Advice for a novice

[FunkyMunky]

Hi guys. I currently own a 40D and looking to upgrade from the 18-55mm kit lens. I would prefer something with a decent zoom range, prefrebly starting from either 17 opr 18mm. I would also prefer that the lens as IS functionality as a lot of my shots suffer from camera shake (always try and shoot with a maximum of 400 ISO and livving in London where there is such a short supply of sun light, its not feasible as the shutter speeds have to slow down considerably).

I will use the lens mainly for portrait and automotive shots and some landscape shots (least priority). Im looking to spend in the region of about £300 pounds and probably not too much more than that. I have been advised to look into the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 but Im just worried that without the IS function Ill have the same issue with camera shake as I do with my current 18-55mm lens.

Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Canon Bob]

The EF-S 17-85 IS would seem to be the logical choice....around £250.

I can't vouch for it's quality though....maybe someone else around here has one?

Bob

 

[nomorem6]

It's a good lens for the budget. There are better lenses around but at a lot more £££. At this stage you proberbly don't need anything more than this lens would offer you.

Alternatively you could think about a monopod and improve your shooting technique instead. IS is good but its not a solution to not grasping the basics of taking a good shot. What I mean is, that (for example) a lot of camera shake is as a result of snatching the shutter release instead of gently squeezing it. Be well balanced and control your breathing when taking a shot too.

I use IS lenses but its a bit like ABS on a car. If you really know how to use the breaks its not too often that you REALLY need it. If you don't know how to break you'll be needing it all the time.

Bottom line, I agree with CanonBob but think about technique too.

Hope that helps

 

[FunkyMunky]

Thanks for the info mate. Very useful indeed.

You are right - I definitely need to improve my technique and Im hoping some new equipment will aid me in doing that.

Just quickly, any reviews on the Tamron 17-50 in a low light situation? I have been advised that because it is a faster lens it will compensate for the lack of IS functionality. Is this true?

 

[nomorem6]

Thanks for the info mate. Very useful indeed.

You are right - I definitely need to improve my technique and Im hoping some new equipment will aid me in doing that.

Just quickly, any reviews on the Tamron 17-50 in a low light situation? I have been advised that because it is a faster lens it will compensate for the lack of IS functionality. Is this true?

Yes and no!

The tamron will be faster at the wider aperture (f4 to 2.8) but above that IS is more important for your needs. Meaning, at an aperture of f16 for example, a lens with IS will always be more stable than one without (upto about 2 f-stops 'they' say!)

Its unlikely that you're always going to be shooting at 2.8 or whatever so because you're going to want to control depth of field (DOF) for many of your images the IS option would be better for you if you're going to be shooting hand held all the time. All you're trying to do, whether it be IS a tripod, monopod or the side of a wall is to keep the camera as stable as possible for the shot. IS is just one solution that helps.