[mr cat]

hi guys - as some of you may know - I dropped my 400d last weekend and broke sigma f1.4 30mm lens - anyway - this is going to get sent back and hopefully they can sort it out...!

well, I've been looking at some other lenses too and I fancy a small zoom (upto about 70mm) and I like sigma...

there is something like a - Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG which seems to retail for a few hundred quid...
how much better is it than the lens here - Sigma 28-70mm & 70-300mm AF Lens Set for Canon EOS / EF on eBay, also, For Digital SLR, Camera Lenses, Photography (end time 12-Jul-08 18:25:32 BST) I'm assuming lots...and I'd no doubt have to pay duty etc when it arrives...

I already have a canon ultrasonic 70-300mm here -
NEW!~CANON EF ( 75-300mm) F/4.0-5.6 III USM LENS ~in UK on eBay, also, For Digital SLR, Camera Lenses, Photography (end time 11-Jul-08 22:38:36 BST)

is is a suitable 28-300mm that would be comparable..? _ heard there are some by tamron but I'm not sure what they are like...

I don't want any compromise as I love my sigma - the colours are lush...but then I can't afford to spend loads either...

[mr cat]

what about this one..? -
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Prod..._USM/index.asp

seems to go quite cheaply...

[fionaB]

Originally Posted by mr cat

what about this one..? -
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - Canon UK

seems to go quite cheaply...

same lens frome one stop.......

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens

[mr cat]

yeah, it's on ebay for about 100 quid less...
but the reviews aren't that favourable....unless someone knows better..?

think the sigma maybe a better bet...

[mr cat]

whats the best lense between the following -

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens

[silkstone]

The Canon 28-135 isn't Canon's best lens, and it's quite an old design now. I had one and the build quality was a bit suspect - there was quite a bit of play in the front section. I think there are better options nowadays.

EDIT/ I've no experience of the two Sigma lenses you mention, but in case you didn't know, 'DG' lenses are full-frame and 'DC' are designed for 1.6x crop factor cameras. That may not matter unless you ever decide to go full-frame.

[Dabhand16]

Originally Posted by mr cat

whats the best lense between the following -

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens

Depends on what value you place on the wide end.

[mr cat]

thanks for that guys... to be honest - I can't imagine buying a full frame camera just now anyway...

RE: EDIT/ I've no experience of the two Sigma lenses you mention, but in case you didn't know, 'DG' lenses are full-frame and 'DC' are designed for 1.6x crop factor cameras. That may not matter unless you ever decide to go full-frame.

would there jot be any issue using a DG lens on a 400d..?

but also, is the EX a better piece of glass tho..?

[mr cat]

Originally Posted by mr cat

whats the best lense between the following -

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens

yeah, think the 24-70mm is possibly the one as the 'This lens covers focal lengths from 24mm ultra wide angle to 70mm medium telephoto and provides a large f2.8 aperture at all focal lengths. ' wins it for me...

unless anyone knows better?

[silkstone]

The only thing is that 24mm on a 1.6x camera gives the same field of view as a 38mm lens on full-frame, and that is not really very wide-angle. 17mm is the equivalent of about 27mm, which is more useful.

Sigma's statement that 24mm is 'ultra wide' may apply to full frame (although I think it's stretching the definition of 'ultra' even there) but not to 1.6x cameras.

Have you searched around for reviews of the 17-70? There's also a Tamron 17-50 and of course the Canon 17-40L which is very good if you don't mind the limited zoom range.

[mr cat]

yeah - I'm not bothered about the ultra wide part - I had just copyed the full sentence...

there's also the tamron 28-75 - anyone had experience of that..?
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm 28-75 f/2.8 f2.8 XR Di LD 4 Canon on eBay, also, For Digital SLR, Camera Lenses, Photography (end time 20-Jul-08 18:54:42 BST)

also - whats the best site for lens reviews..? - there seems to be so many too...

[Markulous]

Minor point but meaning of DG in Sigma lenses is the 'special' coating - aimed at digital cameras (not that their own description makes it very clear!):

DG Lens
The most suitable lenses for 35mm film single-lens reflex cameras, as well as for digital SLR cameras. Sigma's development of the DG (Digital) range of lenses has concentrated on the correction of distortion and aberrations. Magnification of chromatic aberration is particularly conspicuous with digital cameras. The optical designs and cutting-edge technology incorporated by Sigma eliminate flare and ghosting from te image sensor and create excellent color balance. Vignetting is minimized whilst marginal illumination is ensured. These high performance lenses are equally suited for digital and analogue cameras.

[Dabhand16]

Also, if a lens is designated 'digital', I would expect the focal length to be corrected to do what it says on the tin, inasmuch as the 1.6 conversion for a crop sensor is not necessary.

[silkstone]

No, sorry Dabs - focal length is focal length whatever size sensor the lens is used with. It's a property of the lens.