Which lens to buy for 10D 'starter'

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

I have a 10D with a Sigma 28-200 3.5/5.8 and works very well you can see the results here:

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?photographersearch=Antonio%20Carrasquilla%20-%20IBERIAN%20SPOTTERS&distinct_entry=true

Look for the Canon EOS 10D on the remarks!!.

Bye.

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

The 28-135 IS is a very popular lens, please check this forum for Adam T 's various photo's . the indor one of the Pipe Organ is tremendous.

I have a few shot posted at : http://www.pbase.com/kolewis

These are truly the utlimate newby shots.

It really depends on what you want ot shoot.

--
Your eyes can capture the soul, the camera just a image.

I too come from a similar background, digital elphs followed by a G2.
I got my 10D about a week ago now.
I went with the Canon 28-135IS after first trying a Sigma 28-70 2.8.

The sigma was sharp and bright, but in anything but bright light, the shots came out blurred by camera shake.

The Image Stabilization helps me greatly at the beginning as I am learning how to do things like hold the camera correctly/still.
I didn't want to have to throw out most of the pictures I take at the beginning.

I would also get a 50 1.8 as it is just such a sharp, bright, light lense for only $70.

mike

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

Start off with a good lens. If you must get a zoom try Canon's 24–85mm f/3.5–4.5. I recommend buying this lens from a local camera shop so you can check it out before you buy. Optically it's quite good but build quality is variable. But I'd go for the standard 50mm instead. Get the f/1.4, which is built much sturdier than the f/1.8. This lens gives you a decently bright image in the viewfinder (and gives the camera's AF system a bright image to work with) along with a field-of-view equivalent to that of an 80mm lens in 35mm format. Good for portraits, and as it focuses down to 45cm good for semi-closeup stuff too. Anyone who says a 50mm lens is limited or boring has only their own lack of creativity to blame.

In the end figure on spending at least as much on lenses as you did on the camera. It would be a shame to take a high quality photographic tool like the 10D and tie it down with cheap glass.

-Dave-

Well, the 28-135IS is a good walkabout, but a 24-70L is a premium choice.

You will not be disappointed !! All of these were taken with one.. Oh... and mine has ZERO lens creep (a complaint from some owners) probably because it is a newer build.

http://www.pbase.com/igotjump/canon_10d

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

--
HockeyDave
http://www.pbase.com/igotjump

I used to recommend the 28-135, but after buying a 16-35 I use my 28-135 pretty rarely. Maybe my style of shooting is unusual, but the 25-56mm FOV I get from the 16-35 works for me a whole lot of the time - it's by far my favorite lens. The 27-64mm FOV you'd get from the 17-40 would be even more useful, although the f4 aperture is a little limiting.

The 24-70 gives you a 38-112mm FOV which is pretty flexible, too: a little bit of wide-angle, and plenty of zoom. A good general-purpose lens, great image quality, and f2.8 aperture. It'll definitely be my next lens purchase, after which I will have to decide whether to sell my 28-135 or keep it.

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

I think an important point in hyslopc's message is that of personal "style", whatever that happens to be. You mentioned being frustrated by the limited zoom range on your Ixus; were you usually wanting wider, or longer? If longer, the 28-135 is probably a fine choice (I'd be hard pressed to part with mine, it remains my general walk-around lens even on the 10D and my 16-35 gets relatively much less use). OTOH, if you constantly found you were wanting more wide angle, then the 17-40 seems to be getting plenty of praise around here. Of course, one of the advantages of the 10D is the ability to change lenses, so even if you choose a relatively limited-range lens now, you'll add to it later!

Dave

hyslopc said:

The 24-70 gives you a 38-112mm FOV which is pretty flexible, too: a
little bit of wide-angle, and plenty of zoom. A good
general-purpose lens, great image quality, and f2.8 aperture.
It'll definitely be my next lens purchase, after which I will have
to decide whether to sell my 28-135 or keep it.

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Ok, I bought the Canon 10D this morning... whaa.. what an amazing camera (especially compared to my previous camera, the ixus v / s110).
It's so fast, many features, just superb.

I bought the Canon 10D together with an Tamron AF28-200mm Super zoom 3.8-5.6 lens, with an option to change it if I am not happy with it.

Additional an Lexar 512 40x cf, an extra (compatible) battery, a UV-filter and a nice bag for all this new gear.

I am really suprised by the speed of the camera, how quick it writes the pictures and gives you to ability to keep shooting. Compared to traditional camera's it is maybe normal but my ixus v is no match for the 10D

The lens choice was a little bit difficult. The Ixus lacks the zoom capability but has a very nice 28 shot. I ended up with two lenses, an Sigma 17-35 and the Tamron 28-200. The sigma had an better F-thingie. But the zoom of the Tamron was quite nice too. The only big difference was the price. The Tamron for EUR 299 and the Sigma for EUR 599....

I will test the Tamron now for this week but I'll think I keep it and as DKL wrote before, you can always add another to it later (if you have the funds for it offcourse).

At the moment I am very happy with my new cam and I will shoot a lot of pictures the next weeks to test al the features and enjoy it as much of possible.

• Jasper

DKL said:

Dave

hyslopc said:

The 24-70 gives you a 38-112mm FOV which is pretty flexible, too: a
little bit of wide-angle, and plenty of zoom. A good
general-purpose lens, great image quality, and f2.8 aperture.
It'll definitely be my next lens purchase, after which I will have
to decide whether to sell my 28-135 or keep it.

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
An previous happy Ixus V / S110 User and now an Canon 10D user!

Since you have the opton of returning those lenses after a week, I'd recommend you test them in a variety of situations. In particular, try shooting in a dark environment such as inside a church. That was a huge eye-opener for me when I got my 16-35: the fact that I got so much more light through the lens with the f2.8 aperture. It really makes a big difference in dimly lit areas, as well as when you want the "blurred background" look.

But I'm really talking about the finer points here. Enjoy your new lenses - I'm sure you're going to have a ball. I remember thinking the same thing when I got my D60: "Wow, it's so fast!"

Jasper Bijl said:

I bought the Canon 10D together with an Tamron AF28-200mm Super
zoom 3.8-5.6 lens, with an option to change it if I am not happy
with it.
Additional an Lexar 512 40x cf, an extra (compatible) battery, a
UV-filter and a nice bag for all this new gear.

I am really suprised by the speed of the camera, how quick it
writes the pictures and gives you to ability to keep shooting.
Compared to traditional camera's it is maybe normal but my ixus v
is no match for the 10D

The lens choice was a little bit difficult. The Ixus lacks the zoom
capability but has a very nice 28 shot. I ended up with two lenses,
an Sigma 17-35 and the Tamron 28-200. The sigma had an better
F-thingie. But the zoom of the Tamron was quite nice too. The only
big difference was the price. The Tamron for EUR 299 and the Sigma
for EUR 599....

I will test the Tamron now for this week but I'll think I keep it
and as DKL wrote before, you can always add another to it later (if
you have the funds for it offcourse).

At the moment I am very happy with my new cam and I will shoot a
lot of pictures the next weeks to test al the features and enjoy it
as much of possible.

• Jasper

DKL said:

Dave

hyslopc said:

The 24-70 gives you a 38-112mm FOV which is pretty flexible, too: a
little bit of wide-angle, and plenty of zoom. A good
general-purpose lens, great image quality, and f2.8 aperture.
It'll definitely be my next lens purchase, after which I will have
to decide whether to sell my 28-135 or keep it.

Jasper Bijl said:

Hello,

I intend to buy an Canon 10D but I am unsure about which lens to
buy. I have options for a 28-200mm or 'just' a 28-70mm lens.

Currently I am an Ixus V / S110 user and shot already thousands of
pictures with it but this was more point and shoot. Now it is the
moment to really take some time for the pictures.

The 2x zoom of the Ixus was a little bit dissappointing that's why
I like to have some extra zoom capabilities. The canon 10D ccd has
a 1.6x multiplier so even if i take a 28-xx lens the images will
look are closer than my ixus. I don't know if there is an allround
lens for wide and average tele usage.

I thought about the tamron 28-200 but apparently it isn't that good
at all.

Hope someone has some advice on buying a nice starter/allround lens
for the Canon 10D.

Jasper

--
An happy Ixus V / S110 User

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
An previous happy Ixus V / S110 User and now an Canon 10D user!

Click to expand...

I tried to make a few pictures in a darker area at home but you feel the shutter keeping open for light to come in. I am not familiar with the 10D but I tried to change the ISO to 1600... and then it stays open shorter but it shows a lot of grain in the picture. This was just one of the things which are the same on the Ixus V, it is not good at low light situations.

The thing to look for is the f value then, the lower the better, right? The Sigma lens which I looked at today, the 17-35 was f2.5 if I remember right... but 599 EUR too... the double of the lens I have now. Maybe there is a cheaper lens with 28-200 or 17-35 and an f value like 2.5.... I am not really in to this yet, a lot to discover

But overall, if I get a lens with a lower f-value, the lens keeps open shorter so i can make pictures easier in dim lit areas without a tripod? So actually, I should always go for a lower f-value then...

I am still happy with the 10D

hyslopc said:

But I'm really talking about the finer points here. Enjoy your new
lenses - I'm sure you're going to have a ball. I remember thinking
the same thing when I got my D60: "Wow, it's so fast!"

Jasper Bijl said:

Ok, I bought the Canon 10D this morning... whaa.. what an amazing
camera (especially compared to my previous camera, the ixus v /
s110).
It's so fast, many features, just superb.

I bought the Canon 10D together with an Tamron AF28-200mm Super
zoom 3.8-5.6 lens, with an option to change it if I am not happy
with it.
Additional an Lexar 512 40x cf, an extra (compatible) battery, a
UV-filter and a nice bag for all this new gear.

I am really suprised by the speed of the camera, how quick it
writes the pictures and gives you to ability to keep shooting.
Compared to traditional camera's it is maybe normal but my ixus v
is no match for the 10D

The lens choice was a little bit difficult. The Ixus lacks the zoom
capability but has a very nice 28 shot. I ended up with two lenses,
an Sigma 17-35 and the Tamron 28-200. The sigma had an better
F-thingie. But the zoom of the Tamron was quite nice too. The only
big difference was the price. The Tamron for EUR 299 and the Sigma
for EUR 599....

I will test the Tamron now for this week but I'll think I keep it
and as DKL wrote before, you can always add another to it later (if
you have the funds for it offcourse).

At the moment I am very happy with my new cam and I will shoot a
lot of pictures the next weeks to test al the features and enjoy it
as much of possible.

• Jasper

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Paul S.
http://www.pbase.com/paul_stuckless

The f-value of a lens is the "maximum aperture". Aperture is the proportion of light that leaves the lens compared to the amount entering it. f2.8 means that 1/2.8, or 36% of the light passes through. f5.6 means that 1/5.6, or 18% of the light passes through - half as much. So f2.8 is twice as bright as f5.6, and you will have to leave the shutter open twice as long (or double the ISO) to get the same exposure at f5.6.

What makes it so complex is that the aperture also controls the "depth of field", which is the distance between the closest potential in-focus object and the farthest in-focus object. At f2.8, you have quite a small depth of field, and at f22, you have an almost infinite depth of field (ie everything's always in focus). The depth of field increases as you get further away from the lens, so it matters most when you're doing close-ups.

Finally, aperture also affects lens sharpness. Lenses are usually softest at their maximum aperture, and are often sharpest around f8 or f11 (depends on the lens).

So if you have a lens that can do f1.4 and you're shooting in a dark room, you still might not use f1.4 if you need to focus on two objects that are at different distances from the lens. In fact you'd hardly ever want to use f1.4 because the DOF is tiny at that aperture - if you're doing a close-up portrait, it's quite possible to get in-focus eyes but an out-of-focus nose.

Another example: say you have an f2.8 lens that is sharpest at f11 and you're shooting outdoors on a sunny day. You'd use f11, right? Not necessarily: it often looks very nice when the subject is in-focus but the background is so out-of-focus as to be blurry. In order to get this effect, you need to use a large aperture (small f-number), so you might end up taking the shot at f2.8 and 1/3000th of a second.

Professional zoom lenses usually have a maximum aperture of f2.8 across the entire zoom range. This max aperture is considered "bright" (some use the term "fast"), and big enough to allow you to blue the background if desired, while giving a reasonable amount of DOF. Unfortunately, lenses have to be bigger, heavier, and more carefully designed in order to give an f2.8 aperture across the entire zoom range, which explains why the "professional" f2.8 zooms are heavy and expensive compared to their "ameteur" brethren. The pro zooms also tend to have a smaller zoom range, because the big aperture makes everything so tricky (and big), which is why you can't buy a 50-500/2.8 lens for any amount of money, but you can buy some "amateur" (ie variable max aperture) zooms with that sort of huge zoom range.

Hope this info has been helpful to you. Good luck with your 10D!

Sorry, but this is getting absurd... there are two other threads on EXACTLY this subject still on the first page... why does everyone need their very own "which is best lens for 10D?" thread?
Its going to come down to a matter of taste anyway...

[sorry]

...mostly because it's so cheap and so sharp. Note that on your 10D, this is a zoom/portrait lens, not a "natural viewpoint" like it is on a 35mm film SLR.