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Full Version: which one works best with DRXT?
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which one works best with DRXT?

Tamron SP AF 17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical (IF)
Sigma AF 15-30mm f3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF
Tokina AT-X 12-24mm AF PRO 4.0
Hey Cleng,

umm.. you didn't mention what kind of shooting you'll be using them for? Or a budget. Or why you short-listed these particular three lenses.
I'm sure they all "work" just fine, but that doesn't mean they are best for you or best in certain conditions.

I actually wouldn't think the Tokina 12-24 would be in the same category as the Tamron or Sigma lens, simply because it is much more of a wide-angle speciality lens whereas the others are a bit more versitile (but not as wide).

I had a little look at your other posts and you mentioned you want to take candids and do wedding photography. Firstly none of these lenses are going to be particularly suitable for candids, but I can imagine they'd certainly have their place at weddings for group and indoor shots.

If you are looking to replace your kit lens with a better quality one then I'd be looking for something with a bigger aperture (smaller f-number) than the ones you listed above. Not only will they perform better in lower light (dusk, indoors, etc) but they can give a more pleasing bokeh (background blur) and generally a more romantic vibe for a wedding.
I can't comment on the quality of the Tamron and Sigma lenses you list because I don't know, but there is another Sigma - the Sigma AF 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC which would be the obvious choice for me to replace the kit lens for weddings. Our very own Mitch has done a review on this lens which can be found here.
I actually did replace my DRXT (350D) kit lens, but I chose the Canon EF-S 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS instead of the Sigma for numerous reasons (image quality not being one of them). You can read about my experiences with this lens here.

If you *don't* want to replace your kit lens (as you mentioned in your other "lens question" post), then I think there is little point in getting the Tamron 17-35 or Sigma 15-30 you list above, as the 18-55mm kit lens covers almost the entire range of both lenses and is f/3.5 at the 18mm end anyway, so you aren't gaining anything with the aperture of these lenses either. That's not to say they are bad lenses at all, just that they don't really do much the kit lens can't do.

Which brings us to the Tokina 12-24, which at 12mm is starting to get a noticable amount wider than the kit lens. I've heard that is a great lens (haven't used one though), but if you are looking at an ultra-wide zoom then I think it is well worth considering. But there are a few others that are also well worth a good look.
The Canon EF-S 10-22mm, the Sigma 10-20mm, and the Tamron 11-18 (I think) are all alternatives to the Tokina. I actually own a Sigma 10-20mm and love it, but Zig had one and wasn't happy with it - he took it back and swapped it for the Canon 10-22. You can read about our experiences and see some pics from both these lenses here.

But without knowing what you want the lens for or being given a budget it is hard to give any real advice. All I can do is offer a few other suggestions you might want to look at.

Cheers
Adrian
adrian,
thanks for the input you gave me, right now i was thinking of getting the sigma 24-70 2.8 coz i did rome reading about this lens and i saw it had a pretty good review. but now since you suggested the sigma 18-50 2.8 i think that would be a nice lens too according to their review. so here's the question now, what would be better? get the sigma 18-55 2.8 and change my kit lens or buy the sigma 24-70 2.8 to fill the 55-70mm range and at the same time minimizing the use of my kit lens? i've also seen some sigma 24 - 60 2.8. i also read that they usually do side by side comparisson with the sigma 24-70 and the tamron 28-70. so right now i'm really confused Sad Sad Sad

what lens to get???

sigma 18-55 2.8
sigma 24-70 2.8
sigma 24 - 60 2.8
tamron 28-75 2.8

... if you have noticed i already scratched those wide angle coz i think what i need now is a reliable all around lens ( good for candid shots and weddings). hope you could give me your thoughts regarding this

thanks a lot
cleng
Hey Cleng,

When it comes to getting a comparison between those lenses, all I can suggest is to google your head off and search through as many forums as you can.
There will probably be conflicting opinions, and often people are prejudiced based on brand or reputation, and sometimes people do get a particularly good or bady copy of a lens... but if you can find a number of reviews and opinions and weed out the extremes then you can usually get a good general idea.

With regards to which focal length is more useful to you, that's something that only you can answer.
If you've only had your camera for 2 or 3 weeks then I might suggest keeping the kit lens for a bit longer until you really discover your regular shooting habits. If you are constantly using it at the 55mm end then that points towards the longer longer lenses, if you use it at the 18mm end a lot then the Sigma 18-50 might be just the ticket.

And as much as there are better lenses out there, for many shots the kit lens is pretty darn good... It probably cops more flak than it deserves I think just because it is plasticky and feels a bit like a toy lens compared to many others... nothing to do with the images it produces.

Good luck.
Adrian
adrian,
thanks, i think the best thing to do is go to a shop and try the lenses and see what feels good to me. i thinks by doing that, it will narrow my options for the lens that i should need.

thanks
cleng
Cleng - the shop is a great idea.

I would recommend you trying the Sigma 18-50 2.8 as this will give you a reasonable wide angle for some group shots at weddings.

Later on you can get a 70-200 2.8 or 4. The gap between 50 and 70 can be easily covered by moving your feet a little.

Cheers,

Chris
Hi clengster_77

I had a chance of shooting a few month with the Sigma 15-30 - it's an excellent lens when you know its weaknesses and learn to overcome them. One of such weaknesses is flare - this lens flares like there's no tomorrow so you better watch for light sources in your frames. The other weakness (or, disadvantage, at least for me) was the size of that lens - it was VERY big and I wanted something smaller. On the positive side - the lens was nearly perfect optically and quite wide on 1.6 crop body.

I also tried the Tamron 17-35 at a local store - but wasn't impresses with the optical and the build qualities.

Instead I got the Tokina 17mm f/3.5 prime lens for wideangle - this lens is excellent ! Very sharp, even wide open, small and built like a small tank. Now I want something wider - and this lens is the reason I'm seriously consider the Tokina 12-24 f/4 lens ...