Help choosing a general purpose/wide lens please-- to be bought in San Francisco

Redisle

Hey guys, At the moment I have an eos 400d with a 50mm f/1.8, now, there are a whole load of things Id love to buy for my camera but I either can't afford them / dont have time to use them due to being in 6th year..

Anyway, my sister is going to San Francisco on Janruary 7th and Id like her to buy me a lens..first of all does anyone know of a good camera store there? Unfortunetly she isnt going to new york and b&h
Secondly Im just having trouble deciding which one.. At the moment I don't really have all that much time for my camera but I really need to get a general purpose zoom lens for indoor photography and for when I go on holidays for landscapes etc, I am generally called upon for all the family photos etc and the 50mm just isn't quite wide enough, Budget wise, I would be willing to spend ~250 Euro maximum I think, less if possible. So, anyone have any suggestions?

Also, one other thing.. I tend to spend a lot of time reasearching something before I buy it, and Ive been researching lenses alot recently and I came across this
Its an oldish lens but it does have constant f2.8 and the reviews are excellent.. and it only costs ~200 euro, anyone have this or have any opinions on it? I know it dosent have USM or IS but im getting along fine without them on my 50mm..

Thanks for any help guys,
ab

Carrigman

In SF go to Calumet Cameras in Bryant Street. See www.calumetphoto.com for details. I think the Tamron would be an excellent choice for your needs. Go for it.

Ricky91t

canon 28-135 is usm its a good well built lense with is.Maybe a tamron 17-50 would be better for you dont know us price though:mad:
I have a 28-105 (canon ) and i find this wind enough for family shots and landscapes

Redisle

Carrigman wrote: »

In SF go to Calumet Cameras in Bryant Street. See www.calumetphoto.com for details. I think the Tamron would be an excellent choice for your needs. Go for it.

Thanks for that, looks like a pretty good store. As for the Tamron.. its an option but I won't make my mind up yet, I will keep a look out for other deals.

ricky91t wrote: »

canon 28-135 is usm its a good well built lense with is.Maybe a tamron 17-50 would be better for you dont know us price though:mad:
I have a 28-105 (canon ) and i find this wind enough for family shots and landscapes

Id like to get something longer than 50 if possible, I have a 50mm currently and I plan of buying a 70-300mm for telephoto but I need somethng to fill that gap, I actually nearly bought the 28-135mm before in argos but I wasn't sure if 28 would be wide enough for family shots.. reason being Ive never had the chance to try one so I can't really tell..

Ricky91t

Well iv narrowed it down to these 2
your 250 budget works out at $360 just to let you know
1:Sigma 17-70 abit over budget
2:Canon 24-85 and this is abit under

Both are from calumet in the us and the sigma is wider look up reviews on them and see what people say.

Ps.if you ever feel like giving macro a go pick the sigma as its got 20cm focusing and the canon's is 50cm
Im sure someone will pick the right lense but good luck anyway and enjoy your slr:D

Edit:Found 24-85 on ebay for €250 p&p inc.This might be better as returns and repairs might be easier

liamtinney

Discount Cameras just off Union Square, Besides Maceys is OK, as for B&H in New York, WoW Never seen a shop like it anywhere,

RoryW

liamtinney wrote: »

Discount Cameras just off Union Square, Besides Maceys is OK, as for B&H in New York, WoW Never seen a shop like it anywhere,

if its the place I am thinking of Discount Cameras is an ironic name for the shop if you get my drift.

Redisle

ricky91t wrote: »

Well iv narrowed it down to these 2
your 250 budget works out at $360 just to let you know
1:Sigma 17-70 abit over budget
2:Canon 24-85 and this is abit under

Both are from calumet in the us and the sigma is wider look up reviews on them and see what people say.

Ps.if you ever feel like giving macro a go pick the sigma as its got 20cm focusing and the canon's is 50cm
Im sure someone will pick the right lense but good luck anyway and enjoy your slr:D

Edit:Found 24-85 on ebay for €250 p&p inc.This might be better as returns and repairs might be easier

Thanks for your help. The Sigma 17-70 looks good but I can't seem to find a comprehensive review for it, and my budget isn't that strict, I could stretch to 300euro or more if it would get me a better lens, Its sooo hard to choose when there is such a huge selection!!

Also, on the side, does anyone have the Sigma AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG and is it any good? Reason being id like to have a zoom lens too and this works out at ~150 euro.
I think if i got a general lens like the 17-70 or similar and a zoom lens I am pretty sorted for most shooting for the time being anyway..

ab

Redisle

So does anyone have any experience with the Sigma AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG? Would it be worth buying it for ~150 euro?

Also, is there any problem bringing lens's through customs when leaving the states?

pete4130

Had this lens (for nikon fit) until a few weeks ago. Sold it as I'm going full frame and it was no use to me anymore. Sort of within budget and was a really good lens. fast, small enough, quiet, fast focus and sharp even wide open. Maco was a handy feature but not really useful as a true macro lens. The close focussing of its macro ability really did come in handy though.
Had it for about a year and it was my main on-camera lens the whole time.
http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/SM2107/

liveforphotos

Have you thought about getting a telephoto instead? Wide angles are so short.

Calina

ab_cork wrote: »

Also, on the side, does anyone have the Sigma AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG and is it any good? Reason being id like to have a zoom lens too and this works out at ~150 euro.
I think if i got a general lens like the 17-70 or similar and a zoom lens I am pretty sorted for most shooting for the time being anyway..

ab

Yes. I own the Sigma 70-300mm APO DG and I would not be without it. There are better lenses, obviously, with massively bigger price tags associated but in terms of value for money I would rate it the best item in my gearbag. although I don't have that 50mm that everyone yammers on about.

I used the Sigma mainly for sports shots and cannot fault it.

sasar

It's not really that cheap in America, I would go with ebay. I was in the same situation - looking for a lens to replace my kit 18-55mm, so I got tamron 17-50 2.8 which is great for indoors and for landscape. I've never seen a lens that sharp!

The sigma 70-300 is allright for taking pictures of birds and stuff, but is not a general purpose lens and you could not use it indoors!