zoom lens question

[rob sasko]

i just got a canon rebel t3 and would like to get a zoom lens for all purpose use, i am a real novice, so i am looking for any advice....thanks

[wjzink]

Not sure what the comparable lens for a Canon is, but I have an older Nikon DSLR with a 28-105 macro zoom lens. Covers almost every application except for long shots of birds etc. The macro setting lets me get awesome closeup shots.

[spilunkr]

Rob,

You did not indicate whether you bought just a body or if the t3 came with a kit lens. If you have just a body then I would suggest the Cannon 18-200mm zoom. Your camera has an APSC sensor and so has a .6 crop factor which would give you the full frame equivalent of a 29-320mm lens. If your camera came with a wider angle zoom lens like the 17-85mm then you should consider the 70-300mm f5.6 lens. It is a really good good lens for the money. Here is a link to Dpreview's reviews of Canon Lenses. http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ The reviews there are pretty good.

Guy

[paxfish]

this one can do a nice job - I use it on my T3i. It's is the older kit lens, and is on closeout for 200:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm-4-0-5-6-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B0011NVMO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315857159&sr=8-1

[Clark W. Griswold]

I have a T1i and last year picked up the EF 70-300 IS. It is not cheap, but the optics are almost as good as the L lenses. I would not recommend buying any of the EFS lenses. They will only work on the Rebels with the APSC sensor. If you ever upgrade to a full frame body (as I hope to do one day), the EFS lenses won't work. The EF lenses work on both body types. (And are built much better and worth the extra money IMO)

The glass has more to do with the quality of the image than the body.

Actually the nut behind camera has the biggest influence on image quality, but look at your lense as something you will keep for a very long time until you decide to sell it. An $800 lense you use for 10 years is cheaper in the long run than the $200 lense you realize after a year won't do what you need it to.