Which is the lens I should get?

deegee

Hi All!

I absolutely love my canon 50 mm lens for portraits on my rebel xti. I am trying to decide which zoom lens will be my next purchase. I'm looking for something that I can use indoors with babies or outdoors with a large group.

I'd like to stay under $450 or there abouts. From the posts I've read it sounds like the Tamron 28-75 2.8 might be perfect for me.

I realize I'm a newbie here, but in my searches I've found various versions of the above lens and I'm hoping someone can educate me on the difference between these two Tamron 28-75 2.8 lenses:scratch

http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=TM2875XRAFC&id=TM2875XRAFC

http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-28-75mm-Aspherical-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0000A1G05

I'm not sure what all of the letters following the lens mean. THanks for helping me learn!

Tee Why

While that tamron is a very nice lens, a 28mm on a cropped sensor like the XTi may not be wide enough for a group photo.

I'd probably recommend a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. It's made specifically for the smaller image circle of a APS-C/cropped sensor like the XTi and mimics on a cropped sensor the field of view that a 28-75 would yield on a traditional 35mm film slr/full frame cameras.

Good luck.

amg2833

Tee Why wrote:

While that tamron is a very nice lens, a 28mm on a cropped sensor like the XTi may not be wide enough for a group photo.

I'd probably recommend a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. It's made specifically for the smaller image circle of a APS-C/cropped sensor like the XTi and mimics on a cropped sensor the field of view that a 28-75 would yield on a traditional 35mm film slr/full frame cameras.

Good luck.

I agree with Tee Why. I have the Tamron 17-50 2.8 and I love it. I began with a 28-105 zoom, but once I got wide angle I never want to be restricted on that end again.

The only problem is with the 17-50 you won't be able to go any longer than you already have. Do your shooting needs require it a longer focal length?

Pupator

A 3rd vote for the 17-50 f/2.8.

deegee

Thanks everyone!

I was thinking about that lens & you all convinced me.

My needs are basically portrait photography. Although I am doing a very small wedding in May for a couple in their 50's who don't have high expectations. It will be my first wedding and I didn't want to use my kit lens for it.

So what do you all think about the two lenses I mentioned, is anything different about them besides the price? It's like a hundred bucks difference!

Tee Why

Those links you have are of the same lenses with Amazon being cheaper.

divamum

Another vote for the Tamron 17-50 - absolutely love mine with my xsi.

deegee

Same lens? Wow! Okay

Thanks everyone. I'll go hunt for the cheapest one I can find!

deegee

not sure about spending the money now....
I could use some advice.

I am not sure I should go ahead and purchase the lens we were discussing above? I'm wondering if I should just make-do with my 50mm f1.4 and kit lens?

My 2 reasons that I keep mulling over are...

- I'd like to save up for a 5D and I'm not sure if the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 will be just as wonderful on that body?
- Can't I get any use out of my kit lens? It's got to be good for a few shots right? (I just constantly use my 50mm and don't plan on using anything wider very often.)

I'd be interested in hearing a variety of opinions. Thanks in advance for your 2 cents

Art Scott

deegee wrote:

I could use some advice.

I am not sure I should go ahead and purchase the lens we were discussing above? I'm wondering if I should just make-do with my 50mm f1.4 and kit lens?

My 2 reasons that I keep mulling over are...

- I'd like to save up for a 5D and I'm not sure if the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 will be just as wonderful on that body?
- Can't I get any use out of my kit lens? It's got to be good for a few shots right? (I just constantly use my 50mm and don't plan on using anything wider very often.)

I'd be interested in hearing a variety of opinions. Thanks in advance for your 2 cents

A big paRT of PHotoGRAPHY is EXPeriMEnTaTion.......U're the only 1 that can truly answer the ?....."Can't I get any use out of the kit lens????"

I will say this......I know more than one PRO ( I mean real Pro making 125% of livlihood comes from their camera's) .....that uses their kit lenses a lot.....it is a matter of finding the sweet spot for the most often used focal lengths...........There was many a time I had wished I had a Kit lens but since I had Pro fast glass I never brought my self to buying......now that I am getting ready to move into another camera brand I just may be getting 1 kit type lens to have as a walk around lens....they are way lighter than my 70-210 f2.8 or my 24-70 f2.8.....both of these are heavy lenses........I see a lot of people in the UK and Europe using kit type lenses in a lot of the NON-American Photo mags.................

During my film days i read and saw a lot of Fine Art photos turned out with the worlds worst or even damaged lenses........BRING THE ARTIST INSIDE YOU OUT!!!!!

deegee

You Rock Art! Thanks for the advice, I like it.

lacunae

deegee wrote:

I could use some advice.

I am not sure I should go ahead and purchase the lens we were discussing above?

- I'd like to save up for a 5D and I'm not sure if the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 will be just as wonderful on that body?

An important consideration if you're thinking about upgrading to a 5D (or 5D-II): the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL Aspherical (IF) Zoom Lens is one of Tamron's Di-II lenses, so the image circle only covers a crop sensor (basically equivalent to a Canon EF-S lens) -- so it won't work on a 5D (or 5D-II/1D/1Ds) body.

Art Scott

lacunae wrote:

An important consideration if you're thinking about upgrading to a 5D (or 5D-II): the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP ZL Aspherical (IF) Zoom Lens is one of Tamron's Di-II lenses, so the image circle only covers a crop sensor (basically equivalent to a Canon EF-S lens) -- so it won't work on a 5D (or 5D-II/1D/1Ds) body.

Will work as the mount is the same....but will have vignette around subject of every pic............could make for intersting portraits....the so called portrait lenses of days gone by....(way gone by by by by by.....) a lot times could not give a hard focus, but instead produced a nice dreamy soft focus.....so the crop lenses will produce varying amounts of vignetting which could be cool.....

Jeremy Winterberg

I have the promaster version of the 17-50mm f/2.8... I absolutely love it! (promaster is an offbrand of the offbrand tamron) all the photos in this thread I posted were taken with it. I needed something wider that the 28-135mm "kit" lens that came with my 50D.

I also have the 18-55mm kit lens and 50mm f/1.8. I never use that kit lens. I hate the quality photos I get from it, and its just not good for MY needs. its pretty much the same focal length as my promaster, and it doesn't have the same f value. I need the f/2.8 because I do ALOT of indoor low light photography. So thats why I use it.

I say get the tamron. Even when/if you purchase the 5D (or any of the full frame bodies), you'll probably keep your rebel, and you can use the tamron on it. You'll deffinately need a backup camera for weddings if you plan on going into that field. I use my xsi as my backup camera.

I don't know when exactly you're planning on upgrading to the 5D, but I wouldn't use that as your excuse to not purchase a much needed lens for wedding photography.