Walkabout lens dilemma

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Steve W

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Hi again,

Following on from the "telephone dilemma" post I'm also looking at getting a better walkabout lens than the standard kit 18-55 IS (not sure about putting these two letters in the post this time :cool:;)) lens.

I've been looking at the 18-135mm, the 17-85mm and the 28-135mm Canon lens. I'm leaning towards the 18-135mm as it has a greater range and has got a fairly good review from the the-digital-picture.com

Any advice from anyone greatly accepted?

Thanks
 
What are you looking for in a better walkabout lens? Better picture quality? Better range? Both? What focal length are most of your pictures?

The kit lens isn't bad by all accounts....
 
better reach, wider range and if possible better quality without costing the earth :)
 
Dave Stone said:
What body is it going on?
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A 450D body Dave.

markmullen said:
I replaced my 18-55 with a 17-85 IS and have been very happy with it, despite them not getting the best reviews. I had 4 days in Turin the week before last and never took it off, superb walkabout lens IME.
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I think the choice for me would be between the 17-85 and the 18-135. The 28-135 is about 12 years old now (should I be worried about this) and I think it may not be wide enough on my body.
 
I have to say the 17-85mm is a great walk about with IS and USM its a good allrounder for the price.... oh an I have mine for sale in the sale section... HINT, HINT :), only reason I am sellign is because I want a wider aperture lens.
 
hehe :D

Donki said:
I have to say the 17-85mm is a great walk about with IS and USM its a good allrounder for the price.... oh an I have mine for sale in the sale section... HINT, HINT , only reason I am sellign is because I want a wider aperture lens.
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Temped I must say :) I think its between this and the 18-135. i saw some good shots from this lens in this thread Canon 18-135

Dogfish_magnet said:
I believe there's also nice Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 which would complement your kit lens
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I bet it would mate ! ;) A bit short in the range department for what I'm looking for though
 
Anyone got a 18-135? If so what do they think of it as a walkaround lens?

What is it like compared with 17-85 image quality wise?
 
The 17-85 IS was the kit lens on my 40D and I only upgraded as I needed f2.8, was very happy with it otherwise.

Is the 24-105 f4L out of your price range? There'll be a few second hand in the FS threads, not sure what they go for though but plenty of people have them for their walkabout.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Tamron 18-250mm is a terrific walkabout lens with more than acceptable quality for the money, and it got great reviews in the trade media. It's been replaced by an 18-270mm VC (image stabilised) now, which i can't vouch for personally like I can the 18-250mm. I did notice one (18-270mm) for sale in the classified section here for £305.00 delivered, if it's of interest?
 
If you're thinking of the 17-85 then maybe the 15-85 would be better - much better reviews and great IQ.
 
hepburn said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Tamron 18-250mm is a terrific walkabout lens
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Thanks for your advice I'll have a look at that lens.
 
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Okay have been thinking and I think I'd like to see a noticeable difference in image quality over the 18-55 IS kit lens I have.

Is the image quality of the 18-135 or 17-85 noticeably better the kit lens - Opinions welcome.

If the answer is no then I think I'll need to save for the 24-105 or indeed the 15-85 as mentioned by jim_j

Any thoughts....
 
Try Kerso for a price on the 15-85.... it has much better IQ than the 17-85 and the 18-135
 
Steve, it's such a dilemma, went through the same thing a couple of months ago before I bought the 15-85. I was torn between it and the 17-55 plus the 24-105. In the end the 24-105 was not wide enough. I was saving for the 17-55, but in the end I really couldn't justify the extra cost. I got mine at Park Cameras for £529. Kerso sells for a bout £500 ish.
 
jim_j said:
Steve, it's such a dilemma, went through the same thing a couple of months ago before I bought the 15-85. I was torn between it and the 17-55 plus the 24-105. In the end the 24-105 was not wide enough. I was saving for the 17-55, but in the end I really couldn't justify the extra cost. I got mine at Park Cameras for £529. Kerso sells for a bout £500 ish.
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Tell me about it !!

I was looking at the 24-105, but am finding it hard to justify the cost as I have just started out in the DSLR world. I'd like a lens with more range than the 18-55 so am thinking I may as well get a lens that also has better IQ as I don't really want to keep buying lenses. But the 15-85 is an interesting and more affordable option.
 
I had the same problem as you and purchased the sigma 17 - 70 DC for my Canon EOS 1000d, it gave decent performance and a good range (dont use it now cause I bought a 24-70 f2.8L from my friend, it is stunningly sharp but not as wide) however the sigma is worth consideration in my view

Regards

Victor
 
What about the sigma DG 24-70 f2.8? I know a guy who uses that for portraits and weddings, quality seems good
 
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