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Confused potential 450D owner needs help

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As Martin Luther said: "Be a sinner and sin boldly!”
--
Rationally I have no hope, irrationally I believe in miracles.
Joni Mitchell
 
Ok... I don't know what you're getting at with that point but you appear to be a regular poster and seem to know what you're talking about so I guess I'll agree with you.
 
This is understandably overwhelming -- makes me grateful that I got started with SLRs before there were any good forums ;-) I spent years using just one lens.
 
Well... after thinking that I had made up my mind in choosing the Sigma 18-200 or 18-125 and the Canon 50mm f1.4, my wife essentially put the kibosh on that as she felt that those two lenses and the the 450D were too expensive.

I'm now stuck figuring out (since I can only buy one lens) if I should get the Sigma 18-200 or 18-125 or the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Macro.

It seems as though people are talking about a Sigma 18-70 as well which I can't find anywhere. I like the range that this provides as a 4x lens it probably good enough at the moment. All things considered, I'd much prefer a high quality 4x lens over an OK 7 or 11x lens..

Anyways... if I can get some help on this it would (yet again) be greatly appreciated.
 
in regards to wives, it is always easier to apologise than it is to ask permission.

The Sigma lens you mention is the 17-70mm (not 18-70mm), and it is a good performer for the money.

If I were in your position, I wouldn't buy anything now. Get comfortable with the camera, learn to take good pictures, see where your interests develop and then make decisions on what lenses to use based on your character of use. Novices who buy early often make expensive mistakes. Learn first, then buy.
--
Best regards,
Jim

Gallery at:
http://www.pbase.com/borderrose/viewgallery
 
Ok, how about information from a newbie like yourself ;-)

I initially bought the XSi with the kit lens cuz I didn't know you could buy the body and some other lens right away, and I didn't even know what an 18-55 was. (I had only used a P&S before, very sparingly)

After using the 18-55 a bit and reading here a lot, I understood things a lot better. I bought the 17-85 IS USM, sold the 18-55 today, and and bought 70-300 IS USM This gives me lenses across a significant range, including 50mm which I thought of getting separately like you. I don't need the prime lens at this point.

This should serve me well for the next year or two as I learn photography and what I lean towards in terms of subjects.
 
So what do you think I should buy then? (Don't worry... I won't hold you to it).

If I was buying one lens to start, should I be buying;

1) Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 OS

2) Sigma 18-125 f/3.8-5.6 OS

3) Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5

4) Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Macro

5) Canon 17-85MM f/4-5.6
 
I guess that I should mention that I am thinking that I'll be buying the Canon 50 F/1.4 to complement one of these lenses down the road so with that in mind...

Which one of the previous lenses do you think would be the best to begin with the 450D (XSI)?
 
The only one I have experience with was item 4). It was not as good as I had expected and there was a slightly yellow colour cast. It was a heavy lens and this made it much less handy than I had hoped given my intention to use it as my walk around. In the end I went with a Sigma 30/1.4 prime with no regrets.

The Canon 50/1.4 is a fine lens, but on your camera its more of a short telephoto, too long for use indoors and not long enough outside. If you want a short telephone prime with great performance for a decent price look no further than the Canon 85/1.8. After using a lens like this, it's really difficult to be happy with a zoom...
psychoegg said:
So what do you think I should buy then? (Don't worry... I won't hold
you to it).

If I was buying one lens to start, should I be buying;

1) Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 OS

2) Sigma 18-125 f/3.8-5.6 OS

3) Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5

4) Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Macro

5) Canon 17-85MM f/4-5.6
Click to expand...
 
It means, no matter how good, you'll make mistakes so go further and be brave in the mistakes your going to make. For Martin Luther, sin was not so much about right and wrong but about "brokeness;" that no matter how we tried to be "perfect" we would make mistakes. This concept was the basis for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." And Frankenstein was a rough re-write of the Tower of Babel.
--
Rationally I have no hope, irrationally I believe in miracles.
Joni Mitchell
 
Get the Sigma 18-200 OS, its a fine lens and all you will probably need. If you want, add the 50mm 1.8 for $70, you can experiment with shallow DOF and have a very light lens for appropriate situations, and a very fine portrait lens.
--
Sam Kanter, NYC
 
Thanks for the help everyone.

I think that I've decided on the Sigma 18-125 OS to start and then get the Canon 50mm 1.4 shortly thereafter. I figure that the 18-125 will have a good amount of range and that the image quality throughout that range should hypothetically be better than the 18-200 OS.
 
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