jbauer

Do you get an error message on the top LCD readout of your 10D when trying to autofocus? If so, what is that message?

Scott - I see what you are saying with regards to compatibility to future models, I will be quite upset at some point down the road when I buy a 70D or something in a few years and my lenses will not work any longer. I don't think that Canon has done much tweaking with the EF mount in the last few years, but I guess that it does not guarantee that in the future. Hopefully if I got into that situation Sigma would be able to "re-chip" my lenses to make them work - as they have done in the past with older lenses for customers.

 

On some levels - its amazing that they can reverse engineer something as complicated as a lens mount....and from more than one company.

Here is a another user of both lenses that does not see the value in the extra hundreds of dollars. And a photo test of his own between the 24-70L and the older Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8 which can be purchased for $200.

 

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5008900&postcount=195

Not sure about that Scott - I'm not seeing $600 dollar in image quality improvements from the Canon by ANY means in those tests, I guess everyone sees what they want to see in any test like that.

 

Canon surely makes some margin on those white lenses!

http://www.pbase.com/lightrules/2470exl

 

Good test here between the much less expensive Sigma versus the premium priced Canon L.

Lindy - I own the Canon 50mm f/1.8 mkII - wonderful optical quality and a GREAT price. Low build quality. I also own the Canon 28-105mm which is a nice lens, but slow and not expensive either. All other lenses that I use more on a regular basis are Sigma's. I love them.......great products.

 

You also answered my question with a question...

Lindy - I can only go by my own experiences - I currently own three Sigma lenses all of which work flawlessly on my Canon EOS20D and have right out of the the box. EX series Sigma lenses are clearly not what I would deem "crappy quality" as you so deftly put it in your post above. In fact, I would say they are fairly high quality. I'm also not horribly concerned with resale value and I plan on holding onto my equipment for many years to come - resale value is only a big deal for people selling equipment. Not a factor for me.

 

Do you have experience with Sigma lenses or are you just regurgitating thoughts that you have read elsewhere on the net? Your second paragraph seems to echo reading about issues - but never experiencing any.

Expensive they are - and I don't earn money with my photography so recouping the cost is not really an option. My 'overpriced' comment generally stems from the fact that Sigma makes an EX level 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and optically it is very close if not on par with the IQ from the Canon L, and the Siggy is not even in the same zip code when it comes to price. I have seen many IQ comparisons between the two and its close in a lot of cases. The Sigma will not have the same build quality nor weather sealing of an L lens - but for most of us I'm not sure those are the deal breakers. Price is a deal breaker for a lot of people like me.

 

I find that in A LOT of cases - I can get a comparable Sigma lens to any Canon and get more photographic bang for my buck.

I have to completely agree with the first response that you received - the Sigma 17-70mm is a GREAT all around lens with a nice wide angle and yet also just a bit of zoom on the long end. Large f/2.8 aperture when wide open and macro capability as well. This seems to meet all of your requirements and it does it for at or just slightly under $400.

 

You could also look at the Sigma 18-200mm model with optical stabilization. Great range and OS.

This would be even better if Canon lenses such as the 24-70L were not so grossly overpriced by Canon in the first place.

Batteries, cables and the charger are not additional items in the sale - they come with the camera. I always like it when people list items like that separately. I also think this package is a bit high.

Why is the 8MP in your top choice a problem? 8MP is plenty for even quite large prints with great quality.

You would definitely have some room to 'grow into' either the D300 or the 40/50D. These are intermediate models intended for the 'serious amateur' or the advanced hobbyist. You may also look into the newer Canon XSi as well, it is a fairly full featured model as well and in a slightly smaller package intended more for people that are moving up from a point and shoot model.

The mindset of the original poster is EXACTLY the mindset that Canon and other companies try to create in their consumers. "Your camera is way old now buddy!" "You need the latest and greatest!". Well, that is all crapola from the word go.

 

The 20D has a wonderful feature set and great performance. Canon's annual incremental upgrades each year do not tempt me to dump my 20D. I buy Sigma lenses too - so take that Canon!

Canon batteries are a classic over-pay product, no doubt. Many third party batteries have the same amount or larger capacity batteries than what Canon offers for sometimes fractions of the cost.

 

Check out these guys - www.sterlingtek.com I have ordered from them many times - no issues.

 

Remember - Canon in my owners manual also states that I should only use Canon-branded CF cards! They simply want your money for these parts as well and the don't deserve it at their prices.

Most of the really well done food shots that I see in cook books and magazines have very nice 'bokeh' or out of focus backgrounds. You will not get that with the kit lens (18-55mm) in most situations as it does not open up wide enough from an aperture perspective to produce these results. The 50mm f/1.8 that you mention would be serviceable in this area and would give you the out of focus portions of your photos that would make them pleasing. I would stick with your original idea.

There is tremendous pressure for the 1.4 to produce sharper, more contrasty photos than the 1.8 as it costs significantly more money. People getting a little skiddish if they spend that much money on the 1.4 only to see that image quality is only equal to or slightly less than the 1.8. I personally don't think that a higher purchase price guarantees the buyer anything when it comes to image quality between these two.

 

Long live the Nifty Fifty!

Although you will be limited in your focal range, I have seen the Canon 50mm f/1.8 MkII take some wonderful indoor concert and club photos due its larger available apertures. This would be an inexpensive way to try a new lens that has an aperture that will really let the light in, so to speak.

You will probably be amazed at how much more accurately your photos will be focused using the center point method. It really is a matter of you telling the camera what the subject of the photo is rather than the camera deciding what the subject is in a lot of cases.

I would agree with the great suggestions that you received from Eric in this thread. Setting the focusing of the camera to AI SERVO and burst mode shooting are the two critical items. At least they are for me when I shoot my kids playing in the yard.

 

I would use a aperture that is a bit stopped down (larger number) so that you have more depth of focus in your shots. This means that you may have to bump the ISO up a bit depending on your available light to keep your shutter speeds acceptable. Keep in mind that your shutter speeds should be at least 1/focal length for proper hand holding of the shots. So shooting at 200mm on a 5D would mean a shutter speed of at least 1/200 would be needed.

Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8

Something that I don't think has been mentioned in this thread is the fact that on some cameras that have cross type focus sensors, these cross type (more sensitive to horizontal and vertical contrast) are only activated in some models with a lens of f/2.8 or greater aperture. So with slower glass I am actually hindering the overall focusing ability of my camera.

Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8

 

This has to be about the best bang for your buck lens to be used as a general travel or walk around lens. Light weight - usable zoom range - smaller filter size than the Siggy 24-70mm and the constant f/2.8 aperture. I was able to grab my copy of this lens for about 200 bones at Amazon. Dollar for dollar - cannot beat that value.

In my house we have actually deemed this setting - "the Wife Setting"........as I would generally leave my camera set to ISO 800 or a large aperture in AV mode and her pictures would never turn out. So I told her that whenever she grabs my camera and wants to grab a quick shot - its the green rectangle she should move to!

Not sure that I would call the Canon 20D/30D/40D a "consumer toy"........too well built and too many "pro" features.