Need a walk about lens - any suggestions/advice?

doodalon

doodalon

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Hi all,

I'm in need of a walk about lens, I've only got the 18-55 and regularly feel its slightly too short. I own lots of different primes up to 85mm and use a Canon 500D. I'm quite new to photography but don't really do much wildlife shots or anything like that, I prefer landscapes and own a few UWA lenses but wish to just have a walk about lens on days I want to keep lenses to a minimum.

I've come up with two/three lenses that sound about the right kind of focal length that I'd like which are kind of in my price range for used condition..

Canon 18-135mm
Canon 28-135mm
Canon 15-85mm

The 15-85 is only really justifiable if it excels above the other two, and I can find one for a decent price. I find 85mm to be quite a nice length for myself, but the extra length on the other two is always welcome.

I can't really afford to stretch to one of the L lenses like the 24-70 as much as I would like it :)

I was wondering if any of you had any advice/comments on any of the lenses I've listed?

Which you would consider to be the best out of them? or if there are any other lenses I should consider?

any help would be great!

Thanks,

Will
 
i was on a bit of a budget and went for the Sigma 18-200 which i now use as my walk about lens? best thing to do is go into the shops and try them out on your camera, most good places should let you do this
 
thanks for the advice, I will probably try going into a shop and seeing if they have those lenses for me to test.

I was hoping for personal opinions on those lenses mentioned? anyone have any experiences good/bad about them?
 
From what i have seen the 15-85 is a bit of a stunner and should out perform th eother 2 although i know from experience that the 28-135 produces very nice images. If only it were 24-135!
 
The 15-85 is a stunning lens with a good focal range.

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The 18-135 IS is a lovely lens, I've got one as my walkabout / travel lens. Lovely and sharp with excellent colour rendering. Brilliant 4 stop IS which is great for static low light subjects and city-scapes.
 
I use a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM as a walkabout lens...Got some good shots with it :)
 
Thanks for the example shots artyman, they look really good :)

I'm spilt between the 18-135 and the 15-85, though the 15-85 is almost double the price..

eek
 
Why aren't you considering the 17-85mm? It is a cracking lens, I have loved using mine
 
I haven't really looked into that lens at all for some reason.. Would you say the IQ is better than the 18-135? Is the USM more beneficial? any further information on the 17-85 would be great as I haven't really read too much into it :)

also.. what kind of price would it set me back for a good condition 2nd hand one?

Thanks for all the comments so far :)
 
you'll get a hunded answers to questions like this - because there is NO answer - only you can decide what is right for YOU!!
 
doodalon said:
I haven't really looked into that lens at all for some reason.. Would you say the IQ is better than the 18-135? Is the USM more beneficial? any further information on the 17-85 would be great as I haven't really read too much into it :)

also.. what kind of price would it set me back for a good condition 2nd hand one?

Thanks for all the comments so far :)
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Having used both, and looking round on the net, the 17-85 seems to come out tops compared to the 18-135mm

USM is always useful! :D They're about 200 used
 
awp said:
you'll get a hunded answers to questions like this - because there is NO answer - only you can decide what is right for YOU!!
Click to expand...

I agree with you there :)

I was hoping for more general answers/opinions such as the build quality on one compared to the other etc just to see what the general consensus was, obviously people will like different lenses to their taste but opinions always help in helping others choose :)

I've read that the focusing speed of the non USM 18-135 is actually the same/if not better than the 28-135 USM. I know that non USM is a bit noisier but that's not really an issue for myself.

so was just wondering if that's the same for the 17-85 USM vs the 18-135? seeing as the 18-135 is the newer lens of the lot.
 
The USM feature of the Canon also allows you to adjust the focus when in AF mode.
 
odd jim said:
The 18-135 IS is a lovely lens, I've got one as my walkabout / travel lens. Lovely and sharp with excellent colour rendering. Brilliant 4 stop IS which is great for static low light subjects and city-scapes.
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Same here, I'm always impressed by this lens, it can be very sharp! If I want to travel light the 18-135 is my one lens solution.
 
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