Hello I am new to this forum and I am sure I am much more of an amateur than the many talented professionals here. I prefer to shoot portraits and people scenes of travel photography. My Canon XTI Rebel Kit lens, the 18-55, broke (actually I have a theory that the security of a recent foreign country...

Is that an EX lens? The EX designation is kinda like Canon's L series, it's Sigma's best stuff. Having said that, when I was buying my Sigma camera I skipped the kit lenses and went for a single EX lens instead. On a Canon camera I would save my pennies and buy a genuine Canon L series lens...