New lens advice for Canon 400D

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amoreou

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Alexis
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Hi all, my first post here, any help much appreciated.

i have a 400D with kit lens and am looking for a new lens. i will by travelling around the world so needs to be light enough to not topple my 400D in my hand. IS would be good... but i have around £300 to spend, MAX £400

perhaps a good SIGMA would do the trick....

i will only take one lens with me so would prefer something covering the 17-100 range...

thanks in advance
(plus any ideas on best places to buy would also be helpful)
 
Hi

I've just purchased a 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM to use as my main walkabout lens and it is simply amazing, but it is heavy and expensive and out of your budget, unless you can stretch a little more and get a used copy (around £500). I doubt you will ever upgrade your main lens again though if you got this unless you went to full frame body.

The other option is the much cheaper Tamrom 17-50mm f/2.8 which I haven't used so can't comment but I have seen people say it is not a bad lens.

You need to consider whether you need the extra constant aperture at f/2.8 or not as I find this very useful, and worth the money but you may not. If you don't need this, there is always the option of the new Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, which covers a great focal range (extra 2mm can be very useful) and is cheaper than the 17-55. Again, I haven't used this lens so can't comment first hand but reviews seem to think its a very good lens for the price.

I own a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM which I used as my main walkabout lens when I was on my travels, and it is a very good lens for the price. I'm actually looking to sell mine since I have upgraded but these can be picked up for under £200 usually and I thoroughly enjoyed using mine. Only downfall I found with this lens was the lack of wide angle, but I had a 17-35mm to pair it with, but if you don't, you may feel restricted with the 28mm.

So it depends whats more important to you, out of the 3 i've mentioend, the 17-55mm is best optical quality wise and has constant f/2.8. It is however the most expensive and quite heavy. The EF 28-135mm IS USM is the cheapest of the 3 and can be easily picked up 2nd hand for great price, great quality and build but might be quite restrictive in wider focal range. The 15-85mm IS USM will be in the middle of these 2 in terms of price, and probably image quality, but gives you a great focal range to use as a walkabout lens.
 
amoreou said:
PS am thinking of the Sigma AF18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS
Click to expand...

This lens has quite bad reputation. In fact most do-it-all lenses are complete rubbish, including the Canon version. Arguably they take worse photos than point and shoots.

If you could stretch more then Canon 24-105mm IS could be the answer.
Otherwise you make have more luck with the heavily overpriced Canon 15-85mm IS, or Tamron 17-50 + canon 50-250 IS.
 
Why don't yuou just pair your kit lens with the canon 55-250, or if you really need to get shot of the kit lens then as already said, just get the Tamron 17-50, or upgrade the kit lens to the IS version.

But to be fair if you are only taking one lens, a reach of 50 or 55mm will not be enough. You will only wish you had something witj extra reach.
 
Hi Alexis, you can get a used Canon 17-40 f4.0L for around £400 This would be the greatest lens I can suggest for the money. Pay good for your glass, it will last a lifetime, bodies will come and go.

Get the 17-40 L tack sharp super results and works with ALL Canon DSLRs even full frame.
 
Also, considering you want a bit more reach... The Sigma 70-300 APO can be had for around £125, pair that with the 17-40 and you are good to go. Make sure it's the APO version (red ring at the end) as the cheaper one is total rubbish.
 
If you're only planning on taking one lens, why bother with a DSLR at all. Something like a Panasonic TZ7 would do you nicely. The 25mm-200mm (35mm equiv) optical zoom should cover pretty much everything, and all for under £300.
 
Don't overlook the superzooms. Tamron make a very good 18-270mm zoom, absolutely ideal as a great walkabout lens providing you're happy with very good vs perfect shots. I think there's one available with IS (or equiv.) for around £350? £450.

I used the predecessor, an 18-250mm non-IS, coupled with a 400D on a euro-trip a few years ago and was very pleased with the quality of my shots. I've certainly had my moneys worth out of it! :thumbs:

edit: Just checked prices at WE and they've gone up a bit since I bought mine. The 18-250mm is £388 and the 18-270mm VC is £459.
 
Thanks everyone,

clearly a lot to think about. i will definately get something that reaches further than my kit lens.. although this doesnt take half bad shots, i want to step to the next level. i might bring it along as it doesnt weigh a great deal and is good at the macro end.

i am not so concerned about reaching over the 150mm but am welcoming all those suggestions that have come through. Are those superzooms stable throughout?
i appreciate the thoughts on 24-105mm IS but sits too high in my price bracket...

at the end of the day i suspect i really will just take one lens and accept that i may not be able to go to 15mm. i dont mind this...

ps i had debated taking my pentax LX but its twice the wieight

thanks
 
i'm in the same boat here :(

but i'm holding out financially until i can afford the "brick" 24-70

might be a while though, but its one thing i MUST wait for
 
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