Wide - Zoom lens recommendation with good boken

[raj varma]

I am looking for a travel lens that starts from 18 - 28 mm and zooms to 100mm+, which has a good smooth boken. I have a beercan and love its boken and now don’t like boken from any of my other lenses. I have a sigma 28 200 with offal boken. The kit lens and the 28-75/2.8 don't have the extra zoom I want. I like to take portraits of my 2 yr. old daughter and would like to have a wide lens for travel which I can zoom as well to capture portraits with good boken. Any recommendations?

Raj

 

[David Haslam]

Good Bookeh is normally associated with older more traditionally designed lenses and ones with smooth aperture blades. There are no older very wide angle zooms but the old 28-135mm Minolta lens migh be an option. It is heavy of course to carry. I don't have any portrait examples but this group shot is similar.



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dhaslam
http://www.pbase.com/dhaslam/galleries

 

[Rno]

I don't have it yet, so I can't really compare it, but Marcus Karlsen reviewed the 28-70 f/2.8 G lens and gave it outstanding marks on bokeh quality. Here is the picture he posted:



The full review is posted here:
http://www.marcuskarlsen.com/PhotoBag/Minolta_28-70_f28.htm

A 70mm on a 5D or 7D is equivalent to 105mm, and that is on the higher end of a traditional portrait lens.

I will have this lens on Thursday and can tell you more then.

 

[dr jim]

Any one of the 18-200's will provide tremendous versatility. Another good option would be either the Tamron or Sigma, 24-135. It's a trade off, IQ for extreem range. I've used both (18-200 and 24-135) and been happy with the results. I think it depends on where you are traveling. If your going somewhere with a lot of wilderness travel, the 18-200 will get those wide scenic shots as well as the occasional wildlife close up. If you're going to Disneyland or Paris you might not need that long reach. (I've heard that as long as you don't speak English, you can approach quite close to the Pariasians without startling them. LOL)

 

[dr jim]

After I posted those comments I went back and re-read your question. Somehow your comments about bokeh didn't register with me. The only example showing the bokeh on the 18-200 is below, and these were taken with a close up attachment.Propably not a good example for what you want to do. sorry.

 

[Bramley]

Sigma 18-125.

Couple of (much worn!) examples below:













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[Ken_5D]

I thought Cameta had raised the price, but it was acually Amazon.com showing me their lens offerings when I search for Cameta. We know somene bought one this weekend for $179.00

If they put any more of them on ebay at $179.. that is still a good deal

Here are a couple that show the Bokeh





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Ken - KM 5D
Sigma Trinity 10-20, 24-135 f2.8-4.5, 70-300 APO DG
http://www.cascadephotoworks.com