DSLR lenses

[KenYork]

Ok I\'ve had enough of my kit lense and not sure where to go next. Just wanna know what lenses everyone else has and recommends.

I have a Canon Rebel XT, but for those with other brands of cameras, I\'d like to hear of your sigma, tamron, tokina and other brand of lenses that also have Canon mounts.

[///M]

I have a Sigma 10-20mm for my Canon 350D (aka Rebel XT in North America). It isn\'t a significant upgrade in terms of sharpness over the kit EF-s lens (which is suprisingly good), but at 10mm (16mm full frame equivalent) it captures an awesome field of view. It terms of quality itself, it feels much better constructed than the Canon kit lens, though that\'s probably not the best lens for a comparison.

I haven\'t actually posted any pictures here taken with this camera of lens yet, for those of you who are wondering. All in good time. :)

It\'s hard to recommend a lens without specifying what you\'re looking for and what you plan to do with it. Zoom or prime? Wide angle or telephoto? Price range? Are you looking for a fast lens for greater DOF? ...etc

[KenYork]

with about 500 to spend.. i\'m looking for more range in telephoto.

[Xerox]

I personally like Canon lenses. Currently I have a Canon 35mm SLR (Canon A2e) but plan on buying Canon 30D within the month with the EF-S 17-85mm IS.
If you go for a Canon lens, I would suggest the EF-S class of lenses since they are designed specifically for digital SLRs. Also I would only get a lens with USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) which drives the AF. USMs are faster, smoother, and quieter and allows for full-time manual focusing even when in auto mode. Just remember that for your Rebel, you have to multiply the lens focal length by 1.6x to get the true focal length.

[///M]

Here\'s a sample of what a 10-20mm super wide angle lens can do for you:

http://individual.utoronto.ca/cc_706/401_small.jpg

Note the depth of the picture.

[Fuman]

Originally posted by autoexe


Here\'s a sample of what a 10-20mm super wide angle lens can do for you:

http://individual.utoronto.ca/cc_706/401_small.jpg

Note the depth of the picture.
hey would you have a high rez verison of that picture, I\'d like to use it as my wallpaper

[KenYork]

thanks guys.. i\'m currently waiting on a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR LD Aspherical IF Macro, just for the range. The sigma 10-20 will certainly be on my list for the super wide angle.

other possibilities

standard carry abouts:
zoom
(NEW) Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD I
SIGMA 17-70MM DC 2.8-4.5
Canon EF 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM

*note* Canon EF-S 17-85MM f4-5.6 IS USM is a nice lense but at the price
i\'d save for a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

prime
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM or the 50mm f/1.8 MK1, an 85mm, 100mm 135mm. I think most prime lenses of any brand are quite good(no personal prefrences yet).


As for telephoto.
the 28-300mm should do well. maybe just add a 400mm prime.

[chaser]

I\'d suggest the following for telephoto. I think Sigma and Tamron are good lenses too but I just haven\'t researched much on them yet.

(1) Canon EF 75-300mm f/3.5-5.6 III USM (~$240)
Good range and cheap; but doesn\'t give very sharp photos.

(2) Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM (~$750)
Very good photo and built quality; one of the best value L-series lenses.

(3) Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM (~$1450)
Allows 2x the light than 70-200mm f/4L; even sharper photos but 2x the money.


If you shoot mostly outdoor with great light source and the objects are static, I think 75-300mm f/3.5-5.6 III USM should be fine. When I\'m getting my next lens, I\'d probably go for EF 70-200mm f/4L.

[KenYork]

for the next couple years i\'ll be on a budget with renovations needing to be done. After that i\'ll be saving for L series lenses

[Xerox]

Originally posted by KenYork


for the next couple years i\'ll be on a budget with renovations needing to be done. After that i\'ll be saving for L series lenses
Just put a red sticker around the barrel to make it look like the L series. :)
I guess that\'s like putting a typeR sticker on a base civic.

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by KenYork


thanks guys.. i\'m currently waiting on a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR LD Aspherical IF Macro, just for the range. The sigma 10-20 will certainly be on my list for the super wide angle.

other possibilities

standard carry abouts:
zoom
(NEW) Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD I
SIGMA 17-70MM DC 2.8-4.5
Canon EF 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM

*note* Canon EF-S 17-85MM f4-5.6 IS USM is a nice lense but at the price
i\'d save for a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

prime
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM or the 50mm f/1.8 MK1, an 85mm, 100mm 135mm. I think most prime lenses of any brand are quite good(no personal prefrences yet).


As for telephoto.
the 28-300mm should do well. maybe just add a 400mm prime.

I didn\'t get chance to give a recommendation....

I\'m with you KenYork for the kit lens - it\'s okay, but as you\'ve indicated - it limiting. I sold mine and got the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DX/DG/whatever it\'s called. Not bad - soft at f2.8, I\'m happy though.

Can\'t say about Tamron (never used one) - you set a budget and stuck to it (it sounds) - you can always sell the lens when you upgrade.

About Sigma - compared to Canon - pictures tend to be warm (conversely, one may say Canon is cold) - easy to correct in PS.

I think you have the right one indicated for the 28-105 - make sure you get the more $$$ one - it\'s worth the extra money - due to USM (don\'t they also now have a IS version of this lens range?) - though I went for the 28-128 IS (it was on sale also at the time) - not bad walk-around lens - not wide enough in certain situations though.

For the 50mm primes - IMHO - the f1.8 version give more bang for the buck - for $120 vs. $350 (prices top of my head from what I remember) - the f1.8 has some AF issues in low light and USM is nice however - it\'s a good deal for $120 - the difference I feel between f1.8 and f1.4 is not going to be worth $200 or more. I got the f1.8 and it serves me well.

The 17-85 IS is nice - rented one for the weekend for a company tradeshow (1,500 shots over three days to cover the event). Hard to say I\'d get it as I\'m happy with the lenses I have now.

Now think of what else you may want - flash unit (580EX is on my list), wireless remote, cable release, tripod upgrade (Manfrotto vs. Optex - kinda like Mazda vs. Cavalier), camera bag... just like a car and mods - a slippery slope.

Happy picture taking

JK

[bluntman]

I saw an ad in today\'s Toronto Star advertising a sale on various L-Series lenses, either at Downtown Camera or Merkle. I don\'t know how much of a sale the prices are, I just thought I\'d let you guys know.

[bluntman]

I can\'t believe how expensive lenses are!

Henry\'s has a 4 page ad in the today\'s Star advertising their sale.

I can\'t wait until I receive my Sony A100. Good thing I bought the kit with both lenses, an 18-70 and a 75-300. Although I wouldn\'t mind a good wide angle lens to round things off.

I was thinking about starting a \"Digital Camera/Digital Photography\" thread in the lounge since many members have shown much interest in the subject or have a lot of background on the matter.

What do you think?

[Xerox]

Yup, they can get ridiculously expensive. Especially Canon. Their prices are pretty high, especially L series. It\'s all about optics though. A poor lens can produce bad pictures even on the best cameras. If taking pictures puts food on the table, then the expensive lenses are worth while.

[bluntman]

I read people talking about a lens being \"fast\" and \"slow\". What exactly does that mean? Does that have to do with the auto focus motor/mechanism?

[Xerox]

Originally posted by bluntman


I read people talking about a lens being \"fast\" and \"slow\". What exactly does that mean? Does that have to do with the auto focus motor/mechanism?

They\'re probably referring to the F-Stop/aperture. The lower the F number, the more light the lens can allow in (amongst other things). The right amount of light is required to properly expose a film. So if more light can be allowed in, then the shutter can be faster.

[bluntman]

Geez, it\'s been so long since I was so wrapped in digital photography. I took a couple of years off and used various P&S cameras and now I\'ve completely forgotten what all of these terms mean!

Are the Tamron, Sigma, and other \"third party\" lenses as good as the ones made by the camera manufacturers? Do you lose anything going with those manufacturers?

[Domokun]

They\'re just as good and sometimes even better. Most manufactures get their lenses made by 3rd party. For instance, Tamron makes lenses for Nikon.

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by bluntman


Geez, it\'s been so long since I was so wrapped in digital photography. I took a couple of years off and used various P&S cameras and now I\'ve completely forgotten what all of these terms mean!

Are the Tamron, Sigma, and other \"third party\" lenses as good as the ones made by the camera manufacturers? Do you lose anything going with those manufacturers?

Can depend on who you talk to - die hard fans of a brand will live by the brand name and feel that \"third party\" items are no good.

For lenses - one issue I\'ve heard is third party lenses have to get \"re-chipped\" - using Canon as an example - Sigma make lens X at point A for Canon Camera 1. Canon upgrades Camera 1 to 2 (for instance 20D to the 30D) - Sigma lens X will no longer work properly (autofocus) on Canon 2 camera - the chip inside has to be updated. Most third party makers have to reverse engineer there products to work with say a Canon. As mentioned before - a Sigma lens tends to be warm vs. Canon lens - this is about the only other one that I personally have expereinced (shots with my Sigma are warm compared to my Canon lens shots).

Though Tamron may make Nikon\'s lenses - the lenses it will make for Nikon will be the highest end stuff they make (i.e. 6 Sigma QC, etc), while their own Tamron line may be a \"little less\". Keep in mind that even the big boys goof - the Canon 20D (now DISC) battery grip had lots of issues as it would not \"connect\" properly when attached to the camera (you\'d either have no power or in the midst of taking a picture lose power).

L glass is expensive - check the Henry\'s website and they have one L (think it\'s the 600mm or 1000mm???) that runs for something like $12-$14K, now include the 1DS MKII for around $10K (I mean come on - if you\'re gonna spend - SPEND0 - you\'d best be making money from that. L glass is a bit decieving at times - there are nice lenses out there that are not L glass that will do the job that most of us need. On the photo board I used to frequent often - it was called L glass fever/L glass myth - people wanted to save up only for L glass, and the worst part (IMHO) they felt (it seemed based on their posts) that their pictures would be better. As you\'re probably and as others here are aware - it\'s not just the gear that will yeild great pictures that make others go \"Wow\", it\'s mainly the photographer - they\'re ability to frame, compose and freeze that momemnt in time that make good pictures - check autoexe\'s pic posts - awesome composition, etc. I could go into a long diatride regarding people that got a DSLR, however when you look at their pictures - they should have stuck with a better P&S camera.

To each\'s own - in my case I try to balance what I can afford vs. what I need - in my case the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 was a good choice.

The idea of a photography post is nice - I\'d like to see how it goes.

JK

[bluntman]

Great information! Thanks.



Originally posted by JMAK74


it\'s not just the gear that will yeild great pictures that make others go \"Wow\", it\'s mainly the photographer - they\'re ability to frame, compose and freeze that momemnt in time that make good pictures - check autoexe\'s pic posts - awesome composition, etc. I could go into a long diatride regarding people that got a DSLR, however when you look at their pictures - they should have stuck with a better P&S camera.



JK


I hope this isn\'t what happens to me. :(

[KenYork]

Just picked up sigma\'s 28-70 f/2.8 EX DG. Definitely much better than the kit, but still gonna use the kit lense for the 17mm.






Q. what do you mean by warm(sigma) and cold(canon)?

[bluntman]

Warm - more pronounced red tones?
Cold - more pronounced blue tones?

I\'ve heard this too.

I priced out a Sigma 10-20mm lens with EX glass last night at Henrys...$650.

OUCH!!!

[KenYork]

Originally posted by JMAK74



I didn\'t get chance to give a recommendation....

I\'m with you KenYork for the kit lens - it\'s okay, but as you\'ve indicated - it limiting. I sold mine and got the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DX/DG/whatever it\'s called. Not bad - soft at f2.8, I\'m happy though.

Can\'t say about Tamron (never used one) - you set a budget and stuck to it (it sounds) - you can always sell the lens when you upgrade.

About Sigma - compared to Canon - pictures tend to be warm (conversely, one may say Canon is cold) - easy to correct in PS.

I think you have the right one indicated for the 28-105 - make sure you get the more $$$ one - it\'s worth the extra money - due to USM (don\'t they also now have a IS version of this lens range?) - though I went for the 28-128 IS (it was on sale also at the time) - not bad walk-around lens - not wide enough in certain situations though.

For the 50mm primes - IMHO - the f1.8 version give more bang for the buck - for $120 vs. $350 (prices top of my head from what I remember) - the f1.8 has some AF issues in low light and USM is nice however - it\'s a good deal for $120 - the difference I feel between f1.8 and f1.4 is not going to be worth $200 or more. I got the f1.8 and it serves me well.

The 17-85 IS is nice - rented one for the weekend for a company tradeshow (1,500 shots over three days to cover the event). Hard to say I\'d get it as I\'m happy with the lenses I have now.

Now think of what else you may want - flash unit (580EX is on my list), wireless remote, cable release, tripod upgrade (Manfrotto vs. Optex - kinda like Mazda vs. Cavalier), camera bag... just like a car and mods - a slippery slope.

Happy picture taking

JK

With all the debating i\'ve been having on a new walk-around lense I\'ve picked up the sigma 28-70 f/2.8 EX DG. The online reviews have been quite good, we\'ll see.

I\'ve been talking with friends about the 50mm primes and they\'re saying the same that you\'re better off with the 1.8 caus for practically the same you\'re paying too much more.

Flash unit.. the 580EX is on my list too, quite pricy (IMO).

Things I have:
wireless remote, tripod (both Mazda and Cavalier), camera bag from the Rebel Acc. kit, but definitely looking for a backpack.(I think the Lowepro Orion Trekker II is on sale now $50)

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by KenYork
With all the debating i\'ve been having on a new walk-around lense I\'ve picked up the sigma 28-70 f/2.8 EX DG. The online reviews have been quite good, we\'ll see.

I\'ve been talking with friends about the 50mm primes and they\'re saying the same that you\'re better off with the 1.8 caus for practically the same you\'re paying too much more.

Flash unit.. the 580EX is on my list too, quite pricy (IMO).

Things I have:
wireless remote, tripod (both Mazda and Cavalier), camera bag from the Rebel Acc. kit, but definitely looking for a backpack.(I think the Lowepro Orion Trekker II is on sale now $50)

Nice choice on the Sig 28-70. My first upgrade lens was the Canon 24-85 - served well till I traded it in (along with the kit lens and the 50mm macro) to get the Sig 18-50 f2.8.

580 is pricey - I\'d like to get it still as it has a higher gauge number, couple more features and it can be used as a master flash to my 420.

About backpacks - they\'re nice and I still have my Lowepro Micro Trekker 200, which I barely use (along with shoulder bags Nova AW3 that I use all the time and Nova AW2), however IMHO - for walking around they\'re a bit of a pain for when you have to pull the camera out, you generally have to take the backpack off and/or put it down so you don\'t drop everything in it (yikes!) - I know this from personal experience - you may miss a shot. For the Orion Trekker - never closely looked at it, but based on the Lowepro Webiste (http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/classic/Orion_Trekker_II.aspx) (see page 6 for the bag - it\'s a cut-a-way view of the bag), your camera sits on the bottom with everything else you may bring (i.e. a drink/book) on top of it - seems to me like a receipe of either the leaking bottle or cracked LCD screen. You may end up having it slung around on should, in effect making it a shoulder bag. A shoulder bag can help relieve this to a bit, but the price you pay is a sore back (I learnt that the hardway walking around New Orleans) - however that can be negated by getting the hip belt, which shifts more of the weight to you hips which is easier on the body (I\'m probably going to pick that up in the next week). The AW (All Weather) feature is pretty cool - it\'s a separate covering that wraps the bag - helps keep the elements out. I\'ll try to post a pic of my bag set up and such.

See you around and keep taking pics!

JK

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by bluntman


Warm - more pronounced red tones?
Cold - more pronounced blue tones?

I\'ve heard this too.

I priced out a Sigma 10-20mm lens with EX glass last night at Henrys...$650.

OUCH!!!

Exactly - just like painting pictures/your house - red tones give a \'warm\' feeling, while blue feels cold.

I\'ve found it\'s more noticeable when you don\'t use the flash and if the room/view is already \'warm\' - room with a red carpet - the colour cast is even more pronounced as warm with a Sigma.

JK

[bluntman]

I still have my Tamrac Velocity 7 sling that I bought for my Minolta Dimage 7i. I\'m pretty sure it will fit my new camera, I\'m just not sure how many lenses I can fit inside (with the flash). I went to the local Henry\'s and checked out a few of the backpacks. They were really nice, especially the ones which you can attach your tripod. For now I think I\'ll stick with my Tamrac.

Where do you guys prefer to buy lenses, let alone camera equipment?

[KenYork]

I decided with the backpack for bike trips, as i don\'t want the bag to be flying around. I may start doing some weekend hikes around the city (15-18km)by foot.

I purchased my camera from Photo Creative, a small business in mississauga but they do poster size prints, was recommeded by a friend to go there. I\'ve currently been purchasing most of my stuff from Henrys since i havn\'t found any other place acessable in mississauga. I\'ve been to Vistek downtown, their prices online seem to be the best that i\'ve seen. There\'s Hit Camera and Video on Avenue Rd. with very good prices but i\'ve never been there, a friend that\'s been there doesn\'t really trust purchasing from them. Same goes for Aden, though a Authorized dealer, probably has black market stuff mixed in. Merkel at Vic.Park and Sheppard, like Henrys, been around for years, i\'ve never been there. Downtown Camera, close to Henry\'s location downtown, been there many many years ago.. i don\'t remember much.

My preference(no particular order) Henry\'s and Vistek.

Anyone know of any other places around the city?

btw.. I did get the orion trekker II, it meets my needs, though it does store the camera and lenses on the bottom, tight fit with the battery grip on my XT.

[bluntman]

Wong\'s on Danforth and Broadview. I\'ve only passed by it, I\'ve never gone inside.

[KenYork]

I\'ve walked into Wongs once, small privately owned shop, I\'ve heard good things about their service.

[bluntman]

I\'ve never had a problem with Aden Camera, their Pacific Mall or either of the their downtown stores. I was surprised to find out that they take Sears credit cards. My previous P&S cameras were bought from their Pacific Mall store. They were able to fudge the price on the camera but not on the batteries.

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by KenYork


I decided with the backpack for bike trips, as i don\'t want the bag to be flying around. I may start doing some weekend hikes around the city (15-18km)by foot.

I purchased my camera from Photo Creative, a small business in mississauga but they do poster size prints, was recommeded by a friend to go there. I\'ve currently been purchasing most of my stuff from Henrys since i havn\'t found any other place acessable in mississauga. I\'ve been to Vistek downtown, their prices online seem to be the best that i\'ve seen. There\'s Hit Camera and Video on Avenue Rd. with very good prices but i\'ve never been there, a friend that\'s been there doesn\'t really trust purchasing from them. Same goes for Aden, though a Authorized dealer, probably has black market stuff mixed in. Merkel at Vic.Park and Sheppard, like Henrys, been around for years, i\'ve never been there. Downtown Camera, close to Henry\'s location downtown, been there many many years ago.. i don\'t remember much.

My preference(no particular order) Henry\'s and Vistek.

Anyone know of any other places around the city?

btw.. I did get the orion trekker II, it meets my needs, though it does store the camera and lenses on the bottom, tight fit with the battery grip on my XT.

In the context of why a backpack (riding bike) - makes perfect sense to me.

Henry\'s has been my mainstay - service is good and prices are reasonable. I got my monopod from Downtown Camera, however that\'s it. Vistek I\'m so so about them - they seem to have an attitude that if you\'re not there to spend more than $3,000 on one piece of equipment, don\'t waste my time. However they do rentals - which can be good to either test a lens or if you need something special just once (1000mm L Prime :p). Don\'t know anything else around the city.

JK

[bluntman]

Where is a good place to buy a used lens? A lot of people in the DPReview forums are raving about the Minolta f4 70-210 lens (Minolta/Leica designed lens). What should I look out for when buying a used lens?

[bluntman]

FYI, if anyone is looking to buy a Sigma lens from Henry\'s they have a coupon in their Digital Photography Workshop booklet that gives you $30 off any Sigma lens. I jumped on it and ordered a 17-70 f2.8-4.5 yesterday.

BTW, there is also a coupon for a savings on any Lowepro bag in the same booklet. I forget how much is the discount.

Lastly, Downtown Camera has a 20% off sale on all in stock bags as well. I was eyeing the Lowepro Slingshot 200w which is $99.99 at DC while the same bag is $129.99 at Henry\'s.

What is your strategy when it comes to filters, especially CPLs? Do you buy one CPL to fit your largest lens and then use step-down rings to make them fit on the smaller lenses? Or do you buy one CPL for each lens in your collection?

I priced out a 77mm CPL for my 135-400 at over $250! <gulp!> :(

[KenYork]

Thanks for the info Bluntman. I\'ve heard great things about the SIG 17-70, only downside would be the flash, macro use when the lense is fully extended, but is definitely great lense for the price.

What is a CPL. If protective lense, (IMO)one for each lense, unless it\'s for a lense you rarely use.

[///M]

I\'ve tested about 5 examples of the Sigma 17-70 and all but the first one had problems focusing and produced very soft images. I find that Sigma\'s quality control seems to be erratic at times. Kinda regret not picking up the first one I tested - by the time I went back to buy it it was gone.

I ended up picking up a Canon EF 35mm f/2 prime, but I\'m still on the lookout for a wide, fast (f2.8 or under) zoom to replace the EF-S 18-55. The Canon EF 17-40 L seems like a popular choice, but it\'s a tad pricey and its max aperture at f/4 isn\'t exactly fast enough (I hate using flash, and it\'s not always possible to lug around a tripod). Any suggestions?

[chaser]

I believe CPL refers to Circular Polarizing (Lens) Filter.

I go to Amazing Photo in Markham for my body and lenses. It\'s an authorized dealer (Canadian warranty) so I\'ve no worry.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by chaser

I go to Amazing Photo in Markham for my body and lenses. It\'s an authorized dealer (Canadian warranty) so I\'ve no worry.

What\'s their address?


Originally posted by KenYork

What is a CPL. If protective lense, (IMO)one for each lense, unless it\'s for a lense you rarely use.

A circular polarizing filter (CPL), among other things, cuts down the glare from water and glass. I make sure to buy, at the very least, a Hoya Super HMC, UV(0) filter to protect the front element of the lens. I think I may just use a step-down ring instead of buying a bunch of CPLs. Thankfully my \"beercan\" came with both a UV and a CPL. I\'ll just need one for my 17-70, 67mm if I am not mistaken. I just wish I bought a larger IR filter. :(

[chaser]

Originally posted by autoexe


I\'ve tested about 5 examples of the Sigma 17-70 and all but the first one had problems focusing and produced very soft images. I find that Sigma\'s quality control seems to be erratic at times. Kinda regret not picking up the first one I tested - by the time I went back to buy it it was gone.

I ended up picking up a Canon EF 35mm f/2 prime, but I\'m still on the lookout for a wide, fast (f2.8 or under) zoom to replace the EF-S 18-55. The Canon EF 17-40 L seems like a popular choice, but it\'s a tad pricey and its max aperture at f/4 isn\'t exactly fast enough (I hate using flash, and it\'s not always possible to lug around a tripod). Any suggestions?

I think Sigma or Tamron is the only choice for not too expensive wide & fast lens. Take your time to try until you find a good quality one. Or, stop spending on the 3 and get an EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS :p

[chaser]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by chaser

I go to Amazing Photo in Markham for my body and lenses. It\'s an authorized dealer (Canadian warranty) so I\'ve no worry.

What\'s their address?


It has 2 stores:
Market Village (next to BMO)
Metro Square (3636 Steeles Ave E)

I\'m not sure if it\'s an authorized dealer of Minota/Sony though.

[bluntman]

Ah yes, I remember going to the one at Market Village.

Thanks for the reminder!

What is your strategy for buying lenses?

These are the lenses that I either own or plan on buying in the near future.
(super wide angle) Sigma 10-20 - once available in the Sony/Minolta mount
(walk around lens) Sigma 17-70 - on order
(medium tele-zoom) Minolta 70-210 - f4 throughout focal range, built like a tank
(super tele-zoom) Sigma 135-400 - in the mail, bought from eBay, slow, but I couldn\'t resist

[///M]

Sigma EX 10-20mm - wide angle / daytime walkaround - I love this lens.
Canon EF-S 18-55mm (kit) - indoor/night general-use lens
Canon EF 35mm f/2 - fast prime for closeups, portraits, car photography and low light situations. Wish it was a bit wider though. Originally had the 50mm f/1.8 but that was too long to be useful under most situations, so I returned if for this.

I only need a fast, wide zoom to replace the 18-55 and I\'m pretty much covered for all my needs. I currently don\'t have any use for a telephoto lens.

Blunty - where can I get hold of the Digital Photography Workshop booklet you speak of?

[bluntman]

I picked up mine at Henry\'s downtown location. It\'s on the counter near the Sigma lenses. Make sure the coupon you want is inside, sometimes the staff rip out certain coupons when a customer purchases and eligible item (a staff member told me that).;)

[chaser]

EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS --> (kit lens) Lightweight, IS, 5x zoom. Good walk around lens and able to take photos at low light without using flash and tripod.
EF 50mm f/1.8 --> Fast, sharp and cheap. Use for portriat and close-up.
My next lens will be a wide angel, and it\'ll probably be Sigma 10-20mm.
No serious need for long range shooting for now. When the time comes, it will be either Canon 70-200mm L f2.8 or Sigma 70-200mm f2.8.

Wish Canon had come up with a lens like Nikon\'s DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR IF-ED.

[KenYork]

Doesn\'t tamron have an 18-200 with a canon mount? check the vistek site.. they should have it there.

[chaser]

Tamron\'s doesn\'t have IS or VR; or f/6.3 is not enough at tele range ;)

[TheProfessor]

Sort of off topic but I didn\'t think it deserved it\'s own thread:

I purchased a Rebel XT for my wife and got a free 1GB CF card with it at the time. The brand is PNY I believe, and while we haven\'t had any issued with it yet, I want to get her a 2GB card as we will soon be going on a trip to India and I want to make sure we have enough room to snap away!

My question is this.....does brand of card make a difference? I understand that some cards claim to write faster than others, but is there really a difference? If so, can somebody suggest a good brand or model to go with?

Thanks guys!

[bluntman]

Originally posted by TheProfessor


Sort of off topic but I didn\'t think it deserved it\'s own thread:

I purchased a Rebel XT for my wife and got a free 1GB CF card with it at the time. The brand is PNY I believe, and while we haven\'t had any issued with it yet, I want to get her a 2GB card as we will soon be going on a trip to India and I want to make sure we have enough room to snap away!

My question is this.....does brand of card make a difference? I understand that some cards claim to write faster than others, but is there really a difference? If so, can somebody suggest a good brand or model to go with?

Thanks guys!

PNY is a fine brand, nothing wrong with them. I went on a limb and bought a TwinMOS brand 4GB CF card through eBay for around $100CDN. It is rated at 140x I believe and it works fine with Alpha (I just found out that Vistek also sells this brand of card). I have also bought Transcend cards in the past (256MB 25x and 40x) and I haven\'t hand a problem with them either. Sandisk and Lexar are a couple of the top brand names.

You will notice the difference in speed, especially if shooting in burst mode or if you are shooting in RAW. The regular speed cards will take forever to write to from the camera\'s buffer therefore leaving you to wait before you can shoot again. Incidently, you can buy a Sandisk Extreme II 2.0GB (I believe) CF card at Costco for $100.

[KenYork]

You\'ll notice more if a difference when transfering pics from your card to you computer than in taking pictures.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by KenYork


You\'ll notice more if a difference when transfering pics from your card to you computer than in taking pictures.

Well I don\'t really care how long transferring pics takes. So it sounds like I shouldn\'t bother trying to buy the \'fastest\' 2GB card I can find as it won\'t really have a huge impact.

So other than that Costco deal posted above (thanks BTW), any other deals or places I should check?

[chaser]

The card read/wirte speed makes a difference when shooting RAW or brust, and transferring pics to computer, as Bluntman and Ken York mentioned.

Here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/page12.asp) is a comparison of different CFs tested with a 350D (Rebel XT).

IMO, anything 120X or faster is good enough for XT (RAW and brust shooting), and the performance of different brand is barely noticeable.

[bluntman]

Be careful of the Sandisk cards on eBay (if you decide to go that route), many are fake.

Canadacomputers has a some good prices on a couple of large CF cards.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman


Be careful of the Sandisk cards on eBay (if you decide to go that route), many are fake.

Canadacomputers has a some good prices on a couple of large CF cards.

Cool, thanks! I\'ll check out CC after work.

[bluntman]

Check their website first.

BTW, if you sign up for a Henry\'s card you do get, among other things, a small discount on memory cards.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman


Check their website first.

BTW, if you sign up for a Henry\'s card you do get, among other things, a small discount on memory cards.

Oh I will check the site first. I think my wife might already have one of those cards....gonna have to check.

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by TheProfessor



Originally posted by KenYork


You\'ll notice more if a difference when transfering pics from your card to you computer than in taking pictures.

Well I don\'t really care how long transferring pics takes. So it sounds like I shouldn\'t bother trying to buy the \'fastest\' 2GB card I can find as it won\'t really have a huge impact.

So other than that Costco deal posted above (thanks BTW), any other deals or places I should check?

You say that now, but wait till you waiting around downloading a ton of images :p Tied to that is your USB - odds are it\'s 2.0, but if it\'s less, you have another bottle neck for transferring the pictures.

Happy picture taking in India (post some pics!).

JK

[majic]

Originally posted by TheProfessor


Sort of off topic but I didn\'t think it deserved it\'s own thread:

I purchased a Rebel XT for my wife and got a free 1GB CF card with it at the time. The brand is PNY I believe, and while we haven\'t had any issued with it yet, I want to get her a 2GB card as we will soon be going on a trip to India and I want to make sure we have enough room to snap away!

My question is this.....does brand of card make a difference? I understand that some cards claim to write faster than others, but is there really a difference? If so, can somebody suggest a good brand or model to go with?

Thanks guys!

for something like a memory card, i would go brand name, such as sandisk.. and i haven\'t had any problems with their lineup including extreme III and ultra II cards.. let me tell you, the extreme card is FAST but when i bought it, it was pricey.. don\'t cheap out on a no name brand or some of your best \'memories\' (no pun intended) might come out pixellated/corrupt - been there done that :(

[bluntman]

Prof,

Get yourself one of these...

http://www.techepics.com/files/weird_7777.jpg

or similar image tank, and then you\'ll only need 1 CF card!

[JMAK74]

Originally posted by bluntman


Prof,

Get yourself one of these...

http://www.techepics.com/files/weird_7777.jpg

or similar image tank, and then you\'ll only need 1 CF card!

Been wanting to get something like that, however the fiancee (okay is it two e\'s for the girl when spelling \'that person you\'re engaged to\'???) would have a very, very firm word with me.

JK

[TheProfessor]

^^^ That things looks a bit expensive! A few weeks ago I saw that Future Shop had a deal on the ultra II 2GB card for something like $99.....I might wait though since we\'re not going till December and hopefully prices will drop by then.

[bluntman]

Tell her it\'s an iPod on steroids!

It plays movies, it plays music and it stores your digital photos while you are on vacation. I bought the P4500 after reading the shortcomings of the P2000/P4000. I had to go through eBay and import one from Japan.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman


Tell her it\'s an iPod on steroids!

It plays movies, it plays music and it stores your digital photos while you are on vacation.

Not sure that\'s gonna work since we already have an iPod ;)

[chaser]

DIY Lens Hoods (http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/) :D

[TheProfessor]

Okay, I\'ve been discussing it with my wife and I don\'t think a larger CF card is really what we\'ll need. We\'ll be in India for about 13 days and each day will be packed with travelling around and sightseeing. As such, we expect to take at least 0.5GB worth of pics per day at the minimum. So we\'re looking at a bare minimum of 6.5GB and I don\'t really feel like shelling out for an 8GB card. So can someone recommend me an alternative storage device. Can we simply use an external hard drive (doubt it but had to ask).

Thanks in advance :)

[bluntman]

Well, you can always lug around your laptop. Or, if you can get internet access, seeing as how you are going to India, I don\'t think that that would a problem, you can always upload the day\'s photos to Yahoo or Photobucket or some other online hosting service.

Of course you can always buy multiple smaller capacity cards or lower the quality (and size) of the photos that you take. Shoot in JPG not RAW. Shoot during the day and delete the \"bad\" ones at night. Be more selective in your shooting, of couse that defeats the purpose of \"Trip of a Lifetime\".

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman


Well, you can always lug around your laptop. Or, if you can get internet access, seeing as how you are going to India, I don\'t think that that would a problem, you can always upload the day\'s photos to Yahoo or Photobucket or some other online hosting service.

We don\'t want to lug our laptop around India and we know that we will be in some fairly remote places at times and there may not be internet access.

[bluntman]

I can always let you borrow my P4500!















































NOT!!!!

[TheProfessor]

Is the Epson line something I should strongly consider?

[bluntman]

Originally posted by TheProfessor


Is the Epson line something I should strongly consider?

Not really, just buy a couple more memory cards. Although it may kill the boredom on the flight there.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by TheProfessor


Is the Epson line something I should strongly consider?

Not really, just buy a couple more memory cards. Although it may kill the boredom on the flight there.

After looking into the pricing on those epson storage units that might just be what we do!

[TheProfessor]

What do you guys think about this 4GB CF card on sale right now?

Click (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10074919&catid=2008 7&logon=&langid=EN)

[chaser]

^Looks like a good deal for that card ...

Cheaper option -> 4GB Transcend CF 120x for $90 (http://www.cty.ca/details.asp?pid=1519)
A couple of my friends have been using it for a month or two, and no issue reported yet.

[TheProfessor]

I just found out that if you buy 2 accessories through their website they will knock off an additional 20%, and thankfully I do need some other stuff. I think I\'ll go for it after work!