Quote Originally Posted by F8&Bthere View Post
18mm on your 18-55 is fairly wide so unless you're one of those ultra wide nuts, I doubt you need to go wider.
I tend to agree with this statement.

My first DSLR was the Canon 400D with the kit lenses (18-55mm and 70-200mm) which Chantelle is now using.

When I upgraded to the 40D's I use now the widest angle I had was 24mm ... and I missed the 18mm often. It was enough of a difference to be noticed.

I now can go much wider than that again and love it but that's a whole new step so I do tend to think that 18mm is wide enough if you are short on the long end of your lens inventory.

Also on the 18-55mm lens ... I've been out there with Chantelle ... her on the 18-55mm and the 400D and me with the 40D and the 24 - 70mm L Series lens and she has seriously beaten me with her image quality. Use that little lens right and it's $250 value can outstrip a lens of $2000 ... I've seen it and been on the dumb end of that!

The same goes for the 70-200mm she has in fact.

I also have the little plastic 50mm 1.8 worth about $150 at best and it is a fast little lens indeed. Small light and very sharp with a get dof. It has all the qualities of much dearer lens. And I hardly ever bother with it. I probably should but I'm a zoom junkie. I'm always re-composing my shots in the field so zoom works so much better for me.
However, I do use it for portraits at times where moving around with the camera is not a big deal.

Up to about 200mm I don't put much stock in spending money on IS (VR on Nikon) as I find I can hold steady enough without a tripod but some people need it.