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best all round lens at a cheap price....

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smithie

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hi

first can i say a big helllllooooo to everyone on here,im new to the forum and its my first post.

my dream for xmas was to get a canon s3is,mainly for the image stabilizer and massive range of the lens that should cover everything im likely to want to take a picture of....but alas good old mum and dad had other plans!

they brought me a canon eos 400d with the kit lens...now im totally clueless,ive only been a part time snapper and dont really understand any of the ins/out of photography,but im willing to learn and thats what im trying to do!(thats the rest of my life sorted i guess looking at whats envoled)

anyway my first question is this the kit lens seems to have a zoom of about 3x judgeing by my other point and shoot camera,is there a decent lens for around £150-200 that would give me the 12x zoom of a s3is? or a good alrounder that will keep me happy for awhile(sorry for the simple way ive put it...but as ive said its all new to me,been looking at lens,reviews etc and have come away even more startled!

any help/advice would be a grat help,as i like doing indoor shoots as well as those ones far out to sea!
best wishes
smithie
 
Don't know UK prices, but the usual suspects are Sigma 18-125 f/3.5-5.6 DC, and 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 from Sigma or Tamron.
smithie said:
hi
first can i say a big helllllooooo to everyone on here,im new to
the forum and its my first post.
my dream for xmas was to get a canon s3is,mainly for the image
stabilizer and massive range of the lens that should cover
everything im likely to want to take a picture of....but alas good
old mum and dad had other plans!
they brought me a canon eos 400d with the kit lens...now im totally
clueless,ive only been a part time snapper and dont really
understand any of the ins/out of photography,but im willing to
learn and thats what im trying to do!(thats the rest of my life
sorted i guess looking at whats envoled)
anyway my first question is this the kit lens seems to have a zoom
of about 3x judgeing by my other point and shoot camera,is there a
decent lens for around £150-200 that would give me the 12x zoom of
a s3is? or a good alrounder that will keep me happy for
awhile(sorry for the simple way ive put it...but as ive said its
all new to me,been looking at lens,reviews etc and have come away
even more startled!
any help/advice would be a grat help,as i like doing indoor shoots
as well as those ones far out to sea!
best wishes
smithie
Click to expand...
 
Why not add one of the 70-300 zooms. then with your kit lens you have a range from 18-300 (with a small gap in the middle which is about a 12x zoom). I think the sigma is meant to be better than the cheap canon onces but do a bit of research first.

The advantage of an SLR is to be able to change lens. the more specialised a lens the better the quality. super zooms are usually a compromise.
--
My blog on Micro-stock photography:
http://blog.myspace.com/cj_photo
 
hi
thanks for that,i shall have a read up and check out the prices.

out of intrest has anyone used these lens and how do they rank picture quality wise in relation to price.
many thanks
smithie
 
smithie said:
hi
first can i say a big helllllooooo to everyone on here,im new to
the forum and its my first post.
my dream for xmas was to get a canon s3is,mainly for the image
stabilizer and massive range of the lens that should cover
everything im likely to want to take a picture of....but alas good
old mum and dad had other plans!
they brought me a canon eos 400d with the kit lens...now im totally
clueless,ive only been a part time snapper and dont really
understand any of the ins/out of photography,but im willing to
learn and thats what im trying to do!(thats the rest of my life
sorted i guess looking at whats envoled)
anyway my first question is this the kit lens seems to have a zoom
of about 3x judgeing by my other point and shoot camera,is there a
decent lens for around £150-200 that would give me the 12x zoom of
a s3is? or a good alrounder that will keep me happy for
awhile(sorry for the simple way ive put it...but as ive said its
all new to me,been looking at lens,reviews etc and have come away
even more startled!
any help/advice would be a grat help,as i like doing indoor shoots
as well as those ones far out to sea!
best wishes
smithie
Click to expand...
 
I can recommend the Sigma 18-125 it's a very good lens for the price. I suspect the Sigma 18-200 is similar, i.e. you get a bit more reach but it cost about another £100

I went for the 18-125 because
a) it's about £100 cheaper

b) If you go right up towards the 200mm end, and live in the UK you are going to have major problems getting enough light for a fast enough shot to avoid camera shake.

Someone may mention a tripod here, but I got the feel you wanted to take most of your pics without a tripod.

Initially I had the kit lens and the sigma 55-200 as an add on. Got lazy and could not be bothered carrying the 2 lenses around, so sold the 55-200 and replaced it with the 18-125. Very happy.

And I use the 6mp 300D, which I am going to upgrade to a 400D after xmas. The extra crop value of the 10mp 400D really means it is unlikely you would want to bother with more than the 18-125 unless you were going to use a tripod (IMHO)

Andy
 
hi guys
thanks for all the info and advice.

thats good thinking about only going up to 125mm reach as at present i only really want the one lens to go about with as i have so much to learn regarding the camera etc,i dare say later all the other lens and trimmings will come into play but at the moment ive got more then enough to be getting on with.

on another note ive seen replacement pare batterys for this camera on ebay at redicolous prices of £4.99 for two by a uk sell,love bargins but is this to good to be true?
once again many thanks
smithie
 
smithie said:
hi
first can i say a big helllllooooo to everyone on here,im new to
the forum and its my first post.
my dream for xmas was to get a canon s3is,mainly for the image
stabilizer and massive range of the lens that should cover
everything im likely to want to take a picture of....but alas good
old mum and dad had other plans!
they brought me a canon eos 400d with the kit lens...now im totally
clueless,ive only been a part time snapper and dont really
understand any of the ins/out of photography,but im willing to
learn and thats what im trying to do!(thats the rest of my life
sorted i guess looking at whats envoled)
anyway my first question is this the kit lens seems to have a zoom
of about 3x judgeing by my other point and shoot camera,is there a
decent lens for around £150-200 that would give me the 12x zoom of
a s3is? or a good alrounder that will keep me happy for
awhile(sorry for the simple way ive put it...but as ive said its
all new to me,been looking at lens,reviews etc and have come away
even more startled!
any help/advice would be a grat help,as i like doing indoor shoots
as well as those ones far out to sea!
best wishes
smithie
Click to expand...
I believe the Sigma 18-200mm fits your requirements perfectly. I am using it myself with the 400D and recently took it with me to China for a 7-day trip, taking over 1500 shots. 95% or more of the shots came out really nice, from wide to big zoom.

If you want something cheaper the next best lens is the Sigma 18-125 and it is overall sharper than the 18-200. The 18-125 is equivalent to about 6x and the 18-200 about 10x. I would not suggest the Tamron 18-200 as a review comparing these 3 lenses ended with the Sigma 18-125 coming out best and the Sigma 18-200 second.

Try a search of the Internet to look at the prices. Here are some links for you to look at. The first one is the review. It's in Japanese but the two with similar Japanese symbols are the Sigma lenses. The other is the Tamron.

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/review/2005/04/07/1335.html

http://www.pbase.com/cameras/sigma/18-200_35-63_dc

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=31&stype=1&si=&perpage=48&sort=3&stype=&limit=&cat=31&ppuser=

(You will notice on this page that the Sigma 18-200 is at the top with the most number of views, which shows that it is probably the most popular lens in the Sigma line-up. It is followed by the 17-70 and the 18-125. The 17-70 is the most expensive of the 3 and the 18-125 is the cheapest. A big electronics chain where I live lists the Sigma 18-200 as one of its hottest items on sale. Again, this shows its popularity.)

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/sigma_18125_3556/index.htm

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=257&sort=7&cat=37&page=1

The Sigma 18-200 is very versatile for travel, sports, indoors, outdoors when you have no time to change lens. I am very happy with it and use it 98% of the time though I also have the sharper Canon 50mm f1.8. I used to have the kit lens but sold it because I found it was not enough for my use.

Cheers.
 
hi

thanks for all the links and your thoughts review on this lens,trouble is for every five that say its a bargain theres another five that say its a waste of money....human nature i guess .
the trouble is i cant afford to get it wrong,(just like everyone i guess).

the sigma 18-125 seems to have a better general review but of course i like the idea of the added focal length...although as pointed out to get that advantage a tripod will proberly be needed and the zooming and croping idea using the smaller lens sounds a good idea!
decisions,decisions!
all the best
smithie
 
I don't think many people will call either the Sigma 18-125 or Sigma 18-200 a waste of time. They are both very good lenses (for their money) I think you will be fairly happy with either.

I wasn't sure which to buy, went for the 18-125 and think it was the right one for me, but if you think you need even more zoom and have the extra money then go for the 18-200 they really are both good lenses.

Doesn't sound like an 18-55 and a second higher zoom lens is for you. Like me you don't sound like you can be bothered most of the time to lug 2 lenses around and swap them over.

Andy
 
hi

coooooooooooool shots,i would be more then happy with those,i guess thats the nail on the head...peoples standards and ability.

as ive stated im just starting out so a modest resonable lens is going to be more then good enough for me at the moment,hopefully as and when i progress then ill have a better idea of what compromises i want in a lens.

im drawn to this type of lens because as andy above pointed out i dont want to be lugging loads of different lens about as i feel that will stop my urge to just grab the camera when i go out...obviously this view might change later,but for the moment thats where im at.

so its down to the 18-125mm or the 18-200mm sigma/tamron,deciding factor i think will be the best price i can get on either one!
once again many thanks to all....i now have a plan!
smithie
 
smithie,

Although the 18-200 is okay and after a year experience and limited funds to spend on lenses, My choice now would be to buy the: Canon 70-200 F4 IS and keep my Tamron 28-75 F2.8.

Tamron 28-75





 
Olde Guy Tom said:
smithie,

Although the 18-200 is okay and after a year experience and limited
funds to spend on lenses, My choice now would be to buy the: Canon
70-200 F4 IS and keep my Tamron 28-75 F2.8.

Tamron 28-75

http://www.pbase.com/tabsr/image/62534933/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tabsr/image/67601631/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tabsr/image/66249516/original.jpg
Click to expand...
There is a good reason why DSLR lenses are 3X. Because this is the only way to make a good lens. It is almost impossible to make a quality 10X DSLR lens.

The Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 is the best bargain DSLR lens. It is about $360 (US). It is a constant f/2.8. The only thing is that 28mm is a bit long on the short end. So you sort of need to keep your kit lens handy for when you need the 18-27mm range. I have a Tamron 28-75 and I find the focal length range is good for people type events. Parties, and the like. I appreciate the extra bit of tele, so I can get good closeups of people, without needing to jam the camera in their face. And as Olde Guy Tom said, the image quality of the 28-75 is superb.

But if you have a kit lens, then you have the 18-55mm range covered decently (but not superbly). If you think that you will be using the tele range much, you might consider sticking with the kit lens and getting one of the Canon tele lenses that are really good. The 70-200 f/4 L IS is a very good lens, but is probably out of your budget. The 70-200 f/4 L (non-IS) is about $600 (US) and is top quality. Also recommended is the Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS (about $550.) It is a consumer class lens but it has superb optics. And the IS (Image Stabilization) works well.

Then when you have the tele under your belt, come back and get a better short lens. Either something like the Tamron 17-55 (if you don't need the 55-75mm range as much as I do) Or get a Tamron 28-75 to use along with your 18-55mm.

With a DSLR, you are better off aiming for good 3X lenses and skipping 10X lenses. Changing lenses is a minor hassle, but the improvements in image quality make up for it.

Wayne
 
I neglected to add that if you want to stick to real cheap, the Canon 55-200 f/4.5-5.6 (about $200) is a good complement to the 18-55mm kit lens. But it is better if you can stretch to get one of the lenses I mentioned in my earlier post. They are good enough that they might be all you need. A cheap lens will demand to be replaced, as soon as you can, so it is false economy.

Wayne
 
right at the factory in Ronkonkoma, NY. I found that the 18-200mm was sharper and quieter. Bought it, don't regret it. I have many other better quality lenses but when I want maximum versatility for outdoor daylight walking around this lens is up to the task with no problem.
 
Lets see if I got this right.

Smithie wanted a high end point & shoot but ended up with a full blown dslr. Comes here asking for advice but at the same time saying money is an issue and he realizes there is a lot to learn. So he is told to buy a lens that costs more than the P&S camera he orginally wanted?

Smithie if you haven't blown the bank on a new lens... use the kit lens for a few months before you decide what your next purchase will be. There are so many options open to you that experience is the best advcie you can get right now. Take your time, find a local camera shop, check into renting a lens or two. This is a life long hobby ... not a race to the finish line.

John

--

Feel free to use any of these additional letters to correct the spelling of words found in the above post: a-e-t-n-d-i-o-s-m-l-u-y-h-c
 
hi everyone

can i first say a big thank you for all your responses and advice,ive been well taken back by all the help and views....this is a exellent forum with exellent people in it.

i totally understand what you guys are saying about investing in seperate quality lens to cover certain ranges rather then a more compromised one does all, saying that there are people on here that are recommending such lens and are quite happy with them!

and as pointed out some of these lens would cost more then the canon s3 that i was origanally hoping to get!!!!

no wonder my head hurts,its been raining here in sunny cornwall since ive had the camera so havent had a chance to go out and have a good play,but this weekend looks very promising so hopefully i can get out there and have a better idea exactly what im after!

(thought about getting the s3 to cover the day to day stuff and using the 400d for the more serious stuff....but thought no to that as i know i would just be grabbing the s3 and ignoring the canon400d which would be a total waste ).
all the best
smithie
 
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