Which lens?

[koffiejunkie]

Hi guys,

I'm really pleased with my 24-105 - the image quality is great - but it's a little narrow, even at 24mm (on a 1.6x crop). I'm heading off on some weekend travelling next month, and I know I'm going to want a wider lens.

Right now I'm looking at two options:

1. The kit lens or something similar. So the question here, for those who have a lens like this: do you find 17mm wide enough?

2. A wider zoom. The two options here seem to be the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM

I like the sigma for the price, but having tried both, I like the Canon more for it's feel, focus speed, etc. It's also lighter. But both are digital only (I have film aspirations, OK?). Does anyone know of other options in the same league?

 

[MadMailMan]

Hey koffiejunkie try a browse at www.jessops.co.uk I have gotten stuff from them when I lived in the UK and they are very knowledgable and have a huge variety of stuff on offer. Find what you want there then try and source it here.

Personally I would go with the Canon purely because of it's speed. What chassis are you planning on using the lense with?

 

[koffiejunkie]

Hey koffiejunkie try a browse at www.jessops.co.uk

MadMailMan, you haven't been to a Jossops store in a while, have you? I was in one this morning. They had the 18-55 kit lens, which they won't sell without the camera. When I bought the 24-105, I walked in and out of no less than 8 stores. One had a helpful knowledgeable sales assistant, the rest either ignored me or had no clue about the stock they're selling. And none of them had more than a handful of mainstream lenses in stock.

For what it's worth, I tried both the Canon and Sigma wide zooms before, I'm just looking for people's knowledge of alternatives.

 

[ldmelsa]

Hi guys,

I'm really pleased with my 24-105 - the image quality is great - but it's a little narrow, even at 24mm (on a 1.6x crop). I'm heading off on some weekend travelling next month, and I know I'm going to want a wider lens.

Right now I'm looking at two options:

1. The kit lens or something similar. So the question here, for those who have a lens like this: do you find 17mm wide enough?

2. A wider zoom. The two options here seem to be the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM

I like the sigma for the price, but having tried both, I like the Canon more for it's feel, focus speed, etc. It's also lighter. But both are digital only (I have film aspirations, OK?). Does anyone know of other options in the same league?

I have the 18-55mm EF-S kit lens and 18mm is like 28mm on "full frame".

As you can see from this pic, taken in my lounge, quite wide:

I bought one without the camera for R950.

Here is another one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldmelsa/2248711385

 

[ldmelsa]

 

[bwana]

I have the 18-55mm EF-S kit lens and 18mm is like 28mm on "full frame".

As you can see from this pic, taken in my lounge, quite wide:

http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/data/500/wide_for_KJ.jpg

I bought one without the camera for R950.

Here is another one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldmelsa/2248711385

IMHO the kit lens has been given a bit of a bum rap - sure, there's a little distortion at it's widest angle angle but 5 seconds in PS and thats history.

I'd get that and then focus (**groan**) on something with some legs on it.

 

[koffiejunkie]

Thanks for the pics - the thing is, if I buy the 18-55, I would like to get the f/2.8 version, which would make sense for an all round lense, especially indoors. But they're pretty pricey. But then, the cheapy one retails for about £110 here, so it's not that bad - it's just not the type of lens one can easily sell second hand.

I just looked at B&H, hoping they would bring the 10-20 to within my budget. Well it's much cheaper, but after adding postage, customs (6,7% on lens) and UK VAT (17.5%), it comes out to the same as the street price here.

 

[koffiejunkie]

IMHO the kit lens has been given a bit of a bum rap - sure, there's a little distortion at it's widest angle angle but 5 seconds in PS and thats history.

True, but Photoshop is still largely unchartered territory for me

Speaking of which, I meant to ask you. Aperture only ever seems to send somthing to Photoshop via a tiff or psd file. Both huge. So even the slightest mods in any of my pictures means now I have a 10MB CR2 file and a 60MB+ tiff for any given image. Is there a better way to do this? Like somehow forcing Aperture to talk DNG?

I'd get that and then focus (**groan**) on something with some legs on it.

Well, I just couldn't help myself. Picked up one of these this morning. Hence the somewhat restricted budget...

 

[ldmelsa]

IMHO the kit lens has been given a bit of a bum rap - sure, there's a little distortion at it's widest angle angle but 5 seconds in PS and thats history.

I'd get that and then focus (**groan**) on something with some legs on it.

The kit lens performs well for something so cheap.

Thanks for the pics - the thing is, if I buy the 18-55, I would like to get the f/2.8 version, which would make sense for an all round lense, especially indoors. But they're pretty pricey. But then, the cheapy one retails for about £110 here, so it's not that bad - it's just not the type of lens one can easily sell second hand.

I just looked at B&H, hoping they would bring the 10-20 to within my budget. Well it's much cheaper, but after adding postage, customs (6,7% on lens) and UK VAT (17.5%), it comes out to the same as the street price here.

Did you know that they are bringing out a new kit lens with the 450d. It's the same as my one, but with IS. Cool, hey?

 

[koffiejunkie]

Did you know that they are bringing out a new kit lens with the 450d. It's the same as my one, but with IS. Cool, hey?

I thought that was the f/2.8 one I mentioned earlier? At that price it's almost worth buying a 450D, keeping the lens and selling off the body

 

[bwana]

True, but Photoshop is still largely unchartered territory for me

What version are you running? I recently went from CS to CS3 and it was a major jump.

Speaking of which, I meant to ask you. Aperture only ever seems to send somthing to Photoshop via a tiff or psd file. Both huge. So even the slightest mods in any of my pictures means now I have a 10MB CR2 file and a 60MB+ tiff for any given image. Is there a better way to do this? Like somehow forcing Aperture to talk DNG?

It depends - what minor modifications are you doing in PS and what are you doing in aperture?

Nice lens - I've got the older 28-300 and I love it.

I thought that was the f/2.8 one I mentioned earlier? At that price it's almost worth buying a 450D, keeping the lens and selling off the body

nah - my money is on it being the IS version of the current one.

 

[ldmelsa]

nah - my money is on it being the IS version of the current one.

yes

 

[koffiejunkie]

What version are you running?

CS3

It depends - what minor modifications are you doing in PS and what are you doing in aperture?

I went to a wedding, and as it happens, I was looking directly into the sun, so I had this irritating stray light all over my pictures. Looked like the image itself was overexposed. I used "auto levels" in Photoshop. I have no idea what sort of trickery goes on behind the scenes, but I couldn't not get the same thing out of Aperture. That might just be my lack of skill though.

Nice lens - I've got the older 28-300 and I love it.

It's still sitting next to me in the box, not even unwrapped. I'm just not getting around to rip it open

 

[koffiejunkie]

nah - my money is on it being the IS version of the current one.

That would be nice. Any ideas when it's coming out? I'm going away next weekend.

 

[bwana]

I went to a wedding, and as it happens, I was looking directly into the sun, so I had this irritating stray light all over my pictures. Looked like the image itself was overexposed. I used "auto levels" in Photoshop. I have no idea what sort of trickery goes on behind the scenes, but I couldn't not get the same thing out of Aperture. That might just be my lack of skill though.

Stick with Aperture - the levelling is just as good, if not better, than PS. You can also stamp it across to any other shot that might need it.

WRT the flaring - were you using a filter?

That would be nice. Any ideas when it's coming out? I'm going away next weekend.

AFAIK that lens has been out for a while.

 

[MadMailMan]

CS3

It's still sitting next to me in the box, not even unwrapped. I'm just not getting around to rip it open

WHAT?!?!?!? I would give my brother's left testicle for that lense. Sorry to hear about Jessops tho. I haven't been in one since 1996 and that one was in Cambridge. Good guys there.

 

[koffiejunkie]

WHAT?!?!?!? I would give my brother's left testicle for that lense.

Hey dude, some of us have jobs. If I whip that thing out now there will be a definite productivity concern

Sorry to hear about Jessops tho. I haven't been in one since 1996 and that one was in Cambridge. Good guys there.

Haven't had the chance to venture out of London much, sadly. Last year sometime Jessops lost a lot on their share price. I'm not sure what ever happend after that, but they're not my favourite. I can count that times that I encountered a sales person there who knew *something* on two fingers... Same for Photo Optix. I only bought a lens from them today because they had it in stock and they charged only £20 more than the online price. The guys at London Camera Exchange are much nicer - knowledgeable, don't try to BS you all the time, and have good stock.

 

[bwana]

Hey dude, some of us have jobs. If I whip that thing out now there will be a definite productivity concern

Still no 50mm? I noticed on bb_matts flickr site that he recently got one and has been putting it through his paces with good results.

RE earlier post and flaring - do you use filters on your lens?

 

[koffiejunkie]

Still no 50mm? I noticed on bb_matts flickr site that he recently got one and has been putting it through his paces with good results.

I'm wanting to get a 50mm, but it's not at the top of my list. The main reason for liking the nifty fifty is the speed (my 24-105L is as good in every other respect). I would want a really fast lens like that for indoor pictures - social etc. Something like all-round photography which made the 50mm the standard lens on old film cameras. So I'd much rather get a 28mm or something thereabouts for that. I picked up a old Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8 lens and have been playing with it on the K100D Super, and I must say I find it far more useful.

Speaking of the manual lens, for some weird reason I find it far easier to focus it manually than the kit lens. I don't know why, but the best way I can describe it is that with the kit lens (and I find this to be similar on the Canon) the image kind of fades into and out of focus, and it's hard to know exactly when it's completely in focus, especially low light. With the manual lens, the image seems to kind of 'click' into focus. There's a definite, sudden visual change.

RE earlier post and flaring - do you use filters on your lens?

I have a Hoya pro UV, really just to protect the lens. I still need to look into getting and experimenting with some filters.

 

[bwana]

I have a Hoya pro UV, really just to protect the lens. I still need to look into getting and experimenting with some filters.

If you're having a problem with flaring then take it off. You dont really need it anyway.