Canon Lenses or Aftermarket

[john_loyola]

Broad question maybe someone can help me with. I have a Canon 10D

wanted to look towards aftermarket wide lenses. Maybe Tokina or

Sigma. Or should I stay with Canon lenses? Or are aftermarkets just

as good? Sigma makes a Wide lens 12-24mm lens for less than $700.00.

Canon makes a 16-35mm but costs twice as much. Your thoughts would

be helpful. Thanks

[terence_tong1]

general response for you :D

 

-if you have the $$, get Canon for 1) comatability 2)reliability 3)quality

-L lens are good but not all good, check reviews here or photozone.de

-get a s/h 3rd party to try, don't know what level you are but figure if you ask a

question like this, we are in the same boat

-3rd party bad reps are mostly in the past

-you'll get whatyou pay for provided you have a pair of trained eyes

-is zoom necessary, can you live with prime lens?

-do you need it that wide? i am looking at 20-40/17-35/20-40 myself read "tokina

vs sigma" thread down the page

 

good luck and let me know what you get at the end :D

[jimstrutz]

<I>"Sigma makes a Wide lens 12-24mm lens for less than $700.00"</I>

<P>

Actually, they just announced this lens. I don't think it's available yet, but should be shortly. I haven't read any reviews of it, or heard any user comments.

<P>

Sigma's 15-30 is generally regarded as a decent lens for the money, as is their 17-35. Hopefully the 12-24 will be as good. However, I haven't heard anyone comparing the Sigma wide zooms to a Canon 16-35, 17-35 or 17-40 and thinking the Sigma was better. But when trading dollars for quality, you have to set a limit somewhere.

<P>

For some, only the best will do, and for some it really is needed. But for others, a Vivitar 19-35 is good enough. The Sigma 15-30 and 17-35 fall some where in between.

<P>

Who knows what the future holds for the 12-24. I suspect that with film cameras there will be a lot of light fall off and poor corner performance, but will work great on digital SLRS that have a smaller than full size sensor. Wait around for a while and we'll hear the real story.

<P>

One problem Sigma has had repeatedly in the past is incompatability with future Canon camera bodies. So it's very likely to work with any Canon camera being sold today, but there is no promises made if you upgrade your camera body next year. In Sigma's defense, they have been very good about upgrading lenses with new chips as long as the lens model is still in current production. Older lenses are not supported though, and that is one very good reason to stick with Canon lenses

[simon_leung2]

Dear John;

 

It is always better to go with factory lenses rather than aftermarkets. The main factor is that there is a lesser chance of

camera failure with the factory.

 

I own a Canon EF 16-35 mm f5.6 Ultra-sonic L lens, this lens allows you to "tweak" your focusing. What this means is that the ultra-sonic

motor is made up of one unit; and that the front element is part of the motor. In short, you can manually adjust the focusing of your subject, even if you set the lens to autofocus. That is where the cost lies. You need to remember that all lenses by Canon with the letter "L" is meant for professionals.