DSLR Photography Forum

Hello Iam new to this site and have become a big fan..I just got a canon 20d, and I'm giong to be buying 2 or 3 lenses. I plan on using the camera for travel, landscapes and golf course pictures...Of course some indoor pictures of the nephews and family..
The first lens I plan to buy is the 70 - 2000 f/4.

The second and third are much more difficult..choices..
1. canon 17- 40 f/4 with the 50mm 1.4
2. tamron 28 - 75 f/ 2.8 with canon 20- 3
3 . sigma 18 - 50 f/ 2.8 with 50mm 1.8 or 1.4

My time at work is being spent reading all the reviews maybe to much time..
Please any advice to stop a spinning mind..

Welcome to Shuttertalk stick. First lens is a no brainer. I think the lenses you listed are good choices but I get the feeling you are looking at the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 merely because of cost. It is obvious you are wanting wide and a good prime. You can't go wrong with a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. Your third choice offers more focal length than 1 and are faster lenses. Go for your 3rd and a 50mm f1.4.

Thank you peto...the sigma offers fast glass and at a reduced price. With the triple rebate from canon th 50 mm 1.4 and 70 -200 will be a good start.

Congrats on your acquisition!

Sounds like your tele range (70-200) is covered, and a prime would be handy to have too (50mm). The next one sounds like your standard lens - i.e. the one that you would have on your body maybe 80-90% of the time. IMHO this is the most important one, so take your time, try them out in shops and read reviews, etc.

Better to make an informed purchase and get one that you're truly happy with ...

dstick Wrote:The second and third are much more difficult..choices..
1. canon 17- 40 f/4 with the 50mm 1.4
2. tamron 28 - 75 f/ 2.8 with canon 20- 3
3 . sigma 18 - 50 f/ 2.8 with 50mm 1.8 or 1.4

DSTICK: Welcome to ST!

You have obviously already done some homework, as you've got some great lens choices.

I have previously owned the 17-40 f/4L, the 50mm f/1.8, and the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8.

I seriously considered the Canon 20mm f/2.8. It's very good, but I like the flexibility of a zoom.

I currently own the 70-200 f4L, the 50mm f1.4, and the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8.

In my opinion, my present selection is the best combination with one caveat: the Sigma will only work on DSLRs with an APS-C sized sensor. If you plan to upgrade to a full-frame camera, this is not the lens for you. If, like me, you actually think the 1.6x crop factor is an advantage, then the Sigma is excellent.

Regarding the 50mm f/1.4 vs. f/1.8: Well the 1.4 with a hood is 4x the price, but is it worth it? In my opinion, yes, for the reasons sited HERE. Autofocus is notably faster and more accurate in low light, the main reason I disliked the 1.8. Also just try to manually focus the 1.8 with that cheesy little ring on the front. Still, the 1.8 is a GREAT bargain lens, and if your budget is limited you can't do much better.

The Tamron is "very good" in my opinion. It is probably overhyped in some web reviews. I sold mine to someone who previously owned the Canon 28-70 f/2.8L, and he commented that it's not quite as good as the Canon wide open. But it's still excellent for the price. A good "all-around" lens. I have not yet missed the 50-70mm range that I don't have covered with my current lineup.

Now the real dogfight: Canon 17-40 vs. Sigma 18-50. The 17-40 I had was not impressive at all. Terrible AF performance in low light. Not any sharper at f/4 than the Sigma. You can read my comments about it IN THIS THREAD. For my purposes, the Sigma is much better, especially because it has excellent low-light AF performance. If you need an good outdoor wide lens, and you plan to eventually upgrade your camera body to one with a full frame (or even 1.3x) sensor, then the Canon may be a better choice.

Then again, a series of primes like the Tokina 17mm ATX Pro, Canon 20mm and 35mm f/2 would be even better ...

All just my opinion, of course.

Thank you shutter and slej. It sounds to me that people trade and try more lenses then I thought. My wife is in for a big suprise.

Well, I never tried the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 - but I love my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, almost 90% of all my photography I do with this lens. It's even better when you consider the price (3rd of Canon 24-70 f/2.8L) !

The Tokina 17mm prime is excellent as well - but I find it a bit limiting when shooting on vacation as many much lens-switching is involved. The 17-40 f/4L should be much more flexible, but I doubt that it will produce better quality in pictures.

Since I don't know your budget, I'm going to offer the following setup -

Sigma 15-30 for wideangle
Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 for "normal" shooting
Canon 50mm f/1.8 MkII for low-light photography

In addition I would like to propose to check other wideangle solutions - Sigma 10-20, Tamron 11-18 and / or Tokina 12-42, since these digital bodies transfer "really wide" lenses to "not-so wide" ones ...