Good lens to replace the 18-55 kit for EOS 400D

jackdaw

Hi
I was looking at the canon EF IS 17-85 f4/5.6 USM , this is supposed to be a great lens, but the guy at the shop recommended me
a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 .. he said this was a much better lens , much better quality, f2.8 at 50 is pretty good no ??

would people recommend this as a replacement lens for the kit 18-55 ??

(Canon EOS 400D )

elderlemon

The Tamron is a good lens - much better than the 17-85. If money is not a problem then an even better lens would be the 17-55 2.8. This is a stunning lens although it costs mucho €€€€€.

kmick

My question would be - why buy a lens in the same range. I know the 2.8 will be superior but perhaps not enough to blow you away. Get the Canon 50mm 1.8 and see how you like that. Zoom wth your feet.

elderlemon

Because some people like zooms but are not happy with the IQ of the standard kit lens. THe IQ of the 17-55 is close to, if not the same as that of an L lens plus you get the 2.8 plus you get 17mm at the wide end.

Now if you don't care about any of the above and only have less than €100 then the nifty fifty is perfect. Better still throw in another €150 and get the 50mm 1.4. Much better than the 1.8.

kmick wrote: »

My question would be - why buy a lens in the same range. I know the 2.8 will be superior but perhaps not enough to blow you away. Get the Canon 50mm 1.8 and see how you like that. Zoom wth your feet.

jackdaw

OK, I was planning to get the canon 1.8 50mm anyway,
but when you say the 18-55 2.8 costs €€€€€ how much we talking about ?

elderlemon

Hope you're sitting down...

From Hong Kong - €750!

Another option is the 28-135. Not superb but a decent lens and good range. Should be able to pick one up for about €300.

jackdaw wrote: »

OK, I was planning to get the canon 1.8 50mm anyway,
but when you say the 18-55 2.8 costs €€€€€ how much we talking about ?

sasar

I have canon 50mm f/1.8, sigma 10-20mm, and Tamron 17-50mm
And have to say Tamron has the best quality of all. Perfectly sharp, quich AF and nice build.
I got it on ebay for some 270 euro.

Redisle

+1 for the Tamron 17-50mm.
I got this lens a weeks ago and its great! Fast Af, Really sharp and great value for money!
It can be got for less than 300 no problem.
I actually prefer it to my 50mm f/1.8 beacuse it balances the camera better and it has a much faster Af. It also has a zoom lock and comes included with a hood and centre clip lens cap ( Way better than the canon outer clip ones).

Monasette

kmick wrote: »

My question would be - why buy a lens in the same range. I know the 2.8 will be superior but perhaps not enough to blow you away...

I have the same question. Is there some particular feature about the kit lens that you don't like, or do you just want to upgrade to a better spec [a disease I suffer from myself;)]

I used the kit lens when I had a 350D and I never felt that the quality was lacking. I have a 24-105mm L lens now (an excellent do-everything zoom, btw) but, given that it's at least 4 times more expensive than the kit lens, it isn't 4 times better in terms of image quality [didn't stop me buying it, mind].

Fionn

@ Momasette a cheaper option would have been the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM Lens, it's not as good as on a full frame but it's a nice one to break into the L range and it's probably not as good as the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM. And in some terms your right the kit lens will do a lot of stuff - really where it fails is in the sharpness department and in low light other than that it's quite capable if a little plasticy and flimsey.
To the original poster id say it all depends on the budget!! consider the these options:

• EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
• EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens
• EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
• EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L
• EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM

vitaliysh

hmm why no one is saying anything about Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO ?? decent range, sharp and cheap.... you can get them off ebay from UK for 280 euro....I owe one of them and more than happy with them considering the price....

man1

Monasette wrote: »

I have a 24-105mm L lens now (an excellent do-everything zoom, btw) but, given that it's at least 4 times more expensive than the kit lens, it isn't 4 times better in terms of image quality [didn't stop me buying it, mind].

Hi monasette

I am getting the 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM next week.

Do you reckon the 24-105mm is a better buy there is not much difference in the price. What would be the better lens in your opinion.

jackdaw

Another question about security of ebay buying,
can you get insurance in case the lens is stolen in transit ?

has that happened much ?