Canon Lenses - Which One?

redhed17

redhed17

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Hello.

A friend of mine recently lost her Canon 400D + lens, and has decided to replace it with a 50D in the belief that it would be her last DSLR. (though it's her 3rd or 4th DSLR, so never say never ;) :lol:)

Anyway, she was considering the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 to get at the same time as the camera. She has a Sigma 70-300mm already though, so I thought it may not be the best idea to get a lens with a long zoom range as they a generally a compromise imho.

The options I've looked at are the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro or Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC OS HSM.

Has anyone owned any of those, and have some positive or negative things to say?

Or indeed an argument other than 'always buy Canon' as to which is the better buy out of those 3 lenses for a 50D.

Thanks. :)
 
I'm very happy with my 17-70 and it does give good flexibilty

Taken yesterday

40mm f6.3 1/2000 ISO400
3494482062_fae3f2c88e_o.jpg



70mm f6.3 1/3200 ISO400
3494481900_1196ff6737_o.jpg


17mm f6.3 1/2500 ISO400
3493663967_f7472a7231_o.jpg



Doesn't mean I wouldn't swap it for L glass but for the price I'm very impressed considering the cost :)

MB
 
Thanks Mat.

Sh hasn't got the cash for L lenses, so this is the price range she is working in.

Nice pics btw, and a flying dog to boot. ;) :lol:
 
She may be better getting a 40D as the limitations of the lens posted will be shown a lot more on 50D due to the pixel density of the sensor.
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
She may be better getting a 40D as the limitations of the lens posted will be shown a lot more on 50D due to the pixel density of the sensor.
Click to expand...

I had that thought as well, but she seems keen on the 50D. I had a similar problem when I went from the Nikon D70 - D200 with a Sigma lens.

Thanks for the replies. :)

Any more opinions or experiences?
 
Although he Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 wont cover the same range the IQ is excellent on the 50D and can be had new for around the £280.00 mark
 
Thanks Dogfish. :)

I think she wants a lens that at least meets, but possibly overlaps the range of the 70mm of the 70-300mm Sigma.
 
Ime getting rid of my 17-85 IS that i had on my 50d, i was quite happy with it the only reason im selling it is i got a 24-105L at a really good price. If she is interested just let me know.
 
A few comments.

I had a 17-85 and got some very good pictures with it. It is a lovely lens to use, with a great range. Not too big or heavy, well made. I swapped it for a 17-55 2.8 which is better of course, but in practice I don't use f/2.8 much and it's quite a lump to have around your neck all day. I miss the 17-85, and I now know that you can get rid of the CA, distortion and vignetting that this lens sometimes suffers from by just running the Raw files through DPP (Canon's free Raw processing software).

The 18-200 is another good lens that performs well in conjunction with DPP. But it's big and heavy, and the zoom creeps which I find annoying.

Canon 40D is a very good camera. Unless you have a particular need for the extra features of the 50D, the cost saving is considerable. Whatever camera she gets, it will not be her last, but if she gets good lenses, they will be delivering the goods for many years.
 
24-70L is a lovely lens on full frame, but very expensive, huge and heavy, doesn't have IS, and most people find the 24mm focal length is too long for crop format.
 
HoppyUK said:
24-70L is a lovely lens on full frame, but very expensive, huge and heavy, doesn't have IS, and most people find the 24mm focal length is too long for crop format.
Click to expand...

I used to have a 10-22, 17-40L, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 135L, 70-200L, 24-105L along with 1.4x and 2x. They were enough to cover most eventualities! However constantly changing lenses and trying to predict which one you might need got very old, very quickly.

I settled on the 24-70L (after I sold the 24-105L because I wanted f2.8) and the 135L, which is my favourite lens.

Most people would find the 135L too long on a crop body, but it was perfect for me. You can read all the reviews, but it really does boil down to what you take pictures of the most and in what context.

I would agree on the suggestion that a 40d would be preferable to a 50d if it meant compromising on the lenses. Two lenses are going to be a whole lot more flexible and better quality.

Graham
 
Another vote for the 17-70 here, a very nice lens for the money.

Also have to echo Dogfish's comments, the 50D needs exceptionally good glass to shine and there's a school of thought (which I subscribe to) that says 15mp is just too much for an APS-C sensor.
 
blue max said:
I used to have a 10-22, 17-40L, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 135L, 70-200L, 24-105L along with 1.4x and 2x. They were enough to cover most eventualities! However constantly changing lenses and trying to predict which one you might need got very old, very quickly.

I settled on the 24-70L (after I sold the 24-105L because I wanted f2.8) and the 135L, which is my favourite lens.

Most people would find the 135L too long on a crop body, but it was perfect for me. You can read all the reviews, but it really does boil down to what you take pictures of the most and in what context.

I would agree on the suggestion that a 40d would be preferable to a 50d if it meant compromising on the lenses. Two lenses are going to be a whole lot more flexible and better quality.

Graham
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The OP lists four lenses, all beginning at 17/18mm, and says that L lenses are beyond budget. That would appear to rule out the 24-70 L.
 
Thanks for all the comments. :)

I'll have talk with her about considering the 40D.

Seems the 17-85mm is quite popular.

That would have been the one I would have said get purely on zoom range, and the overlap with her 70-300mm. It is what I have done with the Nikon 16-85mm and the Nikon 70-300mm. I've found that a good overlap.

I know nothing about the quality of Canon (and Canon fit) lenses, so thought it best to ask. My friend knows less than me. ;) :lol:

Any more opinions appreciated? :)
 
redhed17 said:
Thanks for all the comments. :)

I'll have talk with her about considering the 40D.

Seems the 17-85mm is quite popular.

That would have been the one I would have said get purely on zoom range, and the overlap with her 70-300mm. It is what I have done with the Nikon 16-85mm and the Nikon 70-300mm. I've found that a good overlap.

I know nothing about the quality of Canon (and Canon fit) lenses, so thought it best to ask. My friend knows less than me. ;) :lol:

Any more opinions appreciated? :)
Click to expand...

17-85 is just such a nice lens to use :) But do tell her to shoot some Raw and run them through Canon's DPP lens aberration correction suite. It's free, very easy, and works really well. Here it is in action on that lens:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_17-85_4-5p6_is_usm_c16/page3.asp
 
HoppyUK said:
The OP lists four lenses, all beginning at 17/18mm, and says that L lenses are beyond budget. That would appear to rule out the 24-70 L.
Click to expand...

My first post was making a suggestion about the Sigma 24-70 as I find that range a good length on a crop body. I am aware that his friend was thinking about a rather longer range and was thinking that a better quality shorter length lens would be more satisfying with an expensive camera body.

My second post was to answer your first response which was to say that the focal length was unsuitable for a cropped sensor body.

I have never suggested they purchase a Canon 24-70L. The Sigma which I did suggest is a great budget alternative.

Graham
 
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