The right wide-angle zoom

Hey everyone. First time posting on the forum, so bear with me.

I shoot sports and action a lot - basketball, etc...

I have two Canon bodies (70D and T3i) and am looking at a better wide angle lens. Here are the lenses I have:

18-55 kit lens

70-200 2.8

50mm 1.8

85mm 1.8

I'm thinking to sell the 85mm 1.8 and buying a better wide-angle (2.8) lens where the AF is going to work fast enough for sports like basketball.

As I see it, I have 2 or 3 options if I'm not going with a Canon 24-70 (since I don't have over $2000 to spend).

1) 18-55 f 2.8. It's not an L series lens but seems like the AF would be quick enough? and price is $850-$900 range... which is doable.

2) Tamron 24-70 VC 2.8. I know it's Tamron's run at Canon's 24-70, but what does the AF look like on this one? I've never bought a Tamron lens and I'm sure it looks fine comparatively for my taste, but I'm definitely concerned about the function of the AF in comparison to a canon...

3) Canon 16-35 2.8. This is an L series lens and might be out of my price range, but how big a difference would it make compared to the other two?

OK, I'm up for people weighing in on any of the above or other ideas. A full frame camera is somewhere in my future, but it is probably quite a ways off at this point. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

fansmanship wrote:

Hey everyone. First time posting on the forum, so bear with me.

I shoot sports and action a lot - basketball, etc...

I have two Canon bodies (70D and T3i) and am looking at a better wide angle lens. Here are the lenses I have:

18-55 kit lens

70-200 2.8

50mm 1.8

85mm 1.8

I'm thinking to sell the 85mm 1.8 and buying a better wide-angle (2.8) lens where the AF is going to work fast enough for sports like basketball.

As I see it, I have 2 or 3 options if I'm not going with a Canon 24-70 (since I don't have over $2000 to spend).

1) 18-55 f 2.8. It's not an L series lens but seems like the AF would be quick enough? and price is $850-$900 range... which is doable.

presumably you mean the Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS (there is a sigma 18-50 f2.8 lens).

It's top notch, your best bet.

2) Tamron 24-70 VC 2.8. I know it's Tamron's run at Canon's 24-70, but what does the AF look like on this one? I've never bought a Tamron lens and I'm sure it looks fine comparatively for my taste, but I'm definitely concerned about the function of the AF in comparison to a canon...

That's a standard lens for FF. it's not very wide at all on crop, why don't you try your 18-55 at 24mm to see how much you loose at the wide end. But maybe it's the focal length you want?

3) Canon 16-35 2.8. This is an L series lens and might be out of my price range, but how big a difference would it make compared to the other two?

unless you go FF, the 17-55 IS is the right choice for crop.

OK, I'm up for people weighing in on any of the above or other ideas. A full frame camera is somewhere in my future, but it is probably quite a ways off at this point. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Will you be shooting at the rim only, or up and and down the court also?

Odd, I shoot basketball with the 85mm f/1.8 and it focuses fine. In fact, that would be my recommended basketball lens for full frame, though maybe a 50mm would work better with a crop camera. I also shoot with the 70-200 f/2.8 for floor action.

But to answer your question, the 16-35 is a real meat-and-potatoes photojournalist lens, though too wide for normal basketball shots. The 24-70 f/2.8L II might also work well on crop cameras--it is incredibly sharp, flare resistant and fast focusing.

Abu Mahendra wrote:

Will you be shooting at the rim only, or up and and down the court also?

Some of both. I would like to have one body with the longer lens for up and down the court and another with a shorter lens for inside of the 3-point line, where most of the action takes place....

It so, you could consider the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 for at the rim. Set it to manual focus at 5 meters (16 feet). At 16mm (26 FF equivalent) and f/2.8, everything between 2.5 meters (8 feet) and infinity will be In focus.

That's worst-case. Stop down or go wider, and you get even greater DoF.

fansmanship wrote:

photonius wrote:

fansmanship wrote:

Hey everyone. First time posting on the forum, so bear with me.

I shoot sports and action a lot - basketball, etc...

I have two Canon bodies (70D and T3i) and am looking at a better wide angle lens. Here are the lenses I have:

18-55 kit lens

70-200 2.8

50mm 1.8

85mm 1.8

I'm thinking to sell the 85mm 1.8 and buying a better wide-angle (2.8) lens where the AF is going to work fast enough for sports like basketball.

As I see it, I have 2 or 3 options if I'm not going with a Canon 24-70 (since I don't have over $2000 to spend).

1) 18-55 f 2.8. It's not an L series lens but seems like the AF would be quick enough? and price is $850-$900 range... which is doable.

presumably you mean the Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS (there is a sigma 18-50 f2.8 lens).

It's top notch, your best bet.

Yes. this is what I mean. Obviously it wouldn't work with FF body. Does that also mean that the 17-55 will give me 17-55 with cropped sensor (since it's made for those cameras) or would it still by 1.6x?

The lens has a focal length.

Whenever we use the smaller APS-C size sensor, we must multiply by a crop zoom factor of 1.6; this gives us the focal length in full frame equivalent.

When we use a full frame sensor, we don't have to multiply by anything at all.

2) Tamron 24-70 VC 2.8. I know it's Tamron's run at Canon's 24-70, but what does the AF look like on this one? I've never bought a Tamron lens and I'm sure it looks fine comparatively for my taste, but I'm definitely concerned about the function of the AF in comparison to a canon...

That's a standard lens for FF. it's not very wide at all on crop, why don't you try your 18-55 at 24mm to see how much you loose at the wide end. But maybe it's the focal length you want?

Yes. I'm pretty confident in the Tamron the more I read about it, but your point is well-made about the zoom. I suppose I could test it using my kit lens (depending on your answer to my question above). What do people know about the AF capabilities of the Tamron? Should I be worried?

Have a look at this YouTube 4-way comparison between the EF-S 17-55 f2.8 3x zoom, Sigma 17-35 f1.8 2x zoom, Sigma 17-50 3x zoom f2.8 and the Tamron 17-50 3x zoom f2.8.

Note that all these lenses have wide apertures of f/2.8, but their zoom ranges have been greatly diminished down to just 3x zoom, where a typical EF-S 15-85 has a small f/3.5-5.6 aperture, but has some 6x zoom range.

Note too how the Sigma 17-35 f/1.8 only has 2x zoom range, but has an even bigger aperture of f/1.8.

Thus, the wider the aperture, the shorter or shallower the zoom range.

A prime lens has really big apertures like f/1.4 or even f/1.2, but it has only the single focal length.

Life is a compromise...

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

peterharvey wrote:

fansmanship wrote:

photonius wrote:

fansmanship wrote:

Hey everyone. First time posting on the forum, so bear with me.

I shoot sports and action a lot - basketball, etc...

I have two Canon bodies (70D and T3i) and am looking at a better wide angle lens. Here are the lenses I have:

18-55 kit lens

70-200 2.8

50mm 1.8

85mm 1.8

I'm thinking to sell the 85mm 1.8 and buying a better wide-angle (2.8) lens where the AF is going to work fast enough for sports like basketball.

As I see it, I have 2 or 3 options if I'm not going with a Canon 24-70 (since I don't have over $2000 to spend).

1) 18-55 f 2.8. It's not an L series lens but seems like the AF would be quick enough? and price is $850-$900 range... which is doable.

presumably you mean the Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS (there is a sigma 18-50 f2.8 lens).

It's top notch, your best bet.

Yes. this is what I mean. Obviously it wouldn't work with FF body. Does that also mean that the 17-55 will give me 17-55 with cropped sensor (since it's made for those cameras) or would it still by 1.6x?

The lens has a focal length.

Whenever we use the smaller APS-C size sensor, we must multiply by a crop zoom factor of 1.6; this gives us the focal length in full frame equivalent.

When we use a full frame sensor, we don't have to multiply by anything at all.

2) Tamron 24-70 VC 2.8. I know it's Tamron's run at Canon's 24-70, but what does the AF look like on this one? I've never bought a Tamron lens and I'm sure it looks fine comparatively for my taste, but I'm definitely concerned about the function of the AF in comparison to a canon...

That's a standard lens for FF. it's not very wide at all on crop, why don't you try your 18-55 at 24mm to see how much you loose at the wide end. But maybe it's the focal length you want?

Yes. I'm pretty confident in the Tamron the more I read about it, but your point is well-made about the zoom. I suppose I could test it using my kit lens (depending on your answer to my question above). What do people know about the AF capabilities of the Tamron? Should I be worried?

Have a look at this YouTube 4-way comparison between the EF-S 17-55 f2.8 3x zoom, Sigma 17-35 f1.8 2x zoom, Sigma 17-50 3x zoom f2.8 and the Tamron 17-50 3x zoom f2.8.

Ooops, here's the YouTube 4-way comparison I promised: http://youtu.be/T3UfbsdfUu8

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

No, Peter, I am talking about a ZOOM lens for Crop sensor cameras with constant f1.8 aperture throughout its om range!

Methinks the OP needs fast and/or wide, and for that, on Crop, there are only two lenses. I'll give you a hint. Only I have mentioned or alluded to both.

Abu Mahendra wrote:

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

No, Peter, I am talking about a ZOOM lens for Crop sensor cameras with constant f1.8 aperture throughout its om range!

Methinks the OP needs fast and/or wide, and for that, on Crop, there are only two lenses. I'll give you a hint. Only I have mentioned or alluded to both.

Oh, I know what you mean; we'll let him guess then...

fansmanship wrote:

[...]

Great. One additional question as I read responses then too. Am I correct to think that the EFS lenses DON'T work on full-frame? If this is the case, does their zoom also need to be thought of as 1.6 magnification (despite the fact that they're seemingly made for a cropped chip)?

You are correct, the EF-S lenses has a smaller image circle and will not be able to fill the frame of a FF camera - and I believe they cannot be mounted on one either unless you tweak them.

EF and EF-S lenses are always marked with the actual focal length. An EF-S lens at 50 mm will give the same field of view as an EF lens at 50 mm. On an APS-C camera, that will be the same field of view as you would get with an 80 mm lens on FF, but the crop factor for APS-C is always the same.

On compacts, you will sometimes see the equivalent (to FF) focal length, but not so on APS-C.

If you think the 70-200 mm is a bit long on you crop camera, you might like the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 - APS-C only, though.

peterharvey wrote:

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 (crop only) zoom. Based on tests it's excellent, basically a replacement for primes in that range. But it's also pretty big.

peterharvey wrote:

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 (crop only) zoom. Based on tests it's excellent, basically a replacement for primes in that range. But it's also pretty big.

Tell us more, photonious...

Abu Mahendra wrote:

peterharvey wrote:

Abu Mahendra wrote:

There is a zoom lens for Crop sensor Cameras with constant F1.8 aperture with 18mm at the wide end.

Is that a single focal length prime of 18 mm with an F/1.8 aperture? Who makes that may I ask? I find that there are a real shortage of primes for APS-C sensors.

The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 (crop only) zoom. Based on tests it's excellent, basically a replacement for primes in that range. But it's also pretty big.

Tell us more, photonious...

it's been reviewed right here, not long ago

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/sigma-18-35-1-8