i need a lens ...

wgp1987 · Apr 23, 2009

i purchased my first slr about a month ago. i went to a place called adorama in the manhatten. i baught a canon eos 30d body and a canon 50mm f1.8. the lens is awsome but i needed something more universal. so i met up with someone from craigslist and baught a sigma 28-70 f2.8-4 for $100 (not a great price i know). should i just not use the sigma lens and try to shoot with my 50mm as much as possible? or only whip out the 50mm at night or when i want to do macro shots? i listed the thread as i need a lens because i want something good and ive been looking at the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 ($420) ..... and im open for sugestions for a awsome lens that isnt tooo expensive. ill eventually be shooting sports sometimes and just like taking random shots. and feedback is great. thanks!

Moon Baby · Apr 23, 2009

wgp1987 said:
i purchased my first slr about a month ago. i went to a place called adorama in the manhatten. i baught a canon eos 30d body and a canon 50mm f1.8. the lens is awsome but i needed something more universal. so i met up with someone from craigslist and baught a sigma 28-70 f2.8-4 for $100 (not a great price i know). should i just not use the sigma lens and try to shoot with my 50mm as much as possible? or only whip out the 50mm at night or when i want to do macro shots? i listed the thread as i need a lens because i want something good and ive been looking at the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 ($420) ..... and im open for sugestions for a awsome lens that isnt tooo expensive. ill eventually be shooting sports sometimes and just like taking random shots. and feedback is great. thanks!

Why hesitate from using the Sigma? It's not a high end lens because of it not being fixed aperture on both ends/quality glass but it serves well in focal lengths that the 50mm cannot reach. If you're not going to use it, sell it. Each lens serves its purpose and it's all subjective to your style or the sort of composition/crop you want to achieve. I would recommend using the 50mm for night shots (it's a gimmie) the Sigma wouldn't be able to pull in enough light. Fyi, the 50mm isn't a Macro lens and unless you add an extension tube, you won't be able to get close enough to your subjects without losing focus.

I once owned a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. It was a nice little lens that replaced my 350D's standard 18-55mm kit lens. I've shot weddings with it and it served pretty well. It also had a pretty close focusing distance.
It's slightly soft wide open and the length will be an issue. Having 2 50mm lenses may lead to some frustration in the future.

Why not spend a couple more bucks on the Canon EF 70-200mm f4L? It's about $100 more than the Tamron and is one of Canon's sharpest zooms.
You'll then have to fill in the gap for wider shots tho and the Tamron would do fine.

wgp1987 · Apr 23, 2009

i also saw the tokina 16-50 2.8 but its like 300 more! not worth it i guess? other than the shifting lens for af/mf. i want something wider, not consumed with needing a zomm just yet. at least till the knicks play again next year! and i was looking at the tamron 70-200 2.8 for my zoom lens. but it says its macro and that would hurt its ability to focus further away? (compared to non macro lens)

Montana · Apr 23, 2009

Being "macro" doesn't affect its focus at all. In fact, its not really a true macro lens. If you can afford the Canon 70-200 2.8, you'd likely be better off. However, I have zero experience with the Tamron version. Do your homework on that. What about primes? I find myself loving primes more and more each day. There are some fantastic primes that are fairly cheap, very sharp, and of course fast as well. 85mm, 50mm, 135mm etc.

bigtwinky · Apr 24, 2009

I bought a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and love the lens (so far hehe).
I was thinking about the 17-50 f/2.8, but decided to a bit longer reach as I already have a wide angle lens to cover 10-22.

Shoot with whatever gets the job done. There is no perfect lens for every situation. Mount up that Sigma and start shooting! No better way to see if you like the lens and the range than to use it!

After shooting with it for a while, you'll see if you feel you need wider or longer, or if its just right. Then you can invest in a better one or just keep the one you have.