55 kit, what can I buy" So any lens that covers 18-55 range and cost under $1000 meets your criteria.

Each lens has many properties that can be considered pros or cons depending on the use scenario, also some may choose 2-3 primes in pace of zoom etc. There are so many options that I do not think it is practical or even possible to list all of the scenarios here.

There are sites that specialise in lens review so you could start there.

Answer 4

The two really broad reasons to buy another lens would be to expand your focal length range or to improve some aspect of quality in a range you've already got. For the purposes of this answer, I'll lump optical speed, optical quality, build quality, autofocus speed, etc., together as "lens quality".

The first point is pretty easy to understand -- if you've got an 18-55 kit lens and you want more reach, you go shopping for a lens with more reach, and vice-versa for a wide-angle lens. In most cases, you'll get a zoom of some sort before you start buying primes (for range expansion).

The second point should stem from your experience with current equipment. If you're shooting with a kit lens and you notice softness in your photos, you might consider an upgrade. If you want better low-light performance, you might consider an upgrade. These upgrades can be better zoom lenses, but this is also a great time to consider primes. Primes work great in cases where you know what focal length you're interested in, and you want the best quality you can get at that length.

In order to answer more specifically, you should have some specific objectives you're trying to achieve with the upgrade.

Answer 5

You've got already a good answer I voted up from ShutterBug. I would also like you to think of it differently.

You are correct to say that not having a particular usage in mind makes it harder. Typically usage narrows options.

What you need to think about then is particular limitations. The kit-lens is pretty much the most limited modern lens you can get, so there are plenty to choose from:

• Range: Do you keep wanting to go wider or longer.
• Depth-of-field: Do you wish to take photos with less depth-of-field, aka more background blur.
• Quality: Are you tired of your pictures looking like they were taken in a dark tunnel due to vignetting? Do you keep cropping the edges to avoid showing the degradation in sharpness? Do you photos look soft at print-sizes where you have enough megapixels?
• Performance: Do you miss shots because AF is too slow? Even if you use a small aperture for a photo, AF is always done at maximum aperture, so having an F/2.8 or wider lens will improve things even if you shoot at F/8. USM lenses tend to be faster as well.

There are so many lenses, I hesitate to list particular examples. Pretty much ANY lens will be an upgrade path from the kit lens to improve the factors listed above.

Answer 6

There are a lot of good answers here of what to try if you already know what you want from your next lens. If you aren't sure yet, though, I'd recommend getting one of the superzooms, like an 18-200 or 18-270. That would give you a lot more creative freedom (I know a lot of photographers learned with a single prime, which gives you a different type of creative freedom), and after you take a couple thousand pictures with it you'll be better able to graph your photos (as @whuber mentioned in his comment) to see what your favorite focal lengths are, and be able to make a more informed decision for your next lens.