Ideal kit for beginners?

[phil1066]

Question on behalf of Lynn Gibbons (copied from Yaketti Social):

"Hi Phil I am sure you are out today taking pictures. Wanted to ask you a question about lenses I have a wide angle and a telephoto I was wondering what you think a beginning photographer should buy next, I was thinking a macro what do you think? I do not want to waste my money would like something that I would use a lot and have fun with."

[phil1066]

from a lens perspective it depends on what you consider your 'field' or passion. If its up close with nature or still life then a macro lens is a must. But if you prefer landscapes then you will need a wide angle zoom, like 12-24mm or something similar. Most kits come armed with 18-55 and either 55-200 or 70-300s. If you are into action, like motorsport then you need a longer faster lens.

Remind us what you have got currently and what your preferred field of work is.

cheers

[JamesC]

If you have a wide angle and telephoto and they do what you ask of them then a macro is a good choice. I bought the Sigma 50mm 2.8 EX macro and have been very pleased with it. The advantage of such a lens is that it can be used for portraiture etc. With a Canon Rebel it will effectively become an 80mm due to the smaller sensor size. Also being a prime it will outperform a zoom with macro capability. For indoor work I don't use anything else and you may find interesting photo opportunites that would have previously been overlooked. Another benefit is the maximum aperture of 2.8 which will give you low light shooting and shallow depth of field for isolating subjects from their background.
Just my opinion but I love my macro .