[fingerz]

DJW's thread about lenses for different budgets was the inspiration for this, really. So cheers DJW

However, instead of listing nine lenses, I only want to know one - your main walkabout lens, since this is the main lens beginners/people will want to spend money on. Plus I want a slightly more detailed description of why you went for it and whether you'd do the same again if you had to buy a new all-purpose lens tomorrow. If you have more than one walkabout lens then pick your favourite (the one you couldn't live without).

I'll start. Mine is the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC. I chose it because I wanted a replacement for the Canon kit lens on a budget. My main concerns were that I wanted something fast (f/2.8 throughout) and it had to go down into the teens at the wide end. Apart from that the only considerations were optical quality and price.

Overall I'm quite happy with it but I do tend to find that it doesn't auto-focus as well as I'd like at 18mm. I usually find myself focusing at 50mm (where the AF seems fine) and then pulling back to 18mm while keeping the focus locked. Apart from that the only bad thing I can say is that it's not as sharp as the 17-40L, but that's to be expected for the price.

If I was buying again, I might spend a bit more time considering whether I'd be prepared to sacrifice the wide maximum aperture for the proven optical quality and better AF of the 17-40L, albeit at a higher price. The 16-35 F2.8L is far too expensive for the extra speed so I'd either have to make do with a slower lens or go into the 24-70mm range, where there are quite a few more choices but the range isn't as useful on 1.6x crop cameras.

So that's mine. Over to you.

Edit: just to add, my ideal (but reasonably realistic) walkabout lens would be 18-80mm, f/2.8 throughout the zoom, have image stabilisation and all the usual nice stuff (good optical quality from about f/4 upwards, USM with FTM focus, decent build quality, non-moving front end, etc)

[IanC_UK]

hmm tricky subject, i have a 17-40L but the lens that lives on my camera is the 100-400L ! because i like wildlife shots/motorsport etc and am not particularly good at landscapes ! lol

[DaveG]

Exactly as Ian, my 100-400 is used the most

[fingerz]

Bah. You two don't count. Bloody wildlife types, ruining my thread in the first two posts

[IanC_UK]

picky !

[SammyC]

The lens that stays on the camera most of the time is the basic Canon f1.8 50mm prime.

It forces you to move yourself rather than the zoom and at 50mm that can be hard work but the results are so much better than any other lens I have that the pain is worth it.

A side effect of that is that it makes me think about the composition of the shot a lot more rather than relying on the zoom to help me out.

If I had the money I think a 17-40L would be my lens of choice but maybe just another L level prime around 28mm would be better.

[Steve]

Well I can see all the people's points of view, it depends what you are shooting and to narrow it down to just one lens is always going to be a compromise. One of the main reasons of buying DSLR is the versatility that different lenses add to your shooting and unless you are a pro making money from one type of photography, then the majority of us would and do require more than one lens. The people who like motor sport or wildlife are going to want long zooms or primes, the people that like landscapes are going to want wide lenses.

But if I was just starting out and budget was limited then as I am a Canon man, the 17-40L would be my choice as it lives on my camera and landscapes seems to give me the most pleasure. On saying that the 24-105mm L IS USM would probably attract more people just for its range and at a push that would probably be a better lens as it covers a bigger range despite not being as wide.

[RobertP]

The Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lives on my camera. There are times when the wide end is not wide enough - but not many.
The main plus is I trust it. If it ever returns a poor result I can usually trace it back to me. It is sharp enough and fast enough for most things I need. Can't say there is any focal length where it is not as good. I guess it is softer wide open but not enough to make me think twice about using it at 2.8

[Steve]

Originally Posted by RobertP

The Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lives on my camera. There are times when the wide end is not wide enough - but not many.
The main plus is I trust it. If it ever returns a poor result I can usually trace it back to me. It is sharp enough and fast enough for most things I need. Can't say there is any focal length where it is not as good. I guess it is softer wide open but not enough to make me think twice about using it at 2.8

Sums that lens up perfectly!!

It was the first lens I bought when I first worked with my 10D and I still have it in my kit now. Despite having a reasonable selection of L glass I would not hesitate to use the Tamron if the situation called for fast glass. The quality it produces is far beyound what its price would suggest it would be capable of.

[MyPix]

well,
i'm afraid i can only afford ' slow ' glass

so the coke bottle bottom does for the time being

MyPix

[Steve]

And I can only afford ' slow ' L glass

So that will have to do for the time being too

Steve

[dlh]

Canon 17-85 IS USM. The IS makes the lens big and heavy but it also saves the day hand holding in lower light. Looks and feels good on the camera. If I had spare cash I'd stick to the middle of the range and plump for the faster 24-70 f/2.8 L

[fingerz]

If that 17-85mm IS was f/2.8 throughout it'd be pretty much ideal, except that it would weigh even more than it does already.

But when you show people a nice photo you took, they don't tend to ask how much the camera weighed when you took it, so who cares.

[Venomator]

18 - 70 (Nikon gear - always ) being new to digital (relatively) it appears a good all rounder and plenty flexible enough for most situations ... in general terms. Has to be backed up with other stuff though for specifics.

And primarily used as it was the kit lens on the D70s ... but as that is now up for sale and the lens goes with it I suppose I might have to turn my eye on the new 18 - 200VR ?

Although it seems to have excellent first press I am not sure this will be my first choice replacement 'everyday' lens 'cos of size/weight/quality etc., but who knows stranger things and all that !

[Joe T]

My walkabout lens is the Nikon 18-70. However, I have ideas of replacing this with the 18-200 vr.