Decisions, decisions...

[candlestick]

I've currently got a Tamron 18-200mm DiII which I bought from a very kind fellow forum member. I've got my eye on a 'nifty fifty' and was wondering if I'd better off as a budget, beginner, photographer selling the above for about what I around what I paid for it and getting a nifty fifty and a Tamron 55-200mm lens with the proceeds. I've still got my Canon kit lens, so 18-55mm is covered already.

Thoughts???

 

[Steep]

Can't speak for the tamrons but the fifty is worth having.

 

[Witch]

The nifty is indeed worth every penny you will pay for it (which won't be much!) - try Kerso, I noticed the other day his prices are pretty keen on this right now.

What is your reasoning behind possibly selling your existing Tamron?

 

[candlestick]

Basically, having read some reviews of the 55-200, it seems like a similar lens to the 18-200 (ignoring the range, obviously!!) but with far better optics at about half the price. I could sell the 18-200, buy a 55-200, and have enough for a nifty!?

 

[StewartR]

I think this one will come down to your personal preference.

I have a Sigma 18-200 as my walkabout lens and there's no way I'd want to use an 18-55 / 55-200 combo instead, even if it did give me slightly better IQ. The whole point of the 18-200 is convenience and flexibility. That's worth a lot to me. You need to ask yourself how much it's worth to you...

 

[marky_h]

Ah yes, that was my 18-200 that you bought . The reason I bought it originally was for flexibility, as Stewart says, because it'll give a pretty good stab at shooting anything non-specialised. I've also read good reviews about the 55-200, but I think you'd find that if you changed over to it and a nifty, you'd be changing lenses (and potentially missing shots) more often.

That said, a nifty is always worth having. Could you stretch to it as an extra?