Rebel XT lens and noob advice?

I am looking to get into photography as a hobby. I am mostly going to be taking portraits, quality pictures of my kid, and random shots around the city (landscapes, but not necessarily wide shots). I have a Rebel XT and Canon's EF 50mm f1.8 II Prime Lens. Any suggestions for lens(es) for my aforementioned purposes (I am a poor college student, so I don't have a ton of money, thus the cheaper the better) and any advice on how to get started would be great.

The 50/1.8 is a good start, the large aperture is great for de-emphasizing the background in portraits.

For a general purpose lens, I think there are three choices:

鈥?You can get a used Canon EFS 18-55 lens cheap, as many people replace this kit lens for something else. The 18-55 isn't a stellar lens but it's not terrible, either. This will give you a 29-88mm zoom range.
鈥?The Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 is a good value. It's sharper than Canon's EFS 17-85 but it doesn't have Image Stabilization and focus is noticeably slower.
鈥?The EFS 17-85/4-5.6 is a very handy lens. Note that it's a stop slower than the Sigma but it does have IS which helps in low light (as long as your subject isn't moving).

I think you'd want a zoom lens which starts off at 17 or 18, so you will have enough field of view for landscapes and architecture.

I own seven Canon EF and EFS lenses and I find the two most useful ones are the 50/1.4 (which is optically similar to your 50/1.8 but the 1.4 has a USM motor) and the 17-85. I also have a 17-40L lens which is sharper but the 17-85 is so flexible, especially with the IS.

Any other questions, drop me an email!

If you don't already have one, get a zoom that starts at 17 or 18 mm on the short end and 50 or longer on the long end. If you already have a zoom that you're happy with look into the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. It's a longer prime that takes great portraits.

i like teh 70-300 size lens..... it is a great range

You mention you want to shoot around the city, landscapes, but not necessiarily wide shots.. the Canon 28-135 IS USM is a good choice... I have both a 16-85 and the 28-135, I find myself using the 28-135, the majority of the time... it's great for landscapes, not too narrow.. and has enough of a zoom for some interesting shots... you can get one from Adorama.com for about $350-400 ... another choice would be the Tamron 18-250.. that would give you an excellent range for under $500...

More lenses won't help you. The one you have is fine.

Read books, take lessons, shoot lots, get opinions.

Hope this helps.

The lens you have is actually an excellent choice for the types of pictures you are talking about. With the conversion factor in works about like an 80mm short telephoto, perfect for portraits. It is fast and bright and one of Canon's best non professional lenses.

The only other suggestion I have for you is the brand new 18-55 IS lens. Do not confuse this with the old 18-55 kit lens. The new image stabilized lens is much sharper and prevent camera shake from blurring your photos. They are selling for about $180 and many pros consider it to be one of the best lenses Canon has produced in a long time.