Budget Lens---- Need Advice!!!


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redboy872002

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Apr 5, 2006
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hey fellow CSers... i just got my canon 10D about a month ago and been borrowing my friends lens since then.. So now, kinda decided to buy my FIRST lens.. Yay!! So i need all your advices as to decide what lens to buy as a first lens..(been considering 50mm f1.8 and 28-105mm f2.8-4) Unfortunately, i got a tight budget that is below S$800 (since still new in photography, so decided not to go all out first) yup, so feel free to share your experience from your past and give me a good advice... Thank you in advance...;)
 

wat do u shoot?
 

I would take the 28-105 as it would allow me a wider scope of photography in 1 lens. from here you would be able to guage what focal distance you prefer to shoot at. It would be a good all rounder.

The 50mm would allow you to 'train better' as you would have to move your feet more to composition your shot. This is a good thing if you ask me, coz you would have to move forward or backward to compose your shot better.

Hope it helps coming from another newbie. :)
 

oh i shoot mainly sceneries, people, and concert performances... haha.. quite a range, isn it? so what do u think i should buy? and i also dont mind buying 3rd party lens.. yup.. thanks in advance bro..
 

Benji77 said:
I would take the 28-105 as it would allow me a wider scope of photography in 1 lens. from here you would be able to guage what focal distance you prefer to shoot at. It would be a good all rounder.

The 50mm would allow you to 'train better' as you would have to move your feet more to composition your shot. This is a good thing if you ask me, coz you would have to move forward or backward to compose your shot better.

Hope it helps coming from another newbie. :)

Ahoy, thanks benji77 for your both sided view... really appreciate that... Btw, if u dont mind what was your first lens? :)
 

Why not get an all in one lens like the Sigma 18-200? Your budget allows it.
 

Can consider Sigma 18-125mm wider than the 28-135mm. According to review image quality is good. Price less than 600, can go and test out the performance of this lens.
 

Stoned said:
Why not get an all in one lens like the Sigma 18-200? Your budget allows it.

Thanks stoned.. but is the image quality as good as sigma 28-105 f2.8-4? Personally i will choose 18-200 if the image quality just lose by abit... Btw do u know how much is the market price for sigma 18-200? ;)
 

lsl03 said:
Can consider Sigma 18-125mm wider than the 28-135mm. According to review image quality is good. Price less than 600, can go and test out the performance of this lens.
Thanks lsl03.. but stoned refers me to sigma 18-200mm, is it even better than 18-125mm (since it covers more length)? but what about their image quality? like to hear from u again :D
 

You can do a search on the 18-200mm lens.... number of Csers using that.. either Tamron or Sigma... Good luck !
 

Sorry to barge in here... :bsmilie:

Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC got some very good reviews.
It is not the best in terms of picture quality since the zoom range is very wide.
It is also not a fast lens.
But it is a good lens with a wide range to let you find out which focal length
you normally shoot most.

Starting at 18mm x 1.6 crop factor, it is wide enough for landscape.
Somewhere in the middle it is good enough for streets & portraits.
200mm x 1.6, it will give you enough reach for events.

If I'm not wrong with $800 budget, you still have enough money left for a 50mm f1.8 .
A must have prime lens especially if you like to shoot portrait.
Sharp, fast, low cost & gives quite good bokeh.
 

For better quality setup you may consider in buying 2 lens.

Sigma 17-70mm around $600

Sigma 70-300mm APO DG Micro around $320

Slightly above your budget.
 

redboy872002 said:
Ahoy, thanks benji77 for your both sided view... really appreciate that... Btw, if u dont mind what was your first lens? :)

My first lens was a Tamron 28-80mm. I got this about 3-4 months ago when i first got hold of my Nikon FM2. Its fully manual, so no fancy stuff like auto focus...

Another forumer mentioned that you can park your $800 into two lens. a very good idea that you should consider. I would take a prime lens amongst the 2, and the other a zoom. a macro mode at the moment will help, but its not crucial. a true blue macro lens can always come in later after you get the lens that you really prefer to shoot in.

if you like photographing people, a prime like a 105 or 85mm is a very good investment. that can come later lah.
 

If you're talking about sheer image quality, primes would definitely be the way to go because they offer you speed and more often than not, better quality than zoom lenses. It's unlikely though that you need that sort of quality for your purposes at present so yes the 18-200 should be sufficient. Personally though, the Sigma 17-70 +70-300 combo appeals to me more but it is also out of your budget. Your call ultimately.
 

Thanks everyone for your posts.. I read the 18-125mm and 18-200mm.. Btw, does anyone know the market price for these two lenses? and after knowing that maybe i can setup a new thread in BnS.. hahaha :D

Anw, just did a search, and found out that tamron 24-135mm is quite attractive.. What do u guys think?
 

sorry i have not used the TAMRON 24-135 before so i cant comment.

The TAMRON that i have is very sharp for an old manual lens. hang on awhile and i am sure someone with the 24-135 will give a short review.

are you not considering a CANON lens? i saw someone posting a 50mm for quite a reasonable price, maybe you should check it out.
 

redboy872002 said:
Thanks everyone for your posts.. I read the 18-125mm and 18-200mm.. Btw, does anyone know the market price for these two lenses? and after knowing that maybe i can setup a new thread in BnS.. hahaha :D

Anw, just did a search, and found out that tamron 24-135mm is quite attractive.. What do u guys think?

yes the tamron is good! and you stated in your previous post that you want a sigma 28-105/2.8-4? please stay away from that horrendous lens. the 2.8 is just a marketing tool. you prob will never want to use it. and it costs about $320 new!

if i were you

Tokina 19-35mm - $160 2nd hand in bns
50mm/1.8 - $130 new
85mm/1.8 - $600 new

around there la. :)
 

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
yes the tamron is good! and you stated in your previous post that you want a sigma 28-105/2.8-4? please stay away from that horrendous lens. the 2.8 is just a marketing tool. you prob will never want to use it. and it costs about $320 new!

if i were you

Tokina 19-35mm - $160 2nd hand in bns
50mm/1.8 - $130 new
85mm/1.8 - $600 new

around there la. :)
:bigeyes: Sigma 28-105 is not good? i never know that!! Thanks isaiahfortythirtyone... ;p Is it not good because its not sharp enough or wat ah?
can you pls elaborate? haha.. Cos for a newbie like me, watever lens that got f2.8 and below seem attractive..:dunno: Thanks for the reply...:D
 

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