17-40L or 70-200L - Arg.. decisions decisions

Raider · 24 Apr 2006 at 20:09

I finally have a bit of spare money this month, so i'm after a new lens.

I currently have:
350D
50mm F1.8
18-55mm Kit lense
Sigma 70-300 APO DG

It annoys me that the 18-55mm isn't very sharp unless you crank up to F8, and since I like to take a lot of outdoor snaps then this can be a problem if the light isn't that great. So to be able to use the 17-40mm at F4 would be great.

However I also like taking wildlife snaps and the problem I have atm with the Sigma 70-300mm is that unless the sun is shining, almost every shot I take is at ISO 1600 just so I can have a short enough shutter time at F7 or above.
So the F4 70-200L would be very nice, assuming it's nice and sharp at F4!

So any opinions?

Raider · 24 Apr 2006 at 20:29

morgan said:
look at the sigma 15-30...if you get a good one it is far better than the 17-40 and it will save you big bucks

Are there any weird effects with using 15mm? Any perspective correction required for example?

Raider · 24 Apr 2006 at 21:14

SDK^ said:
This lens is great for wildlife - you can use a 1.4x or 2x convertor and still retain autofocus.

Don't have that much money to spend!
£500 is my limit really for either type of lens!

Raider · 24 Apr 2006 at 22:55

SDK^ said:
In that case get the 17-40L F4.
200mm is too short for wildlife photography

True, what about the Canon 70-300 IS though?
If I a normal 300mm lens requires you to shoot at around 1/600 to avoid camera shake, what does the IS 300mm allow you to do?

Having said that longer exposures aren't much good for fast moving wildlife

Arg why can't they make an F4 300mm for less than the price of a kidney

Raider · 25 Apr 2006 at 09:32

That Sigma 100-300mm F4 looks great but I have a few questions:

1) It's 3x the weight of my Sigma 70-300mm APO, is it really possible to hand hold this?

2) How sharp is it at F4? I don't want to be forced to stop down to F6 or higher just to get a sharp image!

3) How cheap can I get it for on its own in the UK

Raider · 25 Apr 2006 at 17:31

Any more opinions on the 70-300mm IS?

I'm thinking that the benefit of jumping from the Sigma 70-300mm APO to the Canon 70-300mm IS might not be worth it. And I think the Sigma 100-300mm is a bit out of my range at the moment..

So currently the best plan looks like the Sigma 15-30mm!

Raider · 26 Apr 2006 at 12:00

Any more opinions on the Sigma 15-30mm?
Price (£299) looks about right. Reviews seem good..

I hear that it's possible to attach a 82mm filter on the front, how can this be with the permanent petal hood? :confused:

Raider · 26 Apr 2006 at 21:10

hmmm my budget has just been unexpectedly raised by £150.. the 100-300mm is now looking more tempting

Raider · 27 Apr 2006 at 16:41

Spanker said:
I am seriously looking at this lens also, have seen it for around £515 deliverd from Hong Kong. Not sure what to do, think i will get a feel in a local shop tbh.

Yeah i'm hoping to try it in a local shop this weekend, then order it online. As one place has it for £699 including the Sigma APO 1.4x teleconverter, which is normally £150!!

Also just sold my old PC monitor for £150, so i'm getting closer to making a comfortable purchase!