Canon EOS 50d Digital SLR Help

[mikedealer]

So i just bought myself a canon eos 50d SLR with the 28-135 IS USM lens. Love the camera, pictures are simply amazing.

Having been looking at review sites such as dpreview.com and others, looking for some lens advice/help. It seems if i post a question on there asking about 2 comparable lenses, i will get 6 polar opposite answers. 10 people will say a certain lens is total crap and they never take it out of their bag, 10 others will say its one of the only lenses they use.

Obviously it depends on what your shooting etc, but i can get 10 people that all shoot outdoor birds and it will be split 5/5 lol..


ANYWAY i am looking at getting the Canon 100-400 IS USM telephoto lens. The general conclusions in most review sites is thats the Autofocus is a bit slow, and its a older lens, but it seems a LOT LOT LOT of people use this lens. Others compare the sigma 50-500 lens to it, but they say the optics are trash in the sigma. Anyone ever use this lens?

Also looking at getting a good wide angle lens, want to keep it under $500 so i doubt it will be a Image stabalized lens, anyone have any suggestions? dont want a fish eye, just a good "wider" focus lens. people say the 10-22 EF-S USM is a great lens, but its around $750.

any ideas anyone? lol

[civilguy]

My wife has a 20d. She has a Canon 10-22 and it takes nice photos. The cost is definitely greater, but she has a Sigma lens and it's just not up to par. Granted, her Sigma is a 55-200 tele lens, but Sigma lens quality is really reflected in their prices.
It really depends on your level of perfection. My wife has a BFA with a concentration in Photography so she would be in the "highly critical" category.
Good luck and congrats on acquiring a really nice piece of equipment!

Edit: She has a 20d and used to have a 10d-- I stand corrected.
Also, www.bhphotovideo.com - great service, $699 + free shipping for the Canon 10-22.

[mikedealer]

yea i am thinking to 10-22mm canon is the way to go, i have read the "least" amount of bad reviews for this lens lol. Seems to take great photos.

with the sigma line of lenses, i have just seen so much bad crap on them over and over and over and over again.. For every "good" review on a particular lens, there are 8 people criticizing it hardcore. i know the price point is cheaper, but i wil probably stick with the canon line.

Im Definetly going with the 10-22m Lens for Wide

The Telephoto seems to be a bit of a debate.
the 100-400 ISUSM lens seems to be popular all around
someone said to get the 70-200 and use a extender to get 400mm and then i have the versatility of both lenses..

decisions decisons lol

[civilguy]

Yeah, people on forums tend to have wide ranging opinions, so it's hard to sift through all of it. It's also a lot easier to get motivated to post bad reviews when people are upset versus taking time to praise something. A lack of reviews may mean the buyers are actually out enjoying the product.

My wife does a lot of portrait work and close-quarters shooting, so the tele lens was purchased more for 'snapshot' stuff- the kids playing sports, etc. At about $150 it does what it needs to, but she'd likely frown upon selling something shot with that lens. If she gets into something that requires a decent tele lens, then she will most likely get a different brand.

Again, good luck & happy shooting!

[Daddeo]

I had the Sigma 50-500 lens and my opinion of it is trash when compared to the likes of Canon, Nikon, etc.. I had that lens on a Canon xTi 350D but decided to stay with the EFS 18-55 lens due to the poor optics in the Sigma. Once the money is right I plan on getting the 100-400 IS USM lens myself.

Your wallet might hurt right off the bat but you will be much happier in the long run buying the Canon lens. Just my opinion though .

[aconsola]

I recently bought my first dslr, a canon T1i, and I noticed the same thing when researching lenses, no consensus, and often several polar opposite reviews.

Still using the 18-55 kit lens as I am undecided on what to get, and the reviews don't seem to help.

[mrlexan]

Mike, this is something I have spent a lot of time and money in, but everyone does have their own opinion and some might agree while others might disagree with me. But, not bragging at all, I have spent 7 years shooting CART/INNDY/IRL/IMSA/ALMS/Le Mans 1:1 cars, so I would say I know more than most amateurs.

Your reference to the lense being slower. OK, yeah maybe to the professional, if you give a hoot about a 10th, 100th, 1000th, etc. of a second, but to you, the guy whom just wants a nice camera to fart around with, you WOULD NOT know any different (no disrespect meant to you specifically). Unless of course you are wanting to undergo a career change.

IMO, I would stay with Canon products in your case (or for others Nikon, dependent on the camera body you have). I look at like this. You can buy a pair of Levi's from a mall or a pair of jeans from Walmart for a 1/3 of the price. But, when you put them on and use them there is a noticable difference. You get what you pay for. Tamron/Sigma are generally cheaper, so you have to ask yourself what is important to you. Again you will likely not notice the difference when shooting, unless again you are undergoing a career change.

For the non-experienced user, I would say IS is a good thing. It takes a variable out of the equation to ensure you get a quality photo. It has it's pos and negs, but can come in handy if you are shooting action or when using a 400mm plus focal length lense.... the further away you are shooting the less stable the subject matter is. Do you need it, not really. I learned with a manual focus lense, film camera, and IS was not on the market at the time. I was able to produce quality photos. Also keep in mind, it will drain the battery a lot quicker than with out. Price also is a factor here as well.

Personally, I swear by Canon and always will.

Hope this helps.

[mrlexan]

Oh, and I have used the 70-200 w/2X extender (non-IS) for years. I would recommend it, for the versatility. I think the 400 will be too much at times for you. It will also slow the system down, but again (for the third time) you probably will never notice. FYI when the 2X is on, it takes it to 140-400, but I am sure you knew that.

[mikedealer]

thanks for the take on things there. i am going with the 100-400 IS USM ultimately. also a 100mm macro lens. then eventually a 10-22 wide angle possibly, but i dont know how often ill use that

[badhoopty]

nothing real to add besides that ALL the photographers and even the film guys cant stop talking about how cool the canon 5d is.

[vintage AE]

Nikon is better!

[mrlexan]

guys cant stop talking about how cool the canon 5d is.

True, but that is a heck of a price jump from the 50D

[badhoopty]

guys cant stop talking about how cool the canon 5d is.

True, but that is a heck of a price jump from the 50D

been staring at a screen too long... i thought you guys were talking about the 5d...