Replacement lens for 18-55 mm Canon Kit

T

Type_R

Messages
27
Name
Umair
Edit My Images
Yes
Morning everyone. First post so please bear with me :)

I know the question has been asked a million times, with a million different answers, thats why I am asking it again, hoping the answers might be in a slightly different light to my personal needs.

I have a canon 350D with 18-55 kit lens. I want a replacement lens or two to take with me to a holiday in Turkey end of next week. I have about £350 to spend and I have narrowed it down to the following:

  • Sigma 17-70
  • Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX Macro
  • Canon 18-55 IS
  • Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)

I am not entirely sure why people recommend the sigma 17-70 over the sigma 18-50, I dont really need the extra 20mm zoom and surely the constant f2.8 is the way forward? Also QC problems have me worried with Sigma.

Tamron is American, again some people love them others hate.

Worst comes to worst I could push out the boat for a 2nd hand L lens from Canon, but which one to fit my needs.

Also I am getting the 50 mm prime f1.8 anyway :)

So what would you people recommend? Thanks.
 
In order I'd choose:

Tamron 17-50 (Very famous Japanese lens maker, not American!)
Sigma 17-70 (really excellent, 70mm performance is superb, 17mm is good but not exceptional)
Sigma 18-50 - its more like a 19-46mm. Quite good, but not as good as the Tamron.

Can't comment on the kit lens, but they general suck and I imagine putting IS on that is like putting lipstick on a pig.
 
I had the same dilemma a couple of months ago and went for the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 , Its very sharp and I love it :D

I nearly went for the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 macro, which I think is also a great lens, but I got the impression that there were a higher rate of returns on this lens over the Tamron and I dont like hassles like that.

At the time of buying I think the Tamron was a little cheaper too so that also swayed my decision.

I also bought the 50mm 1.8 before getting the new tamron lens, which I was pleased with but to be honest it never really gets used now.

decisions, decisions :)
 
The Canon kit lens gets a far worse reputation than it deserves.

But I would agree with the order of possible upgrades listed by Andy. The Tamron in particular is pin-sharp. If you wanted a telephoto too, Sigma's 70-300mm APO DG macro is good value. Should be able to get the two lenses for under your budget :)
 
Thank you for your quick responses. I hadn't realised Tamron was Japanese :)

My wife is American lol and is currently in the US, do you think I might be able to get a better deal over there, although the exchange rate to £ is 1.48 :-( at the moment.
 
You'll be lucky to get a Tamron 17-50 for under £240 over here, not sure what the US prices are, if you can get Amazon to deliver to a hotel it might be cheaper!

I was in the US in November last year and it was $2 to £1..!
 
puddleduck said:
You'll be lucky to get a Tamron 17-50 for under £240 over here, not sure what the US prices are, if you can get Amazon to deliver to a hotel it might be cheaper!

I was in the US in November last year and it was $2 to £1..!
Click to expand...

I was in the US in June 2008 and the exchange rate was about $2 to £1 then when I went in Oct 2008 (a few weeks ago) it was down to $1.76 to £1.

No problems will buy it here. Also any ideas for fliters please. As I said I will be using it as a 'walkabout' lens on holiday.

Also I need a recommendation for a decent camera bag to fit all this stuff into please.

Tamron can be had here £254.95 (amazon).
 
1 British pound = 1.4928 U.S. dollars
Yeah, those $2 days were the good times..
 
mrgubby said:
The IS Kit lens has completely different optics to the old Kit lens.

dpreview_here
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Seems like it is better than the original kit lens but probably nowhere near as good as the Sigma or Tamron offerings.

Any ideas on what filters I should get for the Tamron? Also need a bag, crumpler or lowepro?
 
Don't put any filter on, unless its a creative one.

By that I mean C-Pol, ND etc - don't buy a nice lens and put a UV filter on it, as the lens comes with a lens hood and lens cap which is all you need.
 
puddleduck said:
Don't put any filter on, unless its a creative one.

By that I mean C-Pol, ND etc - don't buy a nice lens and put a UV filter on it, as the lens comes with a lens hood and lens cap which is all you need.
Click to expand...

Excellent thank you, thats saved me some money that would otherwise have been wasted.

Now all I need is a bag and I am all set :)
 
If you get the Tamron it takes 67mm filters.
I bought a UV, Circ PL, and ND4 to be getting along with :D

Id highly recommend getting at least the UV filter to protect it.

I also bought a Lowepro 1 lens case from my local tog store, but my Tamron 55-200 stays in there most of the time as the 17-50 is always on the camera now.

oh and a good review and comparison here (although it compares the 17-55 EF$ rather than the 18-55 IS)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx

Whatever you decide I think its worth the upgrade.

cheers
watred
 
Thinking of getting the Lowepro Rezo Bag - apparently £4.47 at Pcworld but sold out everywhere, not surprisingly!
 
Any opinions on this filter people: Hoya 67mm Pro1 Digital U.V. Filter
 
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead. As it happened I didn't get the lens at the time but will be getting it this week for my Bday, yay! Still going for the Tamron 17-50, although I would have saved myself some ££ if I had bought it back in Nov. Also getting a 430EX II to complement the setup.

Just wanted to know whether the Tamron comes with a Lens hood, if not could someone recommend a good 67mm lens hood for it please. Thanks.
 
From personal experience, I'd go for the 17-70. Perfect range for a walkabout on a crop camera.
 
Type_R said:
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead. As it happened I didn't get the lens at the time but will be getting it this week for my Bday, yay! Still going for the Tamron 17-50, although I would have saved myself some ££ if I had bought it back in Nov. Also getting a 430EX II to complement the setup.

Just wanted to know whether the Tamron comes with a Lens hood, if not could someone recommend a good 67mm lens hood for it please. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, it comes with a hood. not a very big one, but it is quite a wide angle lens
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top