My other half has a EOS 500D with a EF50mm 1:1.8 II lens. Its a bit limited for day to day use so I wanted to get her a zoom lens- Its her birthday in a fortnight. However, budget is about £60- is there anything worth looking at secondhand (links etc welcomed) or will I get her something else at the moment and spend more at a later date?

You’ll not get anything new for that money. Maybe the Canon EF-S 55-250mm secondhand. T’is a decent long lens for the money. She might find something wider more useful if she only has the 50mm, depending on her photography, but not sure what to recommend.

I’d be looking at primes rather than zooms at that sort of money.

Depends on what you want to take photos of. I think kit zoom is more convenient for day to day shots, without having to swap lenses all the time. Though maybe not quite as good image quality as a cheap prime.
You can get the 18-55mm lens for about £50.

Look at MPB or Ffordes etc, you can get something in decent condition, with a warranty.
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-lenses/used-canon-fit-lenses/
http://ffordes.com/category/Lenses/Canon/EOS/Canon/Others

My daughter has the IS version of the kit lens and it surprisingly sharp for a “cheapo” lens, so that would be my recommendation.

Walking towards, or away, from an object has a very similar effect to a zoom lens. For £60, I’d just be getting some more comfortable shoes or another fixed lens.

Problem being that in a 3 dimensional world it’s not always possible to walk towards or away from an object nor really practical for landscape photography.

You haven’t said what kind of photography interests her?

As has been said, realistically you simply can’t get very much for £60, certainly not any kind of long lens. The 18-55 is about the best suggestion for £60 and will give a much wider option than the 50mm she has.

Just walking closer/further away isn’t always possible, and gives different effects anyway in terms of depth of field and bokeh.

You can usually pick up the 18-55 kit lens for £60 or less. It’s OK. Although the quality is not as good as that f1.8 50mm lens you have, it will do a fair job of landscape stuff and snapshots where the ~80mm equivalence of that 50mm lens can be a tough constraint.

As said above, for £60 the only option would be a kit zoom lens.

There might be some ideas here:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjx76p4ZABw&t=3s[/video]

Note the 500d is APS-C.

If you can ( massively ) stretch your budget the Sigma 17-70 mm lens is a significant upgrade in terms of image quality from the kit lens.

It would set you back £180 on ebay.

That’s a point, I’d assumed she’d already got the kit lens. You can pick one up for buttons and despite the snobbery it’s a decent enough lens.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-II-F3-5-5-6-/401393015826

If she decides to sell the 500d give me a shout. I’ve been thinking of getting one for product photography. Don’t want to spend loads, so was thinking of a 400d/500d. Something that can just sit permanently on a tripod in the corner of the room.

Don’t want to spend loads, so was thinking of a 400d/500d. Something that can just sit permanently on a tripod in the corner of the room.

Home made pron?

Home made pron?

Honestly, in my experience as a consumer – it’s all about the lighting.

Cheers all. That is the only lens, and sometimes it just doesn’t deal well with more confined places. Will keep the above suggestions in mind for later in the year 🙂

The ‘kit’ 18-55 IS is a surprisingly good lens for the money and there should be loads around second-hand.

The 50mm is a great lens for portraits and stuff. It’s the biggest bargain out there, but it’s defo not great as an only lens. Unfortunately, even most primes tend to be a lot more expensive, which mostly leaves you with the kit lenses. Never been massively impressed with the kit lens from my 350d, but that’s pretty old now. Some of the current ones might not be bad. But it’s a hobby where top-end quality costs…