Recommendations for Upgrading From my Canon 28-80mm USM f3.5/5.6

CableTripper

CableTripper

Suspended / Banned
Messages
18
Name
Stephen Hollingsworth
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello everyone, this is my first post here (although I have been lurking for a little while) so perhaps it's best if I introduce myself. My name is Steve, I live in Cornwall, UK and I have only recently caught the photography bug having been only interested in astrophotography until now. I have owned a few DSLRs in the past but these have always been ripped apart and modified for astro and have never been attached to lenses but rather telescopes.

About 2 months ago I bought a Canon 50D with the intention of doing a bit of landscape photography and I was immediately hooked. I was recommended a Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 AT-X PRO DX II lens as a good wide angle lens so I picked up a used one (before I'd even bought the camera body) and I'm extremely happy with the results it produces. I bought the camera body with an old Canon EF 28-80mm f3.5/5.6 USM mk1 lens. A little research on this lens gave me the impression it was one of the better Canon kit lenses all be it very old. I was disappointed to find that you can't use a CPL filter with it because the slightly quirky design means the outer element actually retracts inside the lens body when focusing/zooming. I have also found this lens to be not as sharp as the Tokina and all images it produces seem to be a bit dull and gloomy when compared to the Tokina (is there a word photographers use for this rather than dull and gloomy?).

So I'm looking to replace my Canon 28-80mm USM with something that has the sharpness and colour of the Tokina 11-16. The zoom range isn't critical (although somewhere in the 17-70mm range would be nice) but internal focus is a must as I will want to be able to use a CPL. I'm expecting this to be my go to lens for most situations i.e. my walkabout lens so a fast lens with image stabilisation would be nice especially as I'm new to all this and don't know what type of photography I may be interested in the future.

I'm completely open to third party manufacturers in fact I almost favour them as there's the chance for better value for money. I will be looking to buy used with a budget of about £250.

So far I've considered the Canon EF-S 15-85mm F3.5/5.6 IS USM which I've seen recommended by others but I'd like to here of alternatives.

I'd particularly like to hear from anyone that has used the Tokina 11-16mm lens and is able to compare it to any recommendations as my very limited experience means this is my benchmark.

Thanks in advance

Steve
 
Hi,

I don't think internal focusing is a must, all you need is a lens which doesn't rotate the front. Yes? :D

Back when I had Canon's I had a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 which I thought was very reasonably priced, compact and light and very good. It's not as long as your 28-80mm but it's obviously wider and I'd guess quite a jump in image quality.

There's also a similar Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and a Sigma 17-70mm but the latter doesn't give you the option of the constant f2.8. Personally I would and did go for a constant f2.8 lens.
 
Thanks for the reply woof woof. You're correct a non rotating filter thread is what I need. I'll add your suggestions to my list of lenses to research/look out for.

I'm still undecided whether f2.8 is absolutely necessary seeing as I'll mostly be doing landscapes but it would be nice for future proofing myself against a change of interest.
 
The Canon 28-80 is an EF lens so will actually be longer on a 50D when you take in the crop factor will give you 45 - 128mm.

Have you thought about the Canon 18-135 USM or Nano, well regarded for their price and I'm pretty sure that they do not rotate the glass.
 
Ah Scotty Pro you're comment brings up a subject of some confusion to me with relation to crop sensors and full frame lenses etc.

In the world of telescopes the focal length is basically a measurement of the effective distance the light travels before reaching the focal point i.e. the camera sensor. I have a reflector telescope that has a focal length of 750mm and when I put a DSLR on the focuser the moon fits nicely in the field of view. If I put a much smaller sensor such as a webcam on the focuser I get a much smaller field of view in which I can not fit the whole moon within a single frame (the view is much more zoomed in) but the focal length of the telescope hasn't changed it is still 750mm. Does this not apply in the world of camera lenses? If I have a 28mm EF lens is it not the same focal length as a 28mm EF-S lens. I agree the field of view or zoom will be different between a crop and full frame sensor but if I'm shopping for a 28mm lens does it matter if it is an EF or EF-S lens? Or do the numbers on a camera lens not represent the focal length?
 
You're quite right, the focal length of the lens doesn't change. The field of view is narrower on an aps-c camera compared to a full frame camera due to the smaller sensor. The 28-80mm lens was designed for full frame film cameras.

With a crop sensor 50D I'd recommend something like the Tamron SP 17-50/2.8. The non stabilised version (non-vc) is believed to be sharper, but they both come with plenty of good reviews.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top