Help needed with new canon glass

SpeshulEd

Hello all, its been awhile since I've been here, so forgive me if I put this in the wrong forum.

Its been quite sometime since I've done anything worthwhile with photo taking so I've started to look at my old glass and wonder if I should sell it. Basically, I'm only shooting for myself these days, and think its a bit ridiculous to have such expensive glass laying around the house. Maybe I'm crazy to sell it, but I think it might be time.

I currently have a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L non IS that I haven't used in quite sometime. I got it mainly for shooting concerts and local bands. However, I moved to AZ and haven't been to a concert in awhile, let alone shot one. I've taken it on some outdoor trips, but it often gets left in the car as I like to just grab my camera and go and usually don't grab my bag.

My other lens I'm thinking about selling is my Canon 17-40mm f/4.0L - I have this lens on my 20D about 98% of the time and love it. However, I use it almost exclusively for its wide angle. I'm thinking maybe I should sell it too and get something wider. I love to shoot the mountains and nature and am thinking a wider lens might not be a bad idea.

I'd like to replace the big zoom lens with a lens that would do 18-200mm. I know I'm sacrificing the sharpness of the canon, but I don't mind that so much. I can always sharpen it up a bit in post and I'm really just shooting for myself these days so I don't mind a little softness. Plus it'd be nice to have an everything lens that is light and I could leave on the camera and would cover everything. It'd be nice to take hiking as it'd be light and I could zoom in if I needed or take a wide shot if needed and I wouldn't need to be switching lenses constantly. I'm also going on vacation to the Florida Keys in February and would love to take just one lens with me that I'd be able to take everywhere.

Right now, I'm currently looking at the sigma 18-200mm, but then I also noticed canon makes a lens that is 18-200mm.
Canon on Amazon
Sigma on Amazon

I'm kind of leaning towards the Sigma just since its cheaper but am wondering what others think. Anyone have experience with these lenses or any recommendations on something similar.

To replace my 17-40mm I was thinking about going with the Canon 10-22mm. I thought that'd a nice wide lense that'd work well for the wide shots I like to take. Again, I'd love to hear about experience with this lens or recommendations on similar glass.

I'd really like to buy the two new pieces with money from the two I sell. It'd be nice to have a little money left over, but its not a neccessity.

Any help or advice is highly appreciated, thanks.

Ed

alex

SpeshulEd wrote:

To replace my 17-40mm I was thinking about going with the Canon 10-22mm. I thought that'd a nice wide lense that'd work well for the wide shots I like to take. Again, I'd love to hear about experience with this lens or recommendations on similar glass.

I have both of these and the 10-22mm is the one I use most (on a 20D). It is very similar to the 17-40mm L in built and optical quality, except no gaskets for water proofing. It's a great lens for shooting landscapes.

Since the two are about the same price, you might be able to swap your 17-40 for a 10-22 with someone who is changing to full frame.



As for the 70-200mm f/2.8, I would never part with that.

SpeshulEd

Yes, I've definitely been thinking that the 10-22 would be perfect for my needs and seems to have gotten many good reviews.

All of the 18-200's get decent, but nowhere near perfect reviews. I just stumbled upon the tamron 18-250mm as well. It doesn't appear to have an IS type function, but thats not really needed. I don't get too much motion blur in the Arizona sun. It also seems to be rated higher than the Sigma 18-200 and is only about $50 more expensive. It's hard to part with the 70-200, but I really don't use it so it seems silly to have $900+ wrapped up in glass that just sits in its case on my desk.

iotashan

SpeshulEd wrote:

Right now, I'm currently looking at the sigma 18-200mm, but then I also noticed canon makes a lens that is 18-200mm.
Canon on Amazon
Sigma on Amazon

I'm kind of leaning towards the Sigma just since its cheaper but am wondering what others think. Anyone have experience with these lenses or any recommendations on something similar.

I had the Sigma lens, and it's a great lens. My only complaint is that it's not a HSM (or USM as Canon calls it) model, so the focusing is going to be noisy and slower than a USM lens. I actually replaced that lens with a Canon 28-105 3.5-4.5 II USM, which I'm happier with.

Also keep in mind both the Canon and Sigma lenses are not going to work with full-frame bodies.

ziggy53

I suggest selling the 2 lenses that you have and purchasing:

Any of the 10-20mm(ish) super-wide zooms*
Tamron 17-50mm, f/2.8 XR Di II
Canon EF 70-200mm, f/4L IS USM


(*Canon EF-S 10-22mm, f/3.5-4.5 USM or Sigma 10-20mm, f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM or Tokina 12-24mm, f/4 PRO DX)

A 3 lens kit will serve you much better in terms of performance and utility than a 2 lens kit, especially including one of the 10:1 zooms which have a rather extreme level of compromise for the sake of convenience.

The Canon EF 70-200mm, f/4L IS USM will also accept a 1.4x teleconverter for extended range without too much of a quality sacrifice.

SpeshulEd

ooh, I should mention that I still have my Tamron 28-75mm and my canon 50mm prime. So with the 10-22mm, I'd only be missing a small bit.

If I sold the 70-200 2.8, I could probably afford the 70-200 4.0 and then still have a little left over for the sigma or tamron ultra zooms which I could just use on vacation and in the desert.

Argh, this is difficult. I was happy with my glass collection, and now I don't know what to do.

billtaichi

So IF you were to sell your 70-200 2.8, What would your price be? Just asking.....

SpeshulEd

billtaichi wrote:

So IF you were to sell your 70-200 2.8, What would your price be? Just asking.....

I was thinking $950 ???