Sorting my kit out..

[ant1]

Right okay,

Just a few questions on kit. I would like to know opinions on 2 lenses, if I should get another body etc. Just so I can get some money together.

So far I have a..
50 1.8.
28 2.8.
55-250mm IS.
Borrowed 18-55mm IS Kit Lens.
Flash Gun.


I am looking at keeping my 55-250mm IS in my bag. As I find this great for getting nice candid shots, at parties, weddings. Or general.

Now, I have seen a nicely priced Sigma 18-50mm 2.8. I am thinking of just having two lenses in my bag, for general purposes and even parties I attend etc. Wedding I am only guest.

Would you buy the sigma 2.8 18-50mm and throw out 28mm and 50mm in general use. Keeping just sigma and 55-250 in my bag. Along with flash gun.
If doing any portraiture, 50mm would come back in. But I'm not great at that, and love candid shots and landscape. Also doing a bit of nightclub now too so need a wide.

Any thoughts, I dunno what to do. Its either that or buy the kit lens off my mate for like 40quid and use it with the flash when indoors. If taking landscape shots, usually use a tripod and f/8+ so the 2.8 wouldn't really come into it?

 

[Cagey75]

Look into the tamron 17-50 2.8. I chose that over the sigma a few years back, and it was almost welded to my camera most times.

 

[Nod]

Not used that lens but have and use 3 Zooms from 12-300mm, 2 of which are Sigmas. I have had no problems with any of the Sigmas I own (on top of the 2 zooms, I also have a prime and another zoom which doesn't get that much use so has no permanent place in the bag), so that 18-50 f/2.8 sounds like just what you want. It'll leave you with a 5mm gap but at that F/L, a toch of footzoom or cropping will sort it!

I would be tempted to keep the 50mm f/1.8 for (as you say) portraits and other low light use - it's probably not worth that much as a trade in and will probably get plenty of use. IMO, one of the joys of wide lenses is their handholdability at longer shutter speeds - at 18mm, you should be able to get away with about 1/30th of a second and with an f/2.8 wide end, that should be easily attainable within useable ISOs. You could probably even get away with stopping down a little to get deeper DoF should you want it.

 

[ant1]

Cheers for that both.

@Cagey75 going for the sigma because that's what they have second hand at the moment. And luckily have 2 actually. Cannot afford brand new.

Nod, don't mind the 5mm gap, as said I only really get my camera out on occasions, well, trying to get it out as much as possible really. But with work and weather lately i haven't been so successful in doing so. I found that when I wanted wide angle, 28mm wasn't really wide enough, or I would have it on and need a 50mm and have to faff about in changing primes. Same with when I needed zoom. Too much hassle swapping 3 lenses.

I will be keeping both primes anyway, as they owe me nout. Dad passed me down the 50mm and 28mm. So the kit I have bought is a body, flash and zoom. So can afford to spend a little more. Which, this is it I think.

Just trying to make the decision, will I use it enough to get my money worth. But then I think, even if I don't use it for a bit, and only for general use. When the time comes up I need it, I will have it. Tough one..

 

[Nod]

Don't you dare believe that this will be your last purchase! Photography is probably the worst hobby for GAS (gear aquisition syndrome) you can possibly take up! As I said, a 5mm gap where yours is likely to be isn't a critical one - a gap between 20 and 24mm would be far worse (some people use the Sigma 10-20 and a 24-70 - that gap would get on my nerves!)

Check the difference in image quality between the zoom and the prime at 28mm - at a guess, the prime will be a touch sharper but very possibly not enough to make a real difference - if it does, carry the prime as well - it's probably not that big or heavy! Keep the 50mm in the bag - an extra stop can make a difference in low light conditions (and the shallower DoF can be handy too.)

 

[ant1]

Cheers for your comments Nod.
Agree with GAS haha, when I see a lens I really just wanna spend all my money on it haha.

Bought the sigma in the end. On it's way. Will always carry my 50mm its a superb lens I think. Will only carry the 28mm when I really fancy it, a lot of the time it's not wide enough for what I want anyway.

Then the sigma obviously, and the 55-250,

 

[NickD]

I have the Sigma for Nikon and I'm impressed. Honestly can't see me using the 35 1.8 again.

 

[modchild]

Any f2.8 zoom in the 17-55 range would be a definite improvment on the 18-55 kit lens. I've got 2 Sigma zooms and the wife has another 1 and they are all very good. My widest is the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 USM and a Canon 24-105 f4 L and on my 5D3 that is plenty wide enough for me. I also have 3 Canon primes, the 35 f2, 50 f1.4 and 85 f1.8 which get very little use but wouldn't dream of leaving them out the bag for that just in case moment.

A flash would be a good improvement overall though and there is some fairly decent priced TTL flashguns around that would negate the need for another lens altogether.

 

[Nod]

You're looking at a man with a serious wide angle fetish! I have (and use often) an 8mm fisheye and a 12-24 Sigma, all used on an FF body (D700). The 12-24 (at the wide end) is significantly wider than the 10-20 on a crop body (where it has the FoV of a 15-30 as seen through FF). In figures, that's only 3mm but that's about 20%! In landscape orientation (long sides up and down), you get over 90° across the frame.

 

[ant1]

Glad you are impressed Nick, else I'd be screwed now its on it's way haha.

Modchild, already have a flashgun. So in with this i'm hoping it will work really well. Thanks.

Fair enough Nod. I find that I just need a wide angle when I usually have my 50 on the body. Or, like a while back I was in santorini, went on a walk off with just my body and 50mm. For a bit of general shooting. Got to the end of the beach and there were rocks. Had a clime across, and figured I needed my 28mm, or even wider really. But was a long walk and couldn't be arsed to go back down there another day haha.