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In a few months I will be getting either a Nikon D3000 or Canon Rebel XSi and am wondering what other lenses to get with it?
I'm into taking wildlife photos from trees to plants to bugs. What lenses would be good for this?
If your only interested in plants and bugs, you should consider a macro lens. Something like the Tamron 90mm is a very good macro and cheaper than the Canon or Nikon lenses.
If your into other wildlife, I would suggest the 70-300mm. Either Canon or Nikon, this lens is around $550 est. and will give you a decent length with your the sensor on the D3000 or XSi.
Again, we would need to know your budget and what else you plan on shooting before we can accurately suggest a lens.
Budget is moderate. I'm planning a trip out of state this October and plan to camp out and take photos of the wildlife around me. Lets say my budget range is that of someone working part-time making 7.25/hour and will soon have a insurance bill on a car on top of that.
Just making a list of lenses that I will get when I have the cash. Might be able to get the 50mm or 60mm macro in before the trip if I save enough.
You want the macro for critters. Don't get the 50mm or 60mm. Both are great lenses, but for bugs you need something longer -- at least the 90mm someone mentioned uptopic. And don't be tricked by all those zooms that incorporate "macro" into their name or verbiage. There are no zoom lenses good for macro use. None.
It sounds like you'll have a pretty limited budget. I can suggest a couple if you go Canon. For a long lens I'd look for an old Canon EF 100-300 f4.5-5.6 USM. This is one of the older EF lenses, but it's a good one -- pretty sharp and has a fast, quiet focus. Because it's been discontinued for several years and because a lot of users prefer a 70-300 over 100-300, you can find them on eBay pretty cheaply if you're patient. Here's one on eBay. I noticed another with starting bid of $75 and a few priced up there around $300. I wouldn't pay much over $150 for a clean one.
For a macro, consider a Vivitar 100mm AF macro with EF mount. I got a new one on eBay several years ago for $100. They normally sell (sold?) new for $160 or so including a close-up lens to make it 1:1.
There are a few alternatives to a macro lens for getting close, but there's no good alternative to a telephoto lens for wildlife photography. (In your price range of lenses, don't consider telextenders.) But if you have a good normal or telephoto lens, you can get decent bug shots with less expensive "close-up lenses". These screw onto the front of your lens and act like a magnifying glass. The best ones have two elements. Canon makes some excellent ones, and I think Nikon still does. They're in the neighborhood of $100 depending on the diameter you'll need. Single-element close-up lenses (aka close-up filters) usually come three to a set and sell for $10-$25. You could also get extension tubes.
I have a couple Canon double-element lenses, a couple Canon extension tubes, a Canon 50mm macro and the Vivitar macro. I think I'd recommend the Vivitar macro over all the others for you.
You want the macro for critters. Don't get the 50mm or 60mm. Both are great lenses, but for bugs you need something longer -- at least the 90mm someone mentioned uptopic.
Would the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM be good for critters?
200 might be enough for a zoo, but rarely long enough for animals in the wild, especially birds.
Unless it's a big animal like a moose, bison, cow, horse, and so forth. I often use a 17-50mm lens to take photos of moose in my backyard, or a 100mm one for moose at the end of my driveway, or a 200mm for a moose across the road.
Would the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM be good for critters?
For close-uip or macro photography it's perfect. However, it's an excellent telephoto lens as you can see:
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