Asking for Advice on a walkabout lens.

[loathar]

Hi guys/girls,

I have been reading through almost every article on the internet about a good lens to use as a walkabout lens and 2 prominent lenses have come up.

The Tamron 17-50 f2.8

and the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 Macro

I have seen people giving support to both lenses and it makes it really hard to decide. My current situation is that I own the Sigma lens, but after a trip to Europe the lens went bonkers. So I am considering getting the Tamron one due to the lens being faster at all lengths. I have seen images posted online, but i feel that not really a very good way to make a decision as the photos sometimes you take and the ones people post are very different in quality and sharpness.

So I have come here to ask this questions as I have always trusted the opinions of the users on the Pentax forums and hope you guys/gals can shed some light on my little predicament.

All help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in Advance!

P.S : How about a those zoom lenses? Like those 17-150 kind? I know they are much slower but IQ wise? Thanks! (I did just check out the Pentax DA18-135mm WR, looks not too bad, but a tad bit slow like all zoom lenes, any opinions?)

 

[Yamakasi]

i had both lens before until I sold the sigma..not sure what opinions you need but i kept the tamron because i find that its abit sharper and its a good match for my 50-135..the question is will you miss the 50-70mm part?

 

[NotCooked]

both lenses are great walkabouts imo so i guess it boils down to fixed aperture vs a little more range. I personally am using the tamron and I am happy with the sharpness it produces for my pictures. If IQ is your priority, then it is better not to go for super zooms like 17-250mm kind as it is hard to manufacture a lens with good and consistant IQ throughout such a huge range.

But ultimately, it is best if you try both lenses at the upcoming Pentax Outing =) I can lend you my tammy to try but for the Sigma, im not too sure who has it.

 

[loathar]

Seems like the Tamron is quite a good and sharp fast lens, I personally own the Sigma, just that it kinda broke down, don't know if its possible to repair or not as have not send to service center since my warranty already over. Haha.

Anyone has opinions on the 18-135mm Pentax DA?

How much does the Tamron cost if you don't mind me asking? Can't find it on B&H...

 

[Reportage]

well...for walkabouts, i use an 18-55WR with my K20D in case sunny weather suddenly turn rainy which is surprising common in SG. When i am indoors or need lowlight performance, thats when i pop on the 35mm f/2.4 for when the 50mm f/1.4 is not wide enough.

so basically 3 lenses and one camera which can easily fit into just about any bag although i tend to leave the 18-55mm at home if i will be indoors most of the time.

 

[Silverback84]

I'm getting the da 18-135mm too. It's export stock but alot cheaper than sg however no warranty lo. The iq so-so only the trade off is we get the zoom and the af is quite snappy.

*note: I read from online reviews. Not personal experience.

 

[felixcat8888]

I'm getting the da 18-135mm too. It's export stock but alot cheaper than sg however no warranty lo. The iq so-so only the trade off is we get the zoom and the af is quite snappy.

*note: I read from online reviews. Not personal experience.

The DA18-135 is a great lens for holidays and walkabout. Read FW's and Pinholecam's reviews on it.

 

[GSiGuy]

Money no object and don't mind changing lens then my humble suggestion is the DA*16-50 & DA*50-135 combo. That should cover most walkabout situations. I base this of course not on personal usage of the lenses but what i gather from pics and forumers' opinions. SDM is a nagging worry though.

Slightly lower budget but should cover almost everything, imho, is a combo of sigma 10-20mm, tamron 28-75 & a 70-200 (siggy or tammy). Of course, again you can't mind changing lenses with that combo. My concern about the Tamron 17-50mm is that some reviews say it is not a true f2.8 (dunno whether this is a concern in practical usage though).

Personally i have the 18-135mm and it has accompanied me on a trip to egypt and melbourne and it was on the cam 95% of the time. The focal length is enough for most situations and as for IQ, i think its pretty darn good (so long as you don't need superb low light ability or an f2.8 for shallow DOF). My landscape and sightsee shots mostly came out enough for my noob standards. The advantage of the 18-135 is that you don't need to change lens often, you don't need to hurry around or have people wait for you to change lens & take pictures (esp if you are on guided tours), also less likely to get dust onto sensor.

Personal opinion, of course....

i do wonder though what it would be like to just run around with 3 primes instead... FA31,43 & 77 or DA 21,40 & 70...

 

[Silverback84]

GSiGuy,

Bro can show us some pics of the 18-135mm? Many thks.

 

[kof88]

Have the tamron 17-50, definitely good and cheap choice for walkaround. I also have the DAL 50-200 for longer stuffs when needed.

When quality and distance allowed, I snap on my FA43

Very tempted to 'upgrade' to the DA*16-50, but for that extra cost and possible SDM failure (->possible<-), hard to justify for it unless I'm dying for WR.

 

[GSiGuy]

GSiGuy,

Bro can show us some pics of the 18-135mm? Many thks.

Ummmm... lemme go home this evening and see if i can find any pics worthy of putting on flickr...

 

[xtunbox]

Images produced from Tamron 17-50 f2.8 will be good, if not better than the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 Macro but i wouldn't say that the image quality from Sigma is bad. At least personally I feel that it is sharper than the kit lens. Tamron 17-50 f2.8 will be ideal for low light situation.
Focus length wise, the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 Macro will be a better choice for versatile walkabout lens and furthermore it include a close focus capability to shoot macro which will be an added feature. Yep, you have got to weigh the pro and cons for both lenses.

BTW, Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 Macro is the older version which is difficult to find new in shops anymore. You may want to consider the newer Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.0 Macro HSM OS.

 

[le petit prince]

i do wonder though what it would be like to just run around with 3 primes instead... FA31,43 & 77 or DA 21,40 & 70...

As someone who runs around with the DA21, FA43 and DA70, I can say it works brilliantly.

They're small/discreet, light and sharp.

I think, unless one has lots of stamina or on a short outing, a heavier zoom or every-length-must-cover combo will kill your shoulder, hands and back. Just too heavy. Or maybe I'm simply a wimp.

On walkabouts, I usually do with just one lens, DA21 or FA43.

 

[detritus]

... furthermore it include a close focus capability to shoot macro which will be an added feature.

close focusing is not macro. it is a misleading label at best and sigma is notorious for over-using it.

 

[Yamakasi]

and furthermore it include a close focus capability to shoot macro which will be an added feature. Yep, you have got to weigh the pro and cons for both lenses.

Tamron can do close focusing also

 

[Yamakasi]

As someone who runs around with the DA21, FA43 and DA70, I can say it works brilliantly.

They're small/discreet, light and sharp.

I think, unless one has lots of stamina or on a short outing, a heavier zoom or every-length-must-cover combo will kill your shoulder, hands and back. Just too heavy. Or maybe I'm simply a wimp.

On walkabouts, I usually do with just one lens, DA21 or FA43.

haha..when i was in HK 2 months ago, i got a 12-24, 35, and 50-135..by the 2nd day, 12-24 and 50-135 were left in the hotel room and 35 stay on cam for the rest of days..

 

[Yamakasi]

Seems like the Tamron is quite a good and sharp fast lens, I personally own the Sigma, just that it kinda broke down, don't know if its possible to repair or not as have not send to service center since my warranty already over. Haha.

Anyone has opinions on the 18-135mm Pentax DA?

How much does the Tamron cost if you don't mind me asking? Can't find it on B&H...

what happen to your sigma? the tammy is about $61x from the price list so the choice is up to u whether you want to spend the $ to repair or buy the tammy..

 

[GSiGuy]

As someone who runs around with the DA21, FA43 and DA70, I can say it works brilliantly.

They're small/discreet, light and sharp.

I think, unless one has lots of stamina or on a short outing, a heavier zoom or every-length-must-cover combo will kill your shoulder, hands and back. Just too heavy. Or maybe I'm simply a wimp.

On walkabouts, I usually do with just one lens, DA21 or FA43.

i gotta try that one day man... i realise it may just be a mindset that "prevents" me from leaving the 18-135 at home when i shoot. Perhaps bec i am so afraid of fumbling and dropping my lenses when i change them on the go... or bec i am afraid of losing the moment...

 

[machiavellian]

yeah man, you should. I always go out with two primes, the 15 and 55. >

 

[oyama85]

Went out with a 15, 31, 77.
It was a headache. lol.

Got a tamron 17-50 too, thinking about the da16-50 for a long time already.