lens for a Rebel XS

[Liquid]

Hey camera gurus. Im looking to purchase a lens for my christmas present, a Canon rebel XS. It came with a 18-55 is lens, but i like to get a lens for shooting somes drags. I dont have alot of money to spend, maybe 250.00. Anyone know what would be a good lens for this price. Any help is appreaciated. Thanks in advance. By the way, i wanted a d60, but i guess my wife setteled in this , and so far im very happy with it. I just have to figure it out now.

Thank again

JIM

[Slider]

You aren't going to get much for that price range. I picked up a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS lens and am really pleased with it. It isn't going to do well indoors or on a cloudy day. But for a nice bright sunny day, it should perform well.

[Liquid]

guess i might have to save my pennies then, but as you know,the boat comes first lol.

Thanks JIM

[Slider]

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm-4-0-5-6-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B0011NVMO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231384610&sr=8-1) in your price range and has enough zoom to get some decent pics at a 1/4 mile drag. Prices seem to increase exponentially with lenses. Say you want to step up from from the 55-250, you are looking at a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200mm-2-8L-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00006I53X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231384801&sr=1-1) for $1,500 or a Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-28-300mm-3-5-5-6L-USM-Lens/dp/B0001G6U48/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231384960&sr=1-1)for $2,400. There isn't a lot inbetween. Even the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-18-200mm-3-5-5-6-Standard-Lens/dp/B001ET6QFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231385063&sr=1-1)$500.

Now, if you have a special occasion coming up, I highly recommend www.lensrentals.com (http://www.lensrentals.com) to rent your dream lens for a week or two.

[hsbob]

look for a used lens at a major local camera stop, the one the pro use in your area

[Liquid]

Thanks for the replys. i did find a used 70-200 is locally 400.00, maybe ill check it out.


Thanks JIM

[Slider]

Just a quick note on Canon naming conventions. The Image Stabilized (IS) lenses are going to be a lot more than non-IS lenses. That isn't a bad price for a 70-200 and probably won't make any difference if you are shooting action shots that it is (i'm guessing) a non-IS lense.

[hsbob]

stablized lens for drag racing will be a waste of money. the stab lens let you elimate the camera shake on static objects at lower len setting but it will not work with moving objects. for moving objects you need fast lens eg 2.8

ps you need to have a shutter setting faster than 1/mm of the lens. eg if you have a 200mm lens then the shutter needs to be 1/200 of a second. to really stop the motion it will need more like 1/500.