Looking for help on lenses

[BlindZide]

Hey all. My wife and I own a Rebel T3i and were wondering what would be a good set of lenses for photography of our tank. I'm sure it will be used for more than just the tank but the general idea right now is so I can get some good photos to put up on here and share with family and friends.

Any and all help would be appreciated!

 

[d2mini]

A macro lens, at least 90mm.
And a 24-70 zoom for full tank shots and family stuff.
You could also pick up a 50mm f/1.8 since they are super cheap and you'll get to see if you like primes.

 

[IslandCrow]

What's your budget. The 24-70 that d2mini suggested is an awesome all-around lens, but it's not cheap. The 50mm is an excellent, inexpensive lens, but it's not very versatile. The 100mm macro lens is also a great lens, moderate to very high (for the IS version) price, but again not very versatile for all-around photography.

Specifically for your tank, a 35mm prime (i.e. not zoom) lens for full tank shots in addition to a 100mm macro for close-up shots would be a good set of lenses. That isn't necessarily ideal for all around photography, however, where a mid-range zoom is going to suit most people better. What lens(es) do you currently own?

 

[BlindZide]

We have a 18-55mm and a 55-250mm. The do OK just can't get super close to anything.

 

[IslandCrow]

In that case, I'd definitely look at getting a macro lens as your next purpose. Your best choice is going to be the Canon 100mm macro. There's both an image stabilized (IS) and non-IS version. The former is significantly more expensive. For aquarium photography (and macro photography in general), I'm generally either using a tripod or using a fast shutter speed, so personally I don't see a lot of value added in the image stabilization. That's just me, though. Sigma also makes a macro lens which I believe I've heard is pretty good, and it will save you a little money. If that's still out of your budget, you can always go with extension tubes. Kenko is the most popular brand, but since there's no glass involved, you don't lose anything as far as image quality goes if you get a cheaper brand instead.