Canon EF-S 17-55mm VS Sigma 17-50mm VS Tamron 17-50mm?

qianp2k wrote:

Sovern wrote:

qianp2k wrote:

amosf wrote:

I was starting to think he worked for Canon, the way he says to avoid third party lenses (which are often great value and IQ) - but then he recommends off brand flashes.

I am puzzle for third party flashes as well. They are cheaper sure but taking noticeble longer time to recharge in general and quesionable reliability working with ETTL...Not worth for me. I picked up Sigma 17-50 over Canon 17-55 is basically $400-450 difference on brand penality but virtually identical IQ on top of $600 that is a no brainer.

New Sigma lenses are excellent in its elite EX series as we have seen in 85/1.4 and new 35/1.4. Check these two new lenses (both are updated versions).

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/01/08/Sigma-CES-2013-DP3-Merrill-17-70mm-F2-8-4-120-300mm-F2-8-Sigma-Photo-Pro-Mono

To OP: This new 17-70/2.8-4.0 OS 2nd edition probably also deserves a look. It has 20mm more at tele side from 17-50. First edition is not very good , wait and see this 2nd version. Sigma now gives a USB dock station so you can update firmware down to the road for bug fixes or new camera bodies.

I'm sorry but that's bogus. Light is light you can not say the same thing about lenses. I've used my Yungnuo 560 II paired with a Canon 580EX and the recharge time with my Yungnuo is actually faster and this is a fact as you can look up the reviews for the flash.

Sorry that's my perception from what I heard before. Glad to learn that. I never experirence any thrid party flashes.

My Yungnuo with good battery's (eneloops alkaline) recycle instantly up to even 1/4th power.

I had more trouble waiting for the Canon flash to recycle as it was being used for bounce and the Yungnup as bounce on an umbrella for group shots at an indoor gig I did a week ago on New Years Eve.

I also avoid ETTL as it results in inconsistent results (it rely's on in camera metering, it's compared to using auto mode on your camera and your photos will be inconsistent vs using manual and learning to use your flash and understand guide numbers or just getting a feel for your flashes power.)

ETTL is a must to me so this is a showstopper for me. I use PW mini-TT1 and flex-TT5 that basically works very well with my 580EX II (I use soft shield) and 430EX II with AC-3 controller (that can control three groups independently and remotely). PW has glitches sometime (1 of 15 shots) but I can live with that. Anyway that pretty rules out 3rd party flashes for me.

I'd never go with third party lenses though, Canon makes excellent glass and their lenses hold their resale value the best and they have the least amount of QC issues.

True. But in that case you will pay lots more at very beginning. Sigma lenses come with lens' hoods (that are very important) and nice carrying cases (although I don't use in travelling) while you have to buy seperately on all non-L Canon lenses.

Sigma has a ton of QC issues hence why the term the Sigma lottery was coiced and Tamron has less of a lottery with their lenses but they are also of a much lower quality compared to both Canon and Sigma hence why they produce the cheapest third party lenses.

Used to be but I never had experiences with old Sigma lenses. 17-50/2.8 OS is my very first one and I also bought 150/2.8 OS macro recently that I will use lots after winter. So far so good in these new EX series lenses. The new 35/1.4 is highly regarded that put 35L in shame. I read many good experiences of 85/1.4 (that actually is not very new). These two primes I might consider later.

By the way you paid $600 for a lens that is soft at 2.8 and has issues with the edges at 2.8 and even stopped down a little.

Soft, seriously? Show me how EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS can do dramatically better in those photos as I showed? As I said I only used F2.8 in low light such as in evening shots, so why anyone would bother dark edges/corners? lol. According to reviews, Sigma actually edges out in center a bit that is actually is more practical in F2.8 usage.

The Canon has 5mm extra reach and is sharp corner to corner wide open, doesn't produce a yellow color tint that the Sigma is known for, has a higher resale value, and has better optics/produces more desirable bokeh.

5mm difference is really almost nothing, just few steps difference. Canon is only slightly sharper at F2.8 wide open at edges/corners but this is not that important in low light as I just said above. You paid $400-450 more so not really making money after resale. I am not sure how you draw better optics and better bokeh as reviews suggest they are pretty close, neither one is ideal for serious portrait photos. My both Sigma lenses don't produce Yellow tint but a bit warmer colors that is not yellow. Personal taste. I actually prefer that a little warmness as said in one review I quoted earlier.

I'd never recommend a variable aperture lens for what he's shooting either. They're a PITA to work with especially combined with flash.

Personally I usually don't buy variable aperture zoom either, and the only exception is 100-400L/4.5-5.6 IS. I just want OP aware there is a new lens from Sigma that may worth to consider if its IQ dramatically improves from first edition.

To each their own but I respect your views. I never saw a purpose in ETTL for my work since all of my flash is bounced or used with a modifier and I would definitely not want to rely on my cameras metering to give me the results that I want from the flash as they would be inconsistent.

I can easily set my bounce exposure in manual and get consistent results all day and feel confident handing my camera to my assistant to use while I'm away and expect and get consistant results. Whereas if I use ETTL and bounce I can expect very inconstant results.

Manual mode lets you set it once and leave the settings right where they're at. I had trouble using ETTL at the event I was talking about because I couldn't figure out how to set the photographer that I was working with Canon 580EX to manual mode so I had to rely on ETTL bounce (which resulted in inconsistent results) whereas my umbrella and manual Yungnuo was set up on a flash stand bouncing off of a 60" umbrella for group shots on the side.

However I could se ETTL being somewhat useful for a fast moving environment where you're using flash right on camera and not bouncing it but thats the only time I could see it being useful.

I was using cheap Yungnuo wireless triggers that work perfectly and didn't misfire once before switching the Canon 580EX to master and the Yungnuo to Slave and using infrared triggering but personally I don't see the point in spending $500+ on a flash as light is light.

As for the Canon 17-55 2.8. I have seen a ton of reviews showing that it has better image quality and better edge sharpness wide open than both the Tamron and the Sigma variants and personally I'd prefer a natural correct white balance vs a warm color cast that has to be corrected all of the time and can be a PITA.

But like I read somewhere's else on this forum when buying a Canon lens it's really an investment as long as you have the money as you get a very nice piece of glass and when you resell it if you ever decide to you won't lose much on it and Canon lenses sell fast.

I sold my 50 1.8 for $10 less than what it retails for used and my Tamron I had to sell for a significant loss.

If the original poster has the money he should just go all the way with the Canon 17-55.