[Dork Knight]

Well that was a wasted journey, Borders in the City didn't have a Photography section (I couldn't believe it at first) and the selection in Waterstones was extremely poor.

I'm sure many years ago there used to be huge sections on Photography, mind you, there are next to no book stores left in my area these days.

 

[azt33]

I joined the Canon camp too, I got a 350D kit with a 50mm f/1.8 II, 2 extra batteries and 2 4GB CF cards. I also found a relative cheap 70-200mm f/4 USM that I just paid for, should be here next week

I just need to get a bag now and practice a lot.

 

[raptor84]

Congrats on stepping into another wallet unfriendly( or can be friendly in the long term) hobby.

THe 70-200 f/4 is a very fine lens for the price and once you use that you will get hooked on the L bug for sure hehe..

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raptor84 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats on stepping into another wallet unfriendly( or can be friendly in the long term) hobby. THe 70-200 f/4 is a very fine lens for the price and once you use that you will get hooked on the L bug for sure hehe..

Congrats new 350D and 400D users.

azt33, what a way to start. 70-200 f4.

With something more wide angle you could be set for all occasions.

 

[Dork Knight]

Cheers Ian,

Has anyone used or have thoughts on the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro, and if so what do you think (Good & Bad)?

The reason I ask is that I was not all that impressed with the kit lens (EF-S 18-55) which came with the 400D, so after some investigation I ended up purchasing the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM (this purchase has definitely delayed my source upgrade).

Unfortunately I now need an all-purpose carry around lens to fill the gap, many of the images I look at (on pbase) are just not as good as the 70-200mm f/4L IS (even the L series in the same price range IMO) but I'm only looking in the price range of the Sigma at the moment (I really want to upgrade my source and the 70-200mm f/4L IS is the only major money I want to spend on the camera for the time being).

IS would be a benefit but I believe the Sigma to be better than the similar priced Canon.

Thank You,

Jason

 

[azt33]

Raptor84 and Ian, thanks for the kind words

I guess I am a sucker for wallet-unfriendly hobbies, can't help myself!

Unfortunately I sprained my ankle a few days ago, so I haven't been able to get out there and start shooting. I am just playing around with the camera and trying to understand it better.

Ian, next on my list is the Canon EF-S 10-22mm. Although that might be a few months away and for the time being, I should be set. In the long run, I would like to replace the kitlens with something better too, like the EF-S 17-85mm. But that is probably going to happen after the summer.

Does anyone have tips for a bag BTW? I have been looking at the Crumpler bags, as I used to have one for my laptop and really liked it. Do you think all my gear (which is not much right now) would fit in something like the Pretty Boy L?

My gear:
350D, kit lens, 50mm f/1.8 II, 70-200mm f/4, spare batteries, some cleaning tools and some other small items.

 

[Dork Knight]

I have a Lowepro Micro Trekker 100, it's a great little back pack with removable Velcro pads so that you can change the configuration.

I recently bought a 70-200mm Lens, it fits in the Micro Trekker but it's not ideal IMO - I looked at the Crumpler Daily XL yesterday which looks fantastic.

I'll probably opt for the Crumpler when I wish to take everything with me, and probably keep the Micro Trekker for when I just need to carry the basics - Although Lowepro offer a wide range of very good bags.

So from what I've seen and used, I would check out Lowepro along with Crumpler.

 

[nytryder7]

Hello, does anyone have any experience with / opinions on Sandisk's Extreme series cf cards? I am thinking about upgrading to the 4g extreme III or maybe the extreme IV card. Thanks.

 

[martook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dork Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cheers Ian, Has anyone used or have thoughts on the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro, and if so what do you think (Good & Bad)? The reason I ask is that I was not all that impressed with the kit lens (EF-S 18-55) which came with the 400D, so after some investigation I ended up purchasing the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM (this purchase has definitely delayed my source upgrade). Unfortunately I now need an all-purpose carry around lens to fill the gap, many of the images I look at (on pbase) are just not as good as the 70-200mm f/4L IS (even the L series in the same price range IMO) but I'm only looking in the price range of the Sigma at the moment (I really want to upgrade my source and the 70-200mm f/4L IS is the only major money I want to spend on the camera for the time being). IS would be a benefit but I believe the Sigma to be better than the similar priced Canon. Thank You, Jason

There's a lot of options to choose from in this spectrum of lenses. The king of the hill is the Canon 17-55mm f2.8IS, but then again, that costs an arm and a leg as well... but if you want to match that 70-200, your probably have to get this.

The Canon 17-85mm is not that highly regarded, but it's of course a lot better than the kit lens. Another option if you think 24mm (x1.6) is wide enough for you (or you plan to get something like the 10-22 later anyway), is the 24-105mm f4 L IS.
All third party lens producers make good and fast (f2.8) lenses that are 18-50mm or close to it, worth checking out as well.

Check out these sites for reviews:
Lens Tests by LightRules Photo Gallery by lightrules at pbase.com
FM Reviews - Main Index

 

[Dork Knight]

Thanks martook - I'll investigate those lenses and have a scan of the sites.

 

[GTRacer]

17-40 f/4L
Sigma 18-50 2.8
Tamron 17-55 2.8

My suggestions.

 

[raptor84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nytryder7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello, does anyone have any experience with / opinions on Sandisk's Extreme series cf cards? I am thinking about upgrading to the 4g extreme III or maybe the extreme IV card. Thanks.

Depends on the kind of shooting and camera you use. If you use an entry level camera like a rebel xt or d40x and currently use a 80x card like an Ultra 2, you might not notice much of a difference when the buffer is being cleared. The only difference you might notice is when transferring form camera to PC using a good card reader.

If you frequently shoot sports of wildlife action with a 40D or D200 then it might be a good udea to invest in those. Not too sure about how much more speed a extreme 3 vs 4 would give though as I only have experience with the extreme 3 range..

 

[lan]

70-200 f4L IS is generally thought as the sharpest Canon zoom. It's unfortunate to start with that one because everything else will not be as good for one reason or another.

I think you should get the Tamron 17-50. It's also pretty sharp. I'm not sure you'd notice a gap from 50-70.

 

[Dork Knight]

Thank You Ian - Would the Tamron be the following Lens?
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD Asp IF Lens Sample Photos and Specifications

The 70-200mm f/4L IS is definitely a fantastic lens, I looked at many samples and I was always drawn back to the 70-200mm f/4L IS - It seemed like nothing (within a reasonable price difference) could compare.

 

[lan]

Yes that would be the lens.

I prefer the speed and look of the images of the 2.8 version of the 70-200 but it's not a lens you want to carry around all the time since it's heavy.