Canon rebel POLL: Whats the best all around lens with IS

quattro4life · Sep 4, 2007

looking for a lens to replace my stock canon rebel xti lens. would like a zoom of around 20-200mm with IS....
whats are your recommendations?

Sw1tchFX · Sep 4, 2007

canon makes a 28-135IS, but that's so-so on everything but 35mm size planes.

You can switch to Nikon and use the 18-200VR.

:mrgreen:

Big Mike · Sep 4, 2007

There really is no 'best'. Some would suit your needs better than they would suit mine, or someone else's.

I would say that it starts with the 17-55 F2.8 IS, then there is the 24-105 F4 L IS, then there is the 70-200 F2.8 L IS.

A lens in the 10X range (20-200) would certainly have a smaller maximum aperture at the long end, and the image quality probably wouldn't be fantastic either. That's not 'best' in my books.

Canon does have the Canon EF 28 - 300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM, review HERE.
It's an L lens, so it's going to be pretty good...but it's not one of the best L lenses...and it's expensive.

usayit · Sep 4, 2007

Generally the first decision to made is budget....
Second is what are you expectations.. including what you intend to shoot
Third is to realize there is no one tool for everything.

I've seen wonderful performance out of the 28-135 IS for a whole lot cheaper than L lenses. Good bang for buck in regards to IS zooms.

I generally shoot with primes but I do carry two zooms on occasion.
24-105L and 100-400L.

Image quality wise, the 28-300mm is not the best L out there... so wedding photographers usually stay away. If you are hiking/traveling for long periods of time and packing is an issue, the 28-300mm will be one of the BEST zooms to carry because of its flexibility.

Generally, a large focal range zoom like a 20-200mm will require you to sacrifice in other places... usually in overall image quality. The question for you is what are you looking for in a zoom... lightweight, image quality, focal zoom range, packability, max aperture, etc.. sorry.. no silver bullet.

soylentgreen · Sep 4, 2007

I really enjoyed the 17-85 IS that came with my 20D. A bit slow in low-light, but great over-all. The 24-105 f/4 L is a great piece of glass, but you do not gain much in aperature. Really good if there is suffficient ambient light. I mostly shoot wildlife and outdoors, so it is perfect with the weather here in FL. Still working with it and my flash for lower-light situations. Haven't quite figured it out yet. The 28-300 L is a serious piece of gear. Gotta be fit to lug that around all-day. Haven't use the 28-135, but reviews are favorable.

WDodd · Sep 4, 2007

I'm going second (or third) the recommendation of the 28-135 IS. It seems to be one of the most affording options that meets your criteria. I just got it and it seems to be a great lens so far.

subimatt · Sep 5, 2007

I agree with WDodd, the 28-135 IS is a really great lens for the $, Its a great all around lens, I use it mostly for walk around photography, Has a decent range and the IS is handy with handheld shots.

Iron Flatline · Sep 5, 2007

Have had the 28-135 for five years now, it's quite good.

Big Mike · Sep 5, 2007

It's a matter of personal preference...I like the 'digital' version of the 28-135....which is the EF-S 17-85 IS. 28mm on a Rebel just isn't wide enough for a walk around lens...for me.

quattro4life · Sep 5, 2007

WDodd said:
I'm going second (or third) the recommendation of the 28-135 IS. It seems to be one of the most affording options that meets your criteria. I just got it and it seems to be a great lens so far.

when talking about 28-135 for a digital camera do you mean 17-85?

Big Mike · Sep 5, 2007

when talking about 28-135 for a digital camera do you mean 17-85?

No, the 28-135mm lens can be used on either film or digital bodies because it's an EF lens. The EF-S 17-85 is a different lens, which is made for only the digital bodies. The lenses are very similar, except that the EF-S lens has a shorter focal length (and a newer version of IS, I think).