Canon lens question

clv101 · 19 Jun 2007 at 23:21

I'm thinking about getting something better than my stock 18-55... My wish list is for at least 18mm at the wide end, at least 55mm at the long end, faster than the 3.5-5.6 and better image quality. Can improvements in every metric be found in one lens?

I'm thinking maybe the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
It's wider, it's longer, it isn't faster but it has IS. Is the image quality much better than the 18-55 though?

Is it worth the money? How's the best way to buy it?

I have a 20D and 18-55. Could I sell the 20D and 18-55 and buy a 30D and 17-85 for less than buying the 17-85 outright, surely not... but then the 30D is an upgrade from the 20D.

Phate · 20 Jun 2007 at 00:22

Budget?

clv101 · 20 Jun 2007 at 07:10

Not more than a few hundred.

scoop · 20 Jun 2007 at 09:04

You'll struggle to get a new 17-85 for that sort of budget, I'd have thought. They seem to be amore like £380-£400

Siggma 17-70 is a reasonable alternative for that sort of range. Slightly shorter at the zoom end and no IS but f/2.8 at the wide end and a tad better optical quality. About £200.

I have the 17-70 and am very happy with it. Gets pretty good reviews as well. A useful comparison can be found here. The Canon just gets thh nod, but it's extremely close and there's about £170 difference in price, going off the best prices I can find.

Alternatively, try the Sigma or Tamron 17/18-50s?

clv101 · 20 Jun 2007 at 11:06

£380-£400 is what I'd call a few hundred.

That Sigma looks really interesting - thanks for the heads up.

clv101 · 23 Jun 2007 at 17:05

Went for the Sigma, after reading this amongst other things:

Sigma 17-70mm vs Canon 18-55mm kit lens
Compared to Canon's 18-55mm kit lens, this Sigma has wider apertures across its focal length range, and gives you a fair bit more at the telephoto end. It's also much better on chromatic aberration at all focal lengths. All in all, a worthy upgrade over the Canon 18-55, to the point that many purchasers of Canon's entry-level DSLRs may want to consider getting a bare body and then purchasing this lens separately.

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/349/cat/31