Best overall general Canon IS lens

C

Carlm90

Messages
189
Name
Carl
Edit My Images
No
Hi all,

I have my 50mm 1.8 II for my 450D but I'm looking for a general shoot lens that I will have a decent amount of zoom on whilst being wide angle on request. I also want the lens image stabilised please so would that be something like 18-200mm? I would like you to recommend me Canon lenses and maybe Sigma/Tamron that are a good quality.

I'm shopping for a new lens because I made sure I bought the 450D body only and the lenses seperately. Thanks for your help :)

Would something like this be my best choice? http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/75321/show.html
 
Well the best EFS IS lens is the Canon 17-55mm IS f/2.8 but that an expensive lens and doesn't have the reach you require.

The Canon 18-200mm IS would serve you well as a consumer lenses but read some reviews and compare other lenses.
I opted for the Tamron 18-270MM VC when I was comparing them.

If you are looking for a walkabout lens in the 18-200mm range then the Tamron 18-270mm VC (VC = Vibration Control, it's Tamrons version IS), is a very good lens for the money.
Generally a lot of people shy away from lenses like these with such a long focal range but for a consumer lens, I think it's hard to beat for the price.
I've not spoken to anyone else on the forum who has used this lens but the people I have spoken to elsewhere whoo have used it share the same view as me.

Read some reviews on the lens and if are interested, I have one for sale in the
Classifieds : For Sale/Trade section.
I am also in London and you are more than welcome to come and try it out, whether you are insterested in buying it or not, you will be able to see take some test shots away with you.
 
I know you said Canon IS Lens, I do have the a good set from 16mm to 200mm in the L-Series for my FF sensor but for my 50 I have found the Tamron 28-300 IS is an excellent lenses although at about £500 not cheap for a 3rd party lens
 
I was very impressed with the Canon 28-135mm lens. An excellent all-rounder for the price.:|
 
Canon 24-105?
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Another vote for the 28-135 and my photo mentor used one as her main lens (travel and portraiture) for many years before upgrading to a 24-105.
Click to expand...

Therefore its not the "best overall general Canon IS lens" as this thread asked for :D
 
If we talking about EF lenses there then all the L series are well regarded.
I got the impression the OP was talking about EF-S lenses hence my suggestion that the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is the best in the Canon comsumer lens range, Even though it's regarded by many as an L lens.
 
Tee Hee - I think we are both right - but for different reasons
Yes, the 24-105 is a better lens.
But it's a tad OTT (size, weight, price) for a first general purpose zoom lens on a 450D, hence recommending the excellent 28-135.
Be interesting to hear Carlm90's thoughts......
 
Did you guys fail to notice he's looking at the Canon 18-200 IS? :p
Pointless talking about L lenses if his is on a tight budget :)
 
Frankly there is probably no one overall best - it all depends on what you want to do with it but I have the 28-135mm IS USM and I can say that it's an excellent lens for the price.

And you often see them advertised on here at very good prices.
 
No he asked for "Canon lenses and maybe Sigma/Tamron that are a good quality. "
 
petersmart said:
Frankly there is probably no one overall best - it all depends on what you want to do with it but I have the 28-135mm IS USM and I can say that it's an excellent lens for the price.

And you often see them advertised on here at very good prices.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but I think there is perhaps an overall winner in the various focal lengths when comparing manufacturers with lenses aimed at the consumer market.
I also think that bang per bucks, the 28-135mm IS is the best in that focal range.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Tee Hee - I think we are both right - but for different reasons
Yes, the 24-105 is a better lens.
But it's a tad OTT (size, weight, price) for a first general purpose zoom lens on a 450D, hence recommending the excellent 28-135.
Be interesting to hear Carlm90's thoughts......
Click to expand...

neither of them would give you wide angle capability on a 1.6x crop sensor camera.

What's you budget?

Personally, these hyperzooms ain't great, promise lots, deliver very little, but at the end of the day, I'm looking to take images which ain't the usual holiday snaps for which these hyperzoom lenses are intended for. They're a fix for the P&S brigade who want that single zoom flexibility they had with their compact camera's, but on an SLR.

But the SLR system is specifically designed to interchange lenses, so you have the right lens for the job at hand. You really need 2 lenses to do what you want, I would suggest a tamron 17-50mm f2.8 (general walkaround and wide angle) companied by the canon 70-200mm f4 (lightweight, excellent optics and a great lens at an affordable price)
 
My vote is for the 24-105. Excellent lens as a general purpose lens and if you need the longer range then I'd go with a 70-200 as well, perhaps the F4 if on a budget.
 
Quite a few posts to sift through there :o

I would want a lens with a bigger zoom really so the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5 - 6.3 Dii VC looks like a great choice and if Darran budges on his price, I may look at purchasing that in the near future. Those shots he has on his sale page look good aswell and serve the purpose well for similar shots that I want.

I've honest never been a big fan of 3rd party lenses but I guess when you spend extra, there will be only hardware differences, right or wrong?

I think a 28-135 would be another lens to add in the future but I want one that will allow me some flexibility without investing in multiple lenses. I have a budget of about £400 I guess. I haven't tried these lenses that you're all suggesting so I will make it one of my to-dos to go into some shops and try the lenses.

As said previously, an L lens is definitely out of the question, at the minute anyway. :D

What lens do you think will produce the best image (if we take me as an alright photographer behind it for example, ha!)? I know I don't have the zoom on the 28-135mm but I'm just wondering what the key differences are in the two lenses I mentioned?

I'm a little confused by the key differences in lenses like the 24-105, 28-135?

Should I look at e.g. 17-55mm f2.8 and then a 70-200mm ? Is this going to benefit my image quality significantly enough to own both because I'm getting pulled towards that Tamron 18-270mm for a all purpose lens.

Thanks and I hope my mumbo jumbo essay above, makes complete and utter sense. :D
 
Carlm90 said:
In reality, should I just get the 18-55mm IS kit lens which I could get pretty cheap and then pick up a 55-250mm IS which is here: http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/70095/show.html or the 18-270mm Tamron?

:|:)
Click to expand...

One of the things you need to consider is the kind of photography you want to do.
If you want to do indoor photography with low light then an f/2.8 lens would be the way to go.
I also own a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC but this is mainly used for family functions such as weddings etc.
Some people use 18-20mm for landscapes but personally I prefer to use super wide angle lens and my Canon 10-22mm will only be sold if I ever move over to full frame.

In good light conditions you can get away with an f/4 - f/6 lens for motor sports and outdor action shots.

The 24-104L is a pro lens, hence the 'L' label and the 128-125 is a consumer lens aimed at the market for people either new to or just getting the world of DSLR's.
In a lot of cases, people start with consumer lenses then upgrade to L lenses and this is what I am in the process of doing.

I've owned the Canon 18-55 IS and the 55-250 IS.
The 55-250 is a really good lens for the money but I wasn't overkeen on the 18-55, hence the reason I sold them and bought the Tamron.

It's almost 2 years since I stepped into this hobby and I've just moving into the L lens market.

As you are probably aware, when you first get into this hobby it can be quite daunting and although we can all offer you advice, ultimatley, the choice is yours.
 
Carlm90 said:
In reality, should I just get the 18-55mm IS kit lens which I could get pretty cheap and then pick up a 55-250mm IS which is here: http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/70095/show.html or the 18-270mm Tamron?

:|:)
Click to expand...

I have both of the kit lenses in my bag and a nifty 1.8. You can pick up the 55-250 for £140ish on fleabay it gets good reviews too, i got mine from 7dayshop last year for £169

just checked ebay and they seem to be £150 +p&p
 
Carlm90 said:
What lens do you think will produce the best image (if we take me as an alright photographer behind it for example, ha!)? I know I don't have the zoom on the 28-135mm but I'm just wondering what the key differences are in the two lenses I mentioned?

I'm a little confused by the key differences in lenses like the 24-105, 28-135?

Should I look at e.g. 17-55mm f2.8 and then a 70-200mm ? Is this going to benefit my image quality significantly enough to own both because I'm getting pulled towards that Tamron 18-270mm for a all purpose lens.
Click to expand...

for an ef-s camera, i would go for the newish 15-85mm IS from canon. very useful zoom range, near-L build quality, near-L image quality and non-L price. probably a drawback for some people would be the variable aperture, some barrel distortion on the wide end (but much less than the older 17-85mm) and the cost (about £550 now).

i'm not an expert on third-party lenses, but some e.g. the tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 are popular for good reasons.

the 24-105 is a good standard zoom for full frame cameras, but i wouldn't go for that one unless you're trying to future-proof yourself i.e. you're planning to get a full frame body.

the 28-135 has a good zoom range as well, but the wide end becomes 45mm on a 1.6x crop factor body like the 450d. not that useful as a walkabout lens. you could complement it with an ultra-wide lens like the 10-22mm, but that's more money out of the pocket. and it's not an L lens :D

super-zoom lenses (18-200mm and similar) are known for distortion and chromatic aberration at both extremes of focal length. while they are convenient (one lens for everything), there is some compromise in image quality.

personally, if i were to travel "light", i would take the 15-85mm and a 70-200mm. that would cover everything from 24mm to 320mm on a 450d, and i get good image quality.

but since we're on a budget, the 18-55mm and 55-250mm combo is good enough for most beginners. when you've firmly established that you like to shoot certain things, you can upgrade accordingly.
 
The 18-55mm and the 55-250 IS seems the right combination of lenses and I will save money aswell. I think I will go with that combination.
 
desantnik said:
Therefore its not the "best overall general Canon IS lens" as this thread asked for :D
Click to expand...

economically speaking neither is the 24-105. Not everyone has money coming out of every orifice - and, here I am going to say that thing again that everyone hates - on a crop body you're only getting the sweet spot of the lens anyway, so getting an L won't matter as much, as you're completely cutting out the bit that most lenses fall short on - edge sharpness and light falloff.
 
^^^ I'd second that. I have the 18-135 IS as my general 'do everything' walkabout lens. The IS on this is very good, I've had pin sharp night time images using ambient light at very low shutter speeds.

Of course, its a superzoom so it doesn't have the IQ of the excellent efs 17-55 or 15-85, but its very good for a general lens. More flexible and better IS than the older ef 28-135 which I compared it to directly before I bought it.
 
^ IMO while the 24-105 is a great lens, for a crop its simply not going to be wide enough (the OP needs a lens that will go wide).
 
I'd say the best all rounder IS lens would be the 24-105 L f/4.
Personally, I prefer the 24-70 L f/2.8, but that doesn't have IS and I need the f/2.8 more for what I do.

IT all depends on how wide you want to go a the wide end. If you find 24mm too narrow on a crop, then the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is excellent for the price and for me the f/2.8 more than makes up for the lack of IS
 
Carlm90 said:
The 18-55mm and the 55-250 IS seems the right combination of lenses and I will save money aswell. I think I will go with that combination.
Click to expand...

The EF-S 17-85mm IS USM would be a similar cost alternative to the 18-55 and depending on what you shoot - you may find the little extra reach means you're changing the lens less. On it's own it's a decent range for a walkabout lens.
 
In this months Digital Camera mag they compare the:

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS £400 Rated 80%
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS £480 Rated 83%
Sigma 18-125mm f3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM £240 Rated 90%
Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM £400 Rated 92% with excellent image quality.
Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di ll VC Macro £460 Rated 88% with excellent image quality.

The Sigma's did very well. I have been looking at image examples on flikr and i must say they are pretty impressive.

The Canon 55-250 is a very cheap but very good lens also. It is known as the 'nifty two fifty'!
 
AndyWest said:
In this months Digital Camera mag they compare the:

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS £400 Rated 80%
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS £480 Rated 83%
Sigma 18-125mm f3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM £240 Rated 90%
Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM £400 Rated 92% with excellent image quality.
Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di ll VC Macro £460 Rated 88% with excellent image quality.

The Sigma's did very well. I have been looking at image examples on flikr and i must say they are pretty impressive.

The Canon 55-250 is a very cheap but very good lens also. It is known as the 'nifty two fifty'!
Click to expand...


Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di ll VC is a cracking lens for the money.
I don't know why this lens gets over looked by a lot of people, I enjoyed my time owning one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top