replacement for a 18-135

tomkbucks

tomkbucks

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thomas
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i know there is always talk about a walk about lens but everyone always suggest stuf that comes up quite short, i find the 18-135 a great lens BUT it just 'wants' something more , its a little soft , not 'that' fast or 'sharp' it really is a jack of all trades but i do want something better , can anyone suggest something with a similar 'length' that will tick the box's ? should also add i would love a 2.8...
 
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I don't think there is anything better in that wide focal length range. I have an 18-135 and a Tamron 17-50, so I can swap to a faster sharper lens when I don't need the versatility of the slower 18-135, but for the flexibility of going from 18mm to over 100mm at the flick of a wrist I don't think anything beats it tbh.

You could try a 15-85 which is sharper but it is just as slow as the 18-135.
 
The sensible (only) choices if you want 2.8 are the Canon 17-55 IS, Canon 24-70 (a big lump on a 60D though) or a Tamron/Sigma variant of the former. The Canon's have by far the best/quietest/fastest focusing but image quality is quite close among them all*. The Canon's are also a lot more money of course.

*I have never owned the Sigma but have owned the other three
 
thanks intresting to find someone else that has this lens i thought i was the only one ! how does the tamron compair in terms of speed / image quality ? thanks !

CSB said:
I don't think there is anything better in that wide focal length range. I have an 18-135 and a Tamron 17-50, so I can swap to a faster sharper lens when I don't need the versatility of the slower 18-135, but for the flexibility of going from 18mm to over 100mm at the flick of a wrist I don't think anything beats it tbh.

You could try a 15-85 which is sharper but it is just as slow as the 18-135.
Click to expand...
 
Tamron is sharper and it shows, it also focuses quicker than the 18-135 but not by much. Tamron is also 2 stops faster which is handy in low light but the Canon has the handy addition of IS and with the longer focal length it can be just as easy as the Tamron if not easier to get nice shallow depth of field.

I think the lenses complement each other nicely, I sold my original 18-135 but missed it so much I bought another. Also would never sell my Tamron, I like having them both as they both have their uses depending on the conditions.
 
For a decent f2.8 look at the Canon 17-55mm or Siggy 17-50mm

For a walk around lens you cant beat the Canon 15-85mm

Your 18-135mm is not alot better than 18-55mm kit lens and is sold as such with some cameras, which is why it maybe a little soft.
 
Agree with the above, I have the 15-85 and love it. It's the most versatile lens I've ever used going from very very wide to short telephoto. IQ and sharpness are superb it has the latest IS worth of 4 stops and a super fast AF. I couldn't ask for more, I will back this up by a fast prime like a 50 F/1.4 but I'm still searching for the right sigma 50 F/1.4
 
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