Looking for a quick lens opinion

[joeamy05]

I am fairly decided on the lens I am going to purchase, I just wanted to know if anyone thinks I can do better on a budget.

I shoot mostly portraits, a lot of indoor and low light situations...kids, newborns...so I need something relatively fast...as I don't use flash, for now I am shooting with a Rebel xsi, but will be upgrading this year to a D40 or 50.

The lens I think I am going to buy is the, Tamron SP AF 17-50MM F/2.8 XR Di. Of course I would love the Canon L series version of this...but for under $500 I don't think I can top this..just wondered if anyone has experience with this lens or has another suggestion in the same price range.
Thanks

 

[D-B-J]

what about the sigma 17-50 f2.8? Its got macro capabilities. Granted, not 1:1 focusing ratio, but still.

 

[fokker]

It's a great lens, it will not disappoint in terms of image quality. The autofocus is a bit noisy and slow compared to canon USM models, but it's not too bad. I'm not sure on how much extra it costs, but there is now a VC version of this lens, which is something I would go for personally but it may not fit your bill of needs.

When you say upgrading to a d40 or d50 I assume you mean canon 40d or 50d?

 

[robertwsimpson]

I have it. It's awesome. Get it.


I got mine on craigslist for $350 from some chick.

 

[KmH]

I am fairly decided on the lens I am going to purchase, I just wanted to know if anyone thinks I can do better on a budget.

I shoot mostly portraits, a lot of indoor and low light situations...kids, newborns...so I need something relatively fast...as I don't use flash, for now I am shooting with a Rebel xsi, but will be upgrading this year to a D40 or 50.

The lens I think I am going to buy is the, Tamron SP AF 17-50MM F/2.8 XR Di. Of course I would love the Canon L series version of this...but for under $500 I don't think I can top this..just wondered if anyone has experience with this lens or has another suggestion in the same price range.
Thanks

That's cool you're switching to Nikon, but you might consider a D90 instead of the 6 MP D40 and the older D50.

Inder 50 mm can become problematic for portraiture because of barrel and/or perspective distortion, particularly as you zoom to shorter focal lengths. Be sure and read several reviews for the lens, particularly reviews that have the technical measures of distortion.

 

[JasonLambert]

Flickr: The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Model A16 Pool is a flicker group for shots made with this lens. You can get an idea of what it will do here.

 

[joeamy05]

Sorry, I put my D's in the wrong place. I plan to stay with canon, but upgrade a bit. Thanks for the extra reviews...I am pretty confident in my decision.

 

[Misfitlimp]

I was gonna ask why you be buying glass for canon if you where going to switch.

 

[JimFly]

I have this lens a few months now and its sharp and fast in low light conditions
Some say the VR version is a bit less in IQ

You should buy

 

[burstintoflame81]

I like my Tokina 16-50mm. But its a bit large and heavy. 77mm filter diameter. I have heard good things about the Tamron though as well.