Canon Lens Question

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:51 pm

Last holiday season I bought my wife the terrific Canon Rebel XTi camera. it came with the 18/55 lens which everyone told me was crap, but I decided to just use it till this year when I'd get her an upgrade.

Well, it's time!

So, which one should I get, and where should I get it? Any super deals wandering around out there? I don't want to buy a used lens and I don't like buying this sort of stuff on Ebay, so I'm probably either going to get it where I got the camera (local Ritz Camera store) or from a recommended online purveyor.........

So what do I want, the 75/300, 18/200, 55/250, 420/1600?

How important is image stabilization?

The local Ritz camera store suggests a 55/250 that has IS for $300

The 18/200IS and 75/300IS are both about $650, think she'd be happy with the 55/250? Remember, we're not talking a pro photographer here........

Weigh in, photogs, I'm all ears!

DA MINI · Post by **DA MINI** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:01 pm

Not a photog either. My daughter gets all her stuff from B&H in N.Y.
Of course she lives in Hoboken, so its local for her. They do mail out a huge catalog. Locally I would recommend CRICK on Stateline about 77th Street.

Esmter · Post by **Esmter** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:09 pm

all depends on what you're planning on mostly shooting? how far away are you going to be from your subject?

image stabilization is key if you're an amateur with a big lens shooting anything moving - you'll never get anything in focus.

MiniVespa · Post by **MiniVespa** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:15 pm

ive got an XTi too. the kit lens isnt bad for just normal shooting, and i get that big old 5lb B&H catalog too. they have some great stuff in there and its fairly reasonably priced.

ive also got a 75-300mm lens which is great for long range stuff. if you are wanting to do portrait stuff or things that are up close and you dont need a zoom, but want some really awesome depth of field, a 50mm lens which i have too and its great if you anticipate shooting with it.

other than that, i'd love to hear more about some other's recommendation. im an amateur photographer too. theres a place up north near zona rosa off I-29 called photographx. a little high priced, but not a bad place and they have lots of used lenses too.

LittleRed · Post by **LittleRed** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:17 pm

After you decide what to buy, I'd check Independent Photo Art Supply down on Southwest Blvd. When I brought my camera years ago, they were cheaper than anywhere else in town. Customer service isn't their strong suit but the prices were good. Also check Amazon.

DDodge · Post by **DDodge** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 6:09 am

The 55/250 sounds like a pretty good expansion for that camera. (I have an earlier model and am still using the 18/55, which is more like a 30/90.) I agree that image stabilization only makes monetary sense with those way long lenses.

Don't buy anything without checking out Crick Camera, at about 77th and State Line.

http://www.crickcamera.com/

Don D

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:01 am

Thanks, folks!

Costco has the 55/250IS for $239 I see........I may go see if Ritz will price match.

Any other ideas?

I've heard more than a few folks like the Sigma lenses for about 1/2 the cost of oem Canon, any experience with them?

dimini · Post by **dimini** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:58 am

MINIdave-

I have a Sigma 15-30mm that I tested against Nikon's pro series 18-35 2.8 and I found so little difference that I chose to save $800 and purchased the Sigma. Granted, the Sigma is a 3.5-4.5 variable aperture model and at max aperture, it's not quite as sharp edge to edge as the Nikon but it's half the price!

Used to be that Nikon and Canon made exceptional lenses with only a couple dogs in each line up. Nowadays, there are packs of dogs with a few great ones mixed in. Again, on the Nikon side, I have an 18-200 zoom designed for DX or APS format dit cameras. It's a convenient one-size-fits-all lens, but technically, it's a piece of crap. I've met two serious amateurs who own them, and neither has detected what I consider HUGE setbacks to the lens. Well... it's convenient, but optically horrible. It lacks edge to edge sharpness, there's a nasty exposure fall off on edges and it cannot render a straight line. Claims to be a 200mm, but it actually comes in at about 150mm. These are some of the trade-offs when using a 10:1 zoom. Amazingly, there are lots of situations where none of these crappy anomolies are detected. But when they do show up, I correct (more or less) the problems in Photoshop.

I have a cheapo Tamron 28-200 that I purchase about 5 years ago as a disposable vacation lens. It is difficult to achieve sharp images as it's so slow and too light weight to keep it steady while hand held. It, too, suffers from overstating it's 200mm focal length. It is actually a 135mm. The same week that I purchased that dog, I had first purchased it's Sigma rival, but refunded it as I discovered that it was only a 135mm, not 200mm as claimed. I gave up and kept the Tamron as I needed an expendable lens for a trip I took. I don't know how these manufacturers get away with such claims. It would be like advertising a Cooper S at 300 hp, but only delivering 170...

I think I'm the only guy on the planet who has tested numerous alleged 28-200 mm lenses to find that they are 150mm at their longest focal length. I have yet to meet a photographer who knows what I'm talking about...

MiniVespa · Post by **MiniVespa** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:29 am

I'm gonna have to second Don's claims about the off brand lenses. I have a 75-300mm Tamron lens I bought simply because it was much cheaper than the Canon. Its not a bad lens, per say, but it is definitely loud and slow. Do your homework before you buy your stuff and good glass makes a big difference.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:21 am

OK, that's why I'm here...............doing my homework........

Don, how do you know that a lens isn't what it says it is? How do you test it? Is it like the Cooper analogy, you know as soon as you "drive" it?

And more importantly, how do you do that before you buy it?

Here's what our buddy MaxN (of C&C fame) wrote on Coopernation when I put up the same query.....

What 'gap' are you trying to fill ?

The Rebel came with an 18-55, if she is constantly having to baclk up to take shots, then she needs wider.

There are only two lenses that I personally reccomend.......

Canon 10-22 and Sigma 10-22

Canon - http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-S-10-22m ... 056&sr=8-1

Sigma - http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-10-20mm-4-5 ... 056&sr=8-3

The Canon is a better lens, but not by enough to justify the price difference unless you are a pro....

If she is constantly running towards the subject, you need more mm's

Canon 55-250 is an obvious 'budget' choice, heck I am thinking of getting one for CnC use !

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm-4- ... 150&sr=1-6

I played with one recently and thought it was 'pretty good', it is a little 'slow' being F4-5.6, - but the IS really, really help hugely.

The results I got from my tests where 'pretty good' and therefore it makes a great addition to any gadget bag.

The EFS 18-200 is a great 'walkabout' lens, it will replace the 18-55 completely, but the results I have seen from it have been a bit of a mixed bag, the Sigma version better value

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-18-200mm-3- ... 421&sr=1-1

But I would head for the 55-200, personally........

and I would get it from Amazon and save some cash.....

mzupon · Post by **mzupon** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:06 am

Minidave,

I have found a lot of good information and lens reviews at this site, as well as some very helpful advice about taking pictures in general.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=45

As for my 2 cents, I love, I love, I LOVE my 10-22mm Canon. If you stand in the right spot, you can capture a whole room, with enough sharpness that you can crop and blow up whatever details you want and keep a good picture.

Example here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... 1057515871

Good luck, shutterbug!