Hi everyone!

Pretty soon I should be purchasing my first DSLR for the the purpose of shooting video, and I'm going with the T2i because it's the most affordable. I wanted to pose a question -- If I'm on a very tight budget, what single lens or lenses would you recommend I buy? My thought is to buy either one affordable lens that would be versatile enough to use for different projects (particularly for wedding shots), or else 2 or 3 cheaper lenses. My budget for lenses is pretty low -- about $700 - $800 MAX.

Also -- The most immediate practical use for this lens will be to get pretty shots at weddings (such as nice close-ups of the bride from a short distance away during the ceremony), so the lens would need to hold me over in that regard as well, until I can afford more lenses.

Any suggestions??

Thanks!

Jacob

I get a Sigma 30mm 1.4 and a Rokinon 85mm 1.4, I have a lot of lens but those 2 are my go to lens and they will be in your price range, that Rokinon is a steal.

There is a lot of information about individual lenses on a recent thread in this forum you might want to start picking through.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-rebel-t2i-eos-550d-hd/473955-if-you-could-only-use-3-lenses.html

In general though, in my humble opinion, the best glass is overkill for HD video. It is designed to resolve resolutions which are giant compared to 1080p. The main concern is having fast lenses which are not too soft wide open, have reasonable colour and contrast and no problems with vignetting.

For your budget that will probably mean affordable primes. Fast zooms are costly. You could probably only get one half decent F/2.8 constant aperture zoom for the money you have to spend. I would say the first lens on your list would be a fast 50mm prime.

Your best bet would be to take some of the suggestions in the above thread, and do some more research around that.

Thanks, guys!

I think for those who may be hanging back because of budgetary constraints I'd highly consider getting the kit lens. Yes, it's far from perfect, but it get's the camera in your hand and shooting right away.

Bearing in mind you'll need to spend another hundred bucks for memory!

I'd get an 50mm f1.4, 28mm f/2.8 and a 135mm f/2.8. Get the kit lens as well for a cheap zoom. Then spend the rest of the money (you should have at least $500 left) on some decent support and memory cards.

... I bought my T2i with the lens. I've been really surprised at the quality it delivers. sure, it's not a 1.4, so you don't use it in low light situations. It's worth the c-note to me, has IS, keeps the cost of the package down and gets you up-n-running out of the box.

I have two other canon lenses, ef, not ef-s, 28-90 and 75-300. the 28-90 is really sweet, like an old 105 I had on an even older nikon-f.

The next lens I buy will be fast&wide, say 24, 28 or 30, 1.4-1.8. probably in the $350-450 range.

maybe skipping the kit lens was not a great idea.
Keychain Memories on Vimeo
Shot with the kit lens.

I bought a T2i and had already a 50mm 1.8 (mk1 and mk2) so I thought I did not need the kit lens.
then a few week after I tryed the 18-55is of the kit lens and I was very surprised, cause that lens is better
than the 50mm. The focus is more sharp and faster, plus the stabilizer let you work in very low light.
the 50mm was never perfectly sharp alway have to adjust manualy, I cannnot trust it.
For low light I have a 85mm 1.8 and this one is sharp and very fast.

The big problem is the 18-55mm is sold for a $100 more than the body(in Montreal) and they do not sell at that price if you buy only the lens. The price for lens only $260 plus tax.
I was lucky to find one for $80, the guy had bought a T2i and wanted to buy a 50mm 1.8 cause he saw a video on youtube of that lens. He did not know it was my video.
YouTube - my first video Canon rebel T2i (eos 550D) 50mm 1.8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWGezYbIDsE)

In a few days that guy will be searching for a 18-55 cause my new videos are much better.
If you want a good 50mm go for a 50mm 1.8 Nikon serie E ($30 to $70) or an old 50mm f2 ($60)

The kit lens is underrated, partly because the previous non IS version was sh*t, partly because the plastic construction and low weight is disliked by pros.

My copy of the EF 50mm is also a poor auto-focuser. There is a lot of sample variance with this model, because of the cheap production values, but if you get a good copy, it is as sharp as most great lenses. Sharpness is generally not the weakness of this lens, but it does suffer from poor colour rendition amongst other things.

Saying that, I would be loathe to get rid of it without replacing it with another fast prime for situations where IS won't cut it, like anything moving in low light.

My 50mm 1.8 (Mk1 metal,Mk2 plastic) are both sharp.
the problem is they don't focus sharp with my T2i. it was very sharp on 20d
but now when the green square tell its in focus it is not, cause I always have to refocus manually.
lets say the autofocus help me to focus in manual. also the focus ring is very fragile(move) on both
version of the 50mm canon.

maybe skipping the kit lens was not a great idea.
Keychain Memories on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/11445400)
Shot with the kit lens.
Thanks so much for posting my video as an example, Rusty, it's a real honor :)

For my own 2 cents - I currently own the kit lens, and the 50mm 1.8. Because of the crop sensor, it's a bit of a nightmare getting further from your subject with the prime lens, but I do highly recommend it for low-light shooting. My kit lens is still my current go-to lens, but I've been using the 1.8 a lot since, and hope to use it in my next film.

Don't bash the kit lens too much, I think it's pretty cool :)

Congratulations Sam, that was one of the best shorts I've seen in a long time. Like all brilliant concepts, it's so simple, but makes you wish you had thought of something like that.

Just a great way to get instant candid video portraits with real depth, and so well shot and directed. I love the guy who holds out his bare key ring and says nothing!

Also good that you are flying the flag for the kit lens. So many people rush out and buy L glass thinking it will make them better film makers. The 550d is all about accessibility, and I think it's mind boggling what you can achieve with the 2 lenses you mention, and for the price, even more so.