Lens req request

tab126

Motivated from this past weekend where I was changing lenses like a madman, I'm looking for a lens with a fairly large zoom range. I have 2 Canon lenses (35-80-ish and 85-300) that i'd like to mostly replace. Both are "kit" lenses that came with my old Rebel (film) body,circa 1999. Both can be soft, but I tend to shoot more open to bump down the ISO (learning to buck that habbit).

So anyway, I'm thinking I'd use the lens MOSTLY for web media. If printing, probably 4x6, maybe up to 8x12. I'd love to have poster sizes, but that's starting to ask a lot (and those are expensive). I like landscapes and building, cities, and getting more into people.

I'm thinking of the sigma 24-300 or 24-200, but not sure. Anyone have experience? Maybe one around UCD I could try? What's up with photosoc at UCD anyways? I haven't heard from them since joining...

Thanks

bovril

Hi,

I don't have experience with the Sigma lenses but I do have a Tamron 28-300. I don't have it too long maybe a month or so. I wouldn't have experience enough to say whether it is a good lens or not for what it is. I don't have any problems with it so far and it did receive good reviews.

B

PaulieC

I had a Sigma 28-300 zoom, but I found that the zoom hunted around a lot and the pictures were quite soft (maybe out of focus?). I got pissed off with it as I could never be guaranteed to get what I wanted, unless it was in bright bright sunlight.
I sold it eventually sold it and wouldn't recommend anything with that big a zoom range as you're bound to be disappointed with the results.

bluepencilcase

Don't have any good advice for you with regards to the lens but I'm in UCD as well and I joined photosoc: they emailed me a few times, you can get the auditor on ucd.photosoc@gmail.com, I have her number as well If you want that, pm me. Are there many UCD heads here by the way? I often look at this forum.

tab126

Okay - sorry for my less-than-informative first post. Econ lecture was about to get out and I had to move. Here are more my thoughts (btw... I already have a 10-20, which I'll use for truely wide angle shots):

Sigma 24-135mm F2.8-4.5: $320 - The consensus seeems to be it is pretty soft, especially at wide angles and w/ the aperature open (but those seem like 'duh' comments to me). The MTF isn't great, but it is decent throught the 15mm my camera can use.

Sigma 28-200mm F3.5-5.6: $260 & Sigma 28-300mm F3.5-6.3: $300 - apparently, both very soft.

I'm also looking at the Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM. $380 - again, the MTF is bad past 15mm... out of my 350D's range (ie, it is good enough for me). Smaller range than what I want, but apparently sharper. I don't mind focus hunt so much, but I do want the images to be SHARP. Should I just save my money and eventually get L quality glass (pipe dream)? I must say the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM is QUITE attractive (but WAY out of my budget, currently).

How sharp is the tamron? Do you have pictures posted? I just got an email from photosoc, too. Thanks for the offer. I'm not sure about UCD students on this particular board, other than me (and I'm not a regular student). I do want to start getting active again. Next week has a lot of sports events on, so I'll be there. If you want to meet up for that (maybe set up on opposing sides of the fields), let me know.

bovril

I don't have any tamron photos up yet. I will work on getting some up on flickr this weekend. I'll post on the link when they're up

bovril

ok don't tell my boss but I put a few up now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22598420@N00/

Taken last weekend in the saltmines near Krakow. The only two taken with a flash are the running water in the pipe and the doorway, the rest are auto and rested on anything I could find that was level to allow for the shutter speed. I haven't done anything in photoshop with them cos I don't know how to yet.

Taken with canon 350D and Tamron 28-300.

mervifwdc

I have the canon 35-350 L lens, which is the old version of the 28-300. It's super where you do not want to be changing lenses like a wild thing. I've gotten quite a few good shots from it, and would recommend them. I got mine for about £800 stg over a year ago, but they could go for more or less than that.
I may be selling mine in December if you've done nothing by then....

Merv.

Roen

bovril wrote:

ok don't tell my boss but I put a few up now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22598420@N00/

Taken last weekend in the saltmines near Krakow. The only one taken with a flash is the running water in the pipe and the doorway, the rest are auto and rested on anything I could find that was level to allow for the shutter speed. I haven't done anything in photoshop with them cos I don't know how to yet.

Taken with canon 350D and Tamron 28-300.

Great stuff, I always wanted to visit the salt mines.

tab126

mervifwdc wrote:

I may be selling mine in December if you've done nothing by then....

For what? I'm really in no hurry as I am burning through money like it nothing right now -- need to slow down. But I would like to have it by next spring, and I would LOVE to add a piece of L glass to my collection.

As for the tamron, thanks for the pictures. They are very pretty, but it doesn't have quite the crispness I'm looking for. It is hard to tell from those shots, though, whether that's due to shake in low light or the lens being wide open (I'm still trying to break the habit of shooting wide open). But really - thanks a lot for posting the pictures. I really don't want to spend this much money blindly.