Replacement for Kit Lens

silverscatcat

silverscatcat

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It's about time I replaced my standard canon 18-55mm kit lens as the image quality isn't too great.
The question is, what to replace it with, I quite like the focal range, so can those who know more than me, recommend a better quality lens......got approx £400.00 to spend & it doesn't need to be a new one. Your help would be appreciated.
 
I would look at the Canon 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM lens. On eBay, they go for around £310-£350 giving you room to buy some additional memory cards or batteries. These lenses are about £600 new and has been referred to as the L lens which never made it. The optics are superb and it's a top quality lens. If you ever come to sell, you'll get good value.
 
If you are happy with what you have then I'd suggest maybe something a little longer range ie 17-85mm or 15-85mm [with similar apertures to what you have] or a varient of 17-50/55mm type zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture with the one Snips ^^ mentioned often regarded as the 'best' in that category.
 
LeeRatters said:
If you are happy with what you have then I'd suggest maybe something a little longer range ie 17-85mm or 15-85mm [with similar apertures to what you have] or a varient of 17-50/55mm type zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture with the one Snips ^^ mentioned often regarded as the 'best' in that category.
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Just to add my 10pence worth, I have been looking to buy a lens in this category and been mulling over the Sigma 17-50, Sigma 17-70, Tamron 17-50 as well as the Canon and all reviews point to the canon being the better one. The sigma has AF issues with some noise and hunting and the Tamron is not as sharp as the Sigma and Canon.

From my my investigations, the Canon would be the better choice, since the price is the same as the Sigma/Tamron. However, like above a longer range would be of benefit if you need it.

What camera body do you have?
 
Hi All,
Thanks for the replies, my camera body is a 550D. I must admit I do like the canon 17-55mm F/2.8 so my go that route, I have a 55-250mm so the focal length would be ideal......EBay here I come :))
 
Being a cropped sensor (1.6x), it's going to be more like 27-88 on the 17-55 (correct me if I'm wrong).
 
I am also looking to replace my kit lens. From the reviews I have read, the Sigma is better than the Tamron in the 17-50 f/2.8. The Tamron VC is good but when you start it up sometimes it blurs your image if you happen to take a photo while it is still engaging. Also the af is louder than the sigma. The non-vc version of the Tamron is said to be sharper. But it is older so the motor doesn't focus as well on some of them. You might have to cherry pick a good one. But it is cheaper though. The canon 17-55 f2.8 is a somewhat better. The build is suppose to be better, usm is near silent, IS is great, and lastly the images are a bit sharper; but not a whole lot of difference from the sigma. I say if you have the money get the Canon. You can always get a used one but prices will vary, not sure if they have any problems but you won't have the longer warranty on the Sigma and Tamron. Sorry for the long post, but hopefully this will help. I will be going for the Sigma soon unless the Canon drops in price.
 
In general EBay prices are inflated compared to those on the forum. You would be wise to shop on both.

I have had the Sigma and the Tamron 17-50 non vc and from my experience the Tamron is sharper and autofocuses better especially in low light.
 
valb said:
In general EBay prices are inflated compared to those on the forum. You would be wise to shop on both.

I have had the Sigma and the Tamron 17-50 non vc and from my experience the Tamron is sharper and autofocuses better especially in low light.
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Was that the non OS sigma as well? Sigma made some terrible 17-50mm f2.8 lenses before there recent OS HSM version which is almost as good as the canon lens.
 
a1ex2001 said:
Was that the non OS sigma as well? Sigma made some terrible 17-50mm f2.8 lenses before there recent OS HSM version which is almost as good as the canon lens.
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Picked this up today, cannot wait to get out with it. Feels well constructed, HSM is quiet and the optics are beautiful. My only immediate reservation is the zoom, its not overly fluid, but I've only had it for a few hours :D
 
The Canon 17-55, the Tamron 17-50 (VC and non VC) and the Sigma 17-50 OS are all excellent lenses for a crop body. I tried the Canon, Sigma OS and Tamron VC when I bought my 70D last year and I also tried a Canon 15-85 which gave an excellent IQ but isn't a constant f2.8 like the others. If budget isn't a problem I'd go for the Canon 17-55 IS for its overall sharpness, AF speed and build but if budget is a constraint my second choice would be the Sigma OS. I found the corner sharpness of the Sigma slightly better than the Tamron but slightly worse than the Canon but centre sharpness is very similar in all of them.
 
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