canon lens vs. sigma lens

[REEFRHEAD]

so Im looking into buying a new canon rebel xti and i need advise on which set of lenses to go with the sigma ones or the canon ones? please give me the pluses and minuses of each if you have any opinions i would greatly sppreciate them thank you in advance

[flameangel88]

You will probably get more feedbacks if you state the:
1) price range you want to spend
2) purpose of the lens: wedding, landscape, sports...

Over the last 2 years I've spent a lot of time reading reviews and forums on an overall one lens but have yet come to any conclusion.

I've the following Canon lenses that I found to be very good but constantly having to swap lens and the 5D just loves attracting dust.
50mm f/1.4, 85mm, 100mm macro, 70-200 f/4 IS, 70-200 f/2.8 IS (got this before the f/4 IS came out). I love the 70-200 f/4 it's so much lighter on the neck especially you're out all day hiking.

My next lens is a WA or UWA lens and the reviews on the Sigma 12-24mm is pretty good. I would love to stay with Canon but the price may prohibit me at this time. A lot of folks like the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and they swear that the IQ is as good as the Canon version.

Resale value on the Canons are pretty high but if you're are looking to sell or trade down the road then you may opt for 3rd party lenses.

I'm still very new to this hobby but hope other folks will join in to give give their expert advise.

[REEFRHEAD]

1. well im looking into buying a camera package with between 2 and 4 lenses the first lens is a standard ef-s 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens the second is a 0.5x wide angle the third is a Ef 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 zoom III lens and the last lens is a 50mm f/ 1.8 lens these packages go from 750sih to 900ish with the more lenses the more money of course.Now do you think these lenses are all of good quality and will be good enough for a start with an dslr camera? atleast good enough for me to get used to using the camera and still be able to take great close up pictures in my reef tank? and easily take pictures of everything else??

2. now the purpose of the camera is for everything mostly pictures with the family and landscapes would be nice, wildlife, and of course eventually i want to get a nice macro lens and get serious with taking pictures of my beautiful corals. so i need the camera to be for everyday use and well as the specific reef tank picture taking as well.

now i decided to go with the dslr xti instead of a powershot g9 because the xti is soo much more professional and it takes lens attachments, but i have also read that g9 has a camera attachment that can fit a few specific lenses but i dont think that this camera would be sufficient enough. but I have gotten a new digital camera for yrs so the whole dlsr thing will be completely new to me with all the lenses and stuff, do you think the xti will greatly surpass the g9 in quality and ease of use?

I have read that i should stay away from the tamerons because they dont have auto focusing so the choices of the make of lens i can get with the kit are the sigma lenses or the canon lenses.

And btw i am also very new to taking pictures expecially corals because i havnt had a good enough camera in my eyes to show off my beautiful corals, all my other cameras wouldnt do them any justice so i just didnt bother

thanks for everyone's advice in advance

[Phyl]

I wouldn't buy a camera with kit lenses. Personally, I like to have excellent glass. I don't want the consumer (not even prosumer grade) grade lenses that are typically packaged with the kits. You will have the potential to get GREAT images if you have GREAT glass. You will not be so lucky (the bulk of the time) with a consumer grade lens.

[REEFRHEAD]

ok so all of those lenses arent any good? and its like a kit a place through together to my knowledge. as in each lens was seperate but put together to make a kit.

[ahuxman58]

Its not that kit lenses are bad (Canon kit lenses) they just are not the best that's available The most important part in my opinion is the glass (lenses) camera bodies will come and go for years but lenses will basically be the same and Canon L series lenses have a history of holding 80 to 90 % of their value . If your gonna spend money spend it on glass . Just my humble opinion.

[ahuxman58]

I started out in digital with the 18-55 and my first mid rang tele was the 75-300MM was a great lens for me when I had it ,it is now being used by my son which I gave to him.If your gonna get a deal on a body and a kit lens great way to start out in my opinion ,but be warned once you get the photo itch ,you will always be scratching it be prepared to spend lots of money on your hobby.If you think reefing is expensive wait till you get into photography.

[REEFRHEAD]

thanks for the advise ahuxman58 i think the lens will be great for me learning to use the camera and the lenses. do you think the 50mm is worth the extra 60 bucks? ya everything we seem to enjoy is expensive

[Phyl]

While the deal is typically a "good deal" in that the price is less than if you would buy those pieces individually, but given all of the quality of the lenses up front you would rarely purchase those particular lenses, but potentially the better lens in each range. At least this is the case for me. I'd rather not waste money on average quality glass (good deal or not).

[REEFRHEAD]

well how about some good ideas for lens for me to purchase then guys? and of course im going to atleast get the 18-55 mm or the 28-80 mm.package. But the orginal question has still not been answered which make of lenses canon or sigma?

[ahuxman58]

Canons !!!!! in my opinion . There will always be that arguement ,have to remember Canons will be more expensive than off brands Tamrons, Sigmas, Tokinas , there are so many different lenses different apertures you have to find out what your gonna like and be comfortable with . Me I like my 70-200 F 2.8 IS some out there are happy with their 70-200 F.4 its differences like that , that your gonna have to make your choices. 2.8 is always better for lower light but also more expensive and heavier. Do your homework search the forums and reviews of equipment and learn from there and make your choices. But if it was me go with Canon.

[Phyl]

Nikon ;D

My issue with non-OEM lenses is that Sigma doesn't license the rights to the communication protocol so they have to figure it out. Well... they don't always get it perfect. So there's a chance that the lens won't always do exactly what you expect.

I stick to Nikkor glass like glue. As pro-grade as I can stomach (I have yet to be able to justify a 4k lens), but I get as close as I can.

[Siffy]

I have to bring it up since no one else has, but do you have knowledge how reputable the company you're thinking about buying from is? Those prices for a body + 4 lenses seem almost too good to be true. It's worth looking into before hand rather than being burned. I hope they are true, for you, and wish I'd seen them last week, as I just got that camera Saturday.

[ahuxman58]

Originally posted by Phyl
Nikon ;D



I stick to Nikkor glass like glue. As pro-grade as I can stomach (I have yet to be able to justify a 4k lens), but I get as close as I can.

I was gonna say that Canon shooters stick with Canon and Nikon shooters stick with Nikon , both excellent equipment. As far as spending money goes I just bought the Canon 500MM F.4 IS look that up to see how much that goes for.Thats going to be useful to me for next season shooting aviation.

[ahuxman58]

Originally posted by Siffy
I have to bring it up since no one else has, but do you have knowledge how reputable the company you're thinking about buying from is? Those prices for a body + 4 lenses seem almost too good to be true. It's worth looking into before hand rather than being burned. I hope they are true, for you, and wish I'd seen them last week, as I just got that camera Saturday.

Very good point I hear it all the time people getting scammed. word of advice :if it sounds to good to be true then it probably is and avoid them at all cost !!!!!!!!!
Stick with reputable dealers B&H, Beach, big name stores Circuit City has the 30D on sale now I heard .

[flameangel88]

I haven't read anything that said Tamrons can't AF, the knocks on Tamron and Sigma lenses are that they don't AF as fast as the Canons. I've read very good reviews on Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 and WA on Sigma and Tokina.

My suggestion is that spend sometime reading forums such as: dpreview.com (xti forum), photozone.de and fredmiranda.com
These sites should give you plenty of reading on users take on equipments and lenses. Check the vendor on reselleratings.com before buying your equipments if you are not familiar with them.

The easiest camera to use personally is the Nikon D50 with the 18-200mm VR (all around) and Sigma 105mm macro lenses.

Buying the camera is the easy part getting lenses is another story. Nowadays people probably change a camera in 3 yrs and if you don't like your camera you can get a new one in about 18 months (Canon upgrade their line in about 18 months) but the lenses will be with you for a long time.

Good luck with your selection.

[REEFRHEAD]

siffy the company is through ebay and is a powerseller and have an excellent rating so yes of curse ive looked into it. but i will further before i purchase.