What would you do ?

chewyuk

chewyuk

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Neil
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I need some wise helping hands please ....

I can probably scrape together £300 prior to my wedding absorbing all spare cash.:shrug: I currently have a only one 'real' lens 17-85 and I think a lens upgrade is due, especially seeing I have just sold my prized possession - my car !

Short-term I will not be upgrading to full frame, so could go down the EF-S route, key is the cash thing. :)
Need thoughts on what I can afford and the best selections.
Hopefully optimistic I can get at least 2 new/nearly new lenses !

Happy to sell 17-85 to fund but have been racking my brain around this dilema for a week or so and I'm melting ....

Lenses I am currently considering...
17/40
70-200 F4
100mm macro
10-20

Bearing in mind I would have to sell 17-85 to fund any other purchase, I guess I have, with lose change and selling the 17-85 about £600.
What do I shoot, for those who have not seen my shots, I shoot mostly landscape.
I am not completelyt against the idea of using ebay to purchase, and have just picked up a Speedlite 580 from Kerso in recent weeks.

Make sense ?
Any help or thoughts appreciated.
Cheers,
Neil
 
I use a 17-40 and a 70-200 and I dont miss not having coverage in the middle range, i can either step closer or further back, the different isnt that great to me.

I also recently picked up the nifty 50 but I dont fine myself using it that much even though it quite nicely bridges the gap. I dont normally shoot portraits though so you might find the gap limiting in those area's.
 
If you've got the nifty fifty Neil you'll not miss the mid range. For most of last year I was using a Tamron 19-35mm at the wide end, and then a Sigma 70-300mm - with the fifty to fill the gap, and that worked fine for me. Those tamron's (It's the 3.5 - 4.5 version) can be picked up second hand for around the £100 mark and mine at least was absolutely superb - FAR better than it's money suggests. I've now got the luxury of a complete run of lenses from 12mm up to 200mm (400mm with TC's) and while it's nice I don't think it's made an immense difference to the way I'm shooting. I have handed the Tamron to Ben now along with that Sigma 70-300. Initially while we were away he was also carrying his standard "walkabout" lens that used to live on the camera most of the time.....an old Sigma 28-80mm, but after about the second day it went back into the "spare kit" bag at the cottage and the Tamron spent, probably about 75% of the time on the camera!!

The 70-200 f4 is meant to be a cracker - if the IQ is even approaching as good as the 70-200 f2.8 then you'd be onto a winner. I personally think that you could also consider the Sigma 24-70 f2.8. I love mine and it is really quite phenomenally sharp. I've been SO impressed with it while we were in Scotland. I said to our track photographer at speedway on Thursday night that if I had the same cash to spend over again on lenses I'd go down exactly the same route, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sigma's to anyone. I'd challenge a 24-70L user to a quality comparison any day! :D
 
Thanks Mole and Witch.
That's kind of what I was thinking witch on the mid range area. I do have the nifty for my portrait stuff, so my thinking is the same as yours in that it will probably fill the gap well. Until I get the chance to go 24-105 ! :)
I'll also have a read up on the 24-70 sigma, but I already like the price.
I am struggling to go away from the 17-40 due to my landscape stuff. But I want to get better with my macro and the macro switch on the cheap sigma28-80 just isnt up to the mark anymore.
I'ts a juggle, do I sell my 17-85 and then go 17-40, 70-200 short term. I may just be able to do both on ebay second hand.
Kerso price for 70-200 & 1740 will be nearer £750 so probbaly just out of my price range.
 
I bought my 17-40L second hand on ebay from a pro in London, and it's just fine although they do really hold their value.
 
I'd go 17-40 f4, 70-200 f4.

Is your 17-85 the one with cashback on it ?, if it is secondhand prices will be lower for a while.
 
I didn't realise you were using the Sigma 28-80 at the moment. We have one which Ben has just confirmed that he's unlikely to use again....if you want to make me an offer for it then if it helps out you could consider that to fill in your mid-range gap. PM me if so. The macro switch on that is fine!

As for the 24-70mm - Petemc uses one a lot of the time and it was him that sold me on it - I seem to recall he showed me some sample images. Karen Sherherd (hope that's the right name!) used here for a lot of the stuff she shot of Robbie Williams on tour too IIRC. The only ever-so-slight niggle I'd confess to is that to switch from MF to AF you have to slide the focus ring AND move the switch. So minor though it's not a real issue. Alledgedly you can cause "issues" if you don't do both. :shrug:
 
mho01 said:
I'd go 17-40 f4, 70-200 f4.
Click to expand...


You have to be mad not to get these two..;)

These will cover almost every aspect and both are tack sharp lenses..:thumbs:

Good luck on whatever you choose..:)
 
Witch said:
I didn't realise you were using the Sigma 28-80 at the moment. We have one which Ben has just confirmed that he's unlikely to use again....if you want to make me an offer for it then if it helps out you could consider that to fill in your mid-range gap. PM me if so. The macro switch on that is fine!
Click to expand...

I only ever use the Sigma 28-80 for Macro - thanks for the kind offer though, it will be going under the ebay hammer shortly.
 
What would you do ?
Click to expand...

GAMBLE!!!!!!!

*cough*....after reading the thread - I keep eyeing up the 17-40, played with one a while back and it sure is a nice lens!!
 
mho01 said:
I'd go 17-40 f4, 70-200 f4.
Click to expand...

Gets my vote mate. 17-40 is lovely and perfect for seascape and (at 40) landscape.

I told you not to get married but would you listen????? lol :lol:

I guess you could upgrade the missus to a 24-70 2.8 later to plug the gap:D

my failsafe lens is the 24-105 - the 12-24 when in cities and i have both bodies.
 
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