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Wanting to join the DSLR world, Limited Budget, Need opinions
- Thread starter AFABS
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Congrats, although a maximum wide focal length of 28mm is a bit limiting on a crop sensor. Why not the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8?
Mmm that could still be a possibility. I kinda wanted to have that little extra focal length.
well, since you've shot film, are you ok with not having anything wider than 50mm (approximately)?
and there's always the Sigma 17-70, if you're ok with variable aperture.
Well I'm sure I'd be just fine without the wider focal length, or even just another prime 50mm...but I figured it'd be nice to have some maneuverability with the Tamron 28-75 or even the Sigma 17-70 like you said.
I think the wider angle would be especially nice when it comes time for snowboard season again, seeing how a lot of people shoot snowboard films and photos with wide angles and fish eyes.
in that case, i think you should just throw out the 28-75, unless you're ok with buying a 10-22 or similar for anything wide. 28mm on a 40D is 45mm film equivalent in angle of view.
Hmmm so the 28mm end wouldn't quite suffice as a wide angle? Maybe I should consider something like the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8? People seem to like that lense alot too.
On a full-frame sensor, 28mm would be fine, but on a crop sensor 28mm isn't really that wide. See if you can get your hands on any crop-sensored camera with a kit lens, and set it to 28mm. After that, try it at 18mm. There's quite a bit of difference.
In my opinion, it's better to have wider because at least you can crop in if you really have to, but when you just don't have the wider focal length there's nothing you can really do about it except make a panorama in the rare situation that you can. Gaining the ability to use 17mm on the wide end and losing 25mm on the telephoto end is worth it to me.
You're right, only losing 25mm on the telephoto end seems like it wouldn't be too much of an issue.
Sigma should be fine, but not all Sigma lenses are right on focus all the time (front/back focus issues). However, if you have any back or front focusing issue, Sigma can take care of the problem for you. Keep in mind that I don't have a Sigma lens, so take my comments with a grain of salt
The Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is supposed to be accurate right out of the box. I have one, and haven't had any focus problems with it.
Definitely the Tamron. That's one of the sharpest zoom lenses made by any manufacturer. See its charts here.
For me, yes, which is why I have the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS instead of the Tamron. However, I do a lot of handheld shooting indoors (of stationary subjects), so I make great use of that IS. I can shoot as slow as 1/4s handheld with that lens.
If you don't plan on doing a lot of indoor/low light shooting, or if you plan to use a tripod regularly, then the Tamron lens will server you very well.
Or you can always go with the camera that has in-body stabilization (Pentax, Sony, ...). Then any lens you use is stabilized.
If there was a problem like that with the Tamron, or if you got a "bad copy", could you send it back and have the fix it under their 6 year warranty?
both are good lenses, provided you mean the Sigma 18-50 macro. check them out at a store if you can, since they're built differently and the AF motors sound different. some find the Tamron's annoying.
yeah i was referring to the macro sigma...unfortunately there's is a serious lack of photo shops in my area and the only Ritz in the area is shutting down...so getting my hands on this equipment before i pull the trigger online would be a bit difficult.
On another note, do all lense have to be calibrated to your camera? And is it easy/possible to do yourself?
On another note, do all lense have to be calibrated to your camera? And is it easy/possible to do yourself?
I imagine so. Lens manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron take care of things for you. But I seldom hear about a bad copy from both Tamron and Sigma, except for back/front focus in some Sigma lenses. At the same time, I have also been told that Sigma is very good taking care of such problem. All they do is to calibrate the lens, and send it back to you within a few days.
The Tamron's focussing motor is a little loud, but since the lens is very fast, it takes no time at all to get used to it. I use both Canon lenses and the 17-50 Tanrom, and while the Canon ones are very quiet, the noise the Tamron makes doesn't bother me at all. I hardly notice it anymore.
good to hear... and yeah i'm not too worried about noise of the motor anyway since it won't have effect on the performance which is all i care about