lens suggestions please :)

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Pete
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Hi all, I'm currently using a canon 550d with a 50mm1.8.. And occasionally the kit 18-55...

Im looking for a replacement for the 18-55 with the main difference of wider aperture and slightly longer focal length to about 70-80mm. Sharper shots would be nice lol. I plan to use this on an upcoming holiday where il be taking lots of candid shots of people, low light scenes etc hopefully.

Can anyone make any suggestions? My budget would be around £200-270

Thanks guys

Pete
 
Any suggestions of lenses you've used that fit the bill would be much appreciated!
 
take a look at some of the super zooms, sigma 18-200, canon 18-200, tammy 18-270 or even the canon 55-250 IS. I would say they're a good place to start for a first lens. Any one will give you a good range and once you've outgrown it you can get different ranges.

sadly though, you get what you pay for in photography gear.

M.
 
You should be able to pick up a second hand Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 within your budget.

Cracking lens with an excellent reputation :)
 
Thanks for that guys, ive had a look at the 17-70 as per your reccomendations... ive been looking on photozine.de and a few other review sites but they seem to say that the 17-70 is not as sharp as the 18-55is kit lens and also focuses slower

How do your experiences keep up with this? as im looking for something thats going to give me better IQ than the kit lens

thanks again guys

Pete
 
I've never had the 18-55 kit lens so can't make a direct comparison, but I owned a Siggy 17-70 for a couple of years and always found the IQ to be superb :)
 
Thanks again for your replies everyone, I'm looking into this lens still and am finding its competitors to be very expensive. Any further alternatives in my price Bracket would be appreciated.

I'd like to just check one thing, there are two versions of the 17-70, I wanted to check if you were all referring to the old f2.8-4.5 non is ring focus or the newer 2.8-4 2009? IS fast focus model .. Ive not been able to find this newer model within my price range unfortunately! Is the old one any good? (noted the one definitely recommendation of the old one above already )

Thanks again for your replies guys

Pete :)
 
I am referring to the older non IS version :)
 
I am referring to the older non IS version :)

:) noted and thanks again for your input!.. damn the choices that are available. phogotraphy is fast exploiting my sometimes indecisive nature. all im after is something thats sharp (er than my current 18-55is.. in an ideal world, in the same area as the nifty fifty), does well in low light ?2.8 or similar and has a decent focal length for a walk around on an apsc 550d, preferably under or around £250.. :P impossible?
 
Have a look for a Tamron 17-50 non-vc, not quite got the reach you were after but a cracking lens for the money and very sharp, 2.8 throughout. Should get a used one for ±£200
 
Thanks for that guys, ive had a look at the 17-70 as per your reccomendations... ive been looking on photozine.de and a few other review sites but they seem to say that the 17-70 is not as sharp as the 18-55is kit lens and also focuses slower

How do your experiences keep up with this? as im looking for something thats going to give me better IQ than the kit lens

thanks again guys

Pete

There's your first problem, you've been reading and taking notice of photozine.de's reviews. In short, they talk rubbish and don't live in the real world.
 
Thanks again guys, Im trying to look around at as many review sites as possible, reliable suggestions are welcomed.
The choice in this range and the vareity of reviews is borderline irritating... IQ / sharpness is my main factor. The extra reach would be nice, but i think id prefer the constant 2.8 aperture, a nice sharp picture is my main thing.

My current players are the :


Tamron 17-50 2.8 .. either the vc or non vc versions
Sigma 17-50 2.8 ex dc os hsm
sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5




Can anyone offer a fair comparison in terms of iq between these?

Any suggestions re these or others are much appreciated as I'm hoping to take whatever lens i end up with to morroco very soon... sigh!!!
 
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and added to the above lot.. as if there werent enough...

the sigma 18-50 ex dc


again.. any comparisons with iq are much appreciated as im hoping to take this on holiday very very soon
 
Any suggestions re these or others are much appreciated as I'm hoping to take whatever lens i end up with to morroco very soon... sigh!!!

If you really wanted a zoom that went to 2.8 arond 70mm then perhaps some of the full frame mid range ones would be worth looking it?

You can probabley pick the Tamron 28-75 2.8 up for around £270 used without too much searching. Obviously you'd be losing the wide end but you'd be covering alot of portratit range if thats the main thing your interested in.
 
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