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I'm looking to upgrade from my Canon 450d to the T2i. There are two bundles: one that comes with body and two Canon lenses, 18-55mm and 55-250mm, for $799 and, on Amazon, there's the Canon with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens + Canon EF 75-300mm for $750!

So my question is which one is better to get? Or should I just buy the body alone and skip the 18-55mm, and get either the 55-250 or the 75-300?

I really enjoy taking macro pictures - I'm going to eventually get a lens just for that, but in the mean time I want to be able to take macro with the lens and be able to zoom in on pictures. I had a Tamron 70-300mm but the quality of the pictures wasn't so great.

Anyway is there a big difference between the lenses? Somebody told me to get 18-200 with the body or do the bundles. Will an 18mm take better macro? Or will the 55mm do the same thing?

Also here is some of the pictures I take: http://www.viewbug.com/member/pinkninja81. I would like to hear your opinions, advice and tips so I can do better.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Erika, welcome to the site. Your post should probably not have the request for critique at the end, we usually prefer to have a single question and we'd generally like them to be useful to other visitors to the site. We're not a forum here. :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Joanne C
    Mar 10, 2012 at 23:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ I love your pics. Actually the question is a bit messy... as John pointed out. My advice is to stay with that camera, unless you have some good reason to change and maybe spend some money on some good lenses. Since we are talking of some hundreds of dollars just buying a new toy may be a partial waste of money. You seems a bit confused on what focal length you need, so ask yourself that first :) Are you planning to sell/give away your old lenses with your camera? \$\endgroup\$
    – Paolo
    Mar 12, 2012 at 12:25

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The lens you have for your camera already can be used on the new camera, so IMO it makes no sense to purchase a new kit with an 18-55 (as I guess that is what you already have, because it is a very normal kit lens for the digital rebel series). Also this is perhaps the crappiest lens that Canon produces at all, so it is really not worth going for. The other lens in the kit may make the kit worth it.

Based on the fact that you enjoy macro, I would say that you should get the body alone, and then get a good macro lens, e.g. the EF 100mm f/2.8 macro (or the 2.8L if you're loaded, as it has image stabilization).

However, I am not sure that you can get the body alone for the Digital Rebel series, so if upgrading the camera, why not upgrade to a 60D? Or the 7D (a bit pricy, but the much improved AF in this body could be useful if doing handheld macro)

And if your budget does not allow for both getting a dedicated macro lens and a new body, I would suggest to wait with a new body, and get the macro lens first. For macro photography, a good tripod and a remote control is also very useful.

Actually, I am puzzled as to why you would upgrade from the 450D to the 550D. They are almost identical, AFAIK. The 550D has a better sensor, especially under low-light conditions. But it will not have a profound impact in the image quality of you pictures. Getting a good lens will have a much greater effect on the quality of your images than a new camera body.

If you still go for one of the kits, I would suggest that you check out reviews of the two lenses (55-250 and 75-300) and decide based on the reviews, and what you look for in a lens. I find that the-digital-picture is a good source of lens and camera reviews.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ 18-55 is sharper than 17-85 according to tests photozone.de/canon-eos/… photozone.de/canon-eos/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Paolo
    Mar 10, 2012 at 17:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ 18-55 F2.8 is a great lens, but costs a bit over $1000. I love mine. And I hated my kit 17-55. \$\endgroup\$
    – Pat Farrell
    Mar 10, 2012 at 23:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ What are you talking about?? The 18-55 is f/3.5-5.6 and is not sharp. The 17-55 is f/2.8 and is a very sharp lens. the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/… - this is also reflected in the price. The 18-55 costs roughly $120 on amazon. the 17-55 costs $1000 \$\endgroup\$
    – Pete
    Mar 11, 2012 at 10:18
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Agree with Pete. Skip the kit 17-55, don't buy it, don't pay for it, and don't own another. It really is the worst lens that Canon sells. Get a 50mm F1.8 for $120 or so instead. Or the macro 65mm.

Zoom lenses with less range are usually better quality. So look at a 70-200 over the 55-250.

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