If you had a million dollars...........

cabledawg · Jun 10, 2012

you wouldnt be here reading this :lmao:

No seriously, I was wondering what Canon EOS compatible brands are good these days. Back when I started out a few decades ago, my mentor had older Canon AE setups and swore by Vivitar and Kiron so likewise I have them as well. I finally joined the 21st century with the purchase of my first DSLR (Canon 30d) and while I have a plethora of FD mount lenses (for my current AE-1 setups) that I plan to use, I'd like to get another EF lens. I still see Vivitar, but now there's Tamron, Bower, Sigma, Rokinon, Samyang and a few others I've never heard of.

I'll probably just stick with Canon brand to ensure full compatibility, but what about the others? What are your favorite brands and why?

JDB · Jun 10, 2012

I think Tamrom and Sigma are ok but shy away from the others . Of Canon is always good. I have a Tamron 18-270 with VR and it is my go to lens.

rgregory1965 · Jun 10, 2012

I like Tamrom also

davisphotos · Jun 10, 2012

I've owned a Sigma 20mm f1.8 and a Tokina 28-75. Love the Sigma, hated the Tokina. I now own all Canon glass, mostly L series, and there really is nothing quite like it. To my knowledge, Tamron & Sigma are the only other brands that have AF lenses for Canon EOS. Rokinon, Voigtlander & Zeiss all make great lenses, but they are far from cheap.

cabledawg · Jun 11, 2012

Cool, thanks guys! B&H had alot of Tamron and Sigma EOS lenses that are within my budget, but wanted to make sure they werent "too cheap".

So what's the difference between the Canon L series versus standard Canon?

gsgary · Jun 11, 2012

I only ever buy Canon

mjhoward · Jun 11, 2012

If you're going to buy 3rd party, it's generally not best to just pick a brand and go with it. Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina have each made some spectacular lenses as well as some flops. None of them have really made a full line of lenses that just dominate. It's best to do your homework and determine yourself which lens from each make is worthy of a purchase, for example the Sigma 150mm f2.8 Macro and the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 are often rated even higher than the name brand lenses of similar offering.

o hey tyler · Jun 11, 2012

cabledawg said:
Cool, thanks guys! B&H had alot of Tamron and Sigma EOS lenses that are within my budget, but wanted to make sure they werent "too cheap".

So what's the difference between the Canon L series versus standard Canon?

Canon L glass generally are the higher performing lenses. Better image quality, color reproduction, build quality and AF speed (not always the case with AF speed *COUGH* 85/1.2L *COUGH*).

I upgraded from the Canon EF 35mm f/2 lens to the 35mm f/1.4L, and there is a massive difference in quality. USM focusing, simply stunning colors, and it's a much heftier lens that is built much better. You really can't go wrong with L glass 9.5 times out of 10. The only L lens I would skip is the 85/1.2 and that is because of the slow AF. In that case, I got the Sigma 85/1.4 which makes my heart go pitter patter.

unpopular · Jun 11, 2012

Canon? Nikon? L Glass? Seriously?!

With a million dollars I'd buy an IQ180 or P60 with an Ultima 23, a Contax 645 (because they're still the best) and a Cambo Wide. I'm not even sure what lenses, but they're all going to be Zeiss, Nikkors and Schneiders. Then, maybe if I had anything left over I'd get a puny 1D or D4.

Dream big, people!

IByte · Jun 11, 2012

unpopular said:
Canon? Nikon? L Glass? Seriously?!

With a million dollars I'd buy an IQ180 or P60 with an Ultima 23, a Contax 645 (because they're still the best) and a Cambo Wide. I'm not even sure what lenses, but they're all going to be Zeiss, Nikkors and Schneiders. Then, maybe if I had anything left over I'd get a puny 1D or D4.

Dream big, people!

Complete hasselblad line up!

unpopular · Jun 11, 2012

^^ That's what I'm talking about!! lol.

EDL · Jun 11, 2012

With a million, I'd pay off every bill I have, mortgage, cars, send the kids to college and invest any remaining. With no bills to pay (well, except utilities, food, etc), it wouldn't take long till I could afford any camera gear I wanted....

unpopular · Jun 11, 2012

^^^there's always one...

cabledawg · Jun 11, 2012

EDL said:
With a million, I'd pay off every bill I have, mortgage, cars, send the kids to college and invest any remaining. With no bills to pay (well, except utilities, food, etc), it wouldn't take long till I could afford any camera gear I wanted....

I dont really have bills (other than utilities) and after the house I'd still have $895k. College, not sure about. The kids seem content making thier own money but I guess I could help when they get to that point in their lives. And for investments, I'd buy a strip mall and open a store for each hobby I enjoy. One for models (I personally like trains, but I'd a little of everything), one for camera stuff (though I'd have to hire someone to work it since I'm not that good yet), one for bicycles and one for airsoft (like paintball only better). That should burn through the rest of my money :lol: