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canon 15-85 vs. sigma 17-50

Started Feb 7, 2013 | Discussions thread
confyushis Senior Member • Posts: 1,072
zoom range or low light? pick one ...
1

bigelow wrote:

I'm looking at buying my standard lens for a 7D. Canon 17-55 has been mentioned but it is out of my price range at this point. Opinions on Canon 15-85 vs Sigma 17-50? I do have a Canon EF 35 f2, which would help if I went with the Canon 17-85.

the 15-85 is a popular lens for its wide zoom range ... it performs poorly in low-light unless aided by flash ... the lens is well suited for daytime activities ...

the 17-50 f/2.8 has the widest aperture available on an aps-c zoom lens which helps in low-light situations where flash is not allowed ... the f/2.8 also helps isolate a subject from the background for portraits ...

i went with the 17-50 because most of my photos are taken after hours where flash isn't allowed ... if you don't mind "zooming" with your feet, the 35 f/2 could do the low-light work while a new 15-85 could take on the daytime responsibilities ...

you could also invest in an external flash which has more bang for the buck when considering lighting ...

whatever works for you ...

 confyushis's gear list:confyushis's gear list
Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM +3 more
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