Are These Decent Lenses???

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:47 pm

Sigma Two Lens Zoom Kit with 28-80 & 70-300 plus Gadget Bag for Canon AF for $229?

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/253091516.htm

or
Quantaray 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 High Speed Auto Focus Zoom for EOS Canon for $159
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/251664561.htm?bct=t13031003%3Bcidigital-cameras-and-accessories%3Bcilenses-for-digital-cameras%3Bcislr-lens%3Bcilenses-for-canon

Are any of these worth the money I am on a very tight budget, and the kit lens sucks, it does really have a very soft focus...are these better than kit? I know the second one is a different focal range, I seem to like that range better for the type of shooting I do...

Premium Member Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 5758

You can do better for your money than those.

Get a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Outstanding image quality and a great price. It's $370 new, and KEH has them as low as $235 used.

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:03 pm

I intend on making a larger leap down the road but I need to extend my range around the 250 mark...do you think this are ok for the price, and do you think they would be better than the kit lens?

Premium Member Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 5758

I don't know anything about them, but I doubt that they're sufficiently better to justify the cost. You can take very good pics with the kit lens (I used it for the first 9 months I had my camera), esp if you stop down to f/8 or so. Better to save your money for something better in the future.

Joined: 15 Sep 2005 Posts: 109 Location: Womelsdorf, Pa

Let me tell you a little story. This story involves cheap lenses, many hours photographying and a stock agency.

Unfortunatly many of us have to scrimp and save to buy that next lens and while these may be inexpensive lenses I will raise one word of caution.

Image quality is everything. Lets say that after a few years of shooting you have managed to amass quite a collection of images. Many of them are very good images (compostionally speaking) but lack quality. You decide that hay you would love to make some extra cash so you submit a portfolio to a stock agency and they tell you that your composition is great, they like your style, BUT...you image quality is below their standards.

Cheap lenses vingette, have chromatic aberration, and most importantly don't last. The moving parts wear out faster, their opperation is more course and sloppy.

Great lenses last a lifetime. I would highly recommend you saving up and buying the absolute best lenses you can. If you decide to go with 3rd party lenses (sigma ect.) look towards there higher quality lines. Many of these lenses are fast approching the quality of name brand.

I hope that this does not discourage you. I have made the mistake of looking at a focal length, f-stop and price, not thinking what really was important.

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 7:20 pm

thanx guys

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 10:11 pm

does anyone know what KEH is??

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 10:43 pm

KEH = http://www.keh.com/

Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 5

I think the lower the f number on a lens the sharper better..and usually more expensive it will be. But watch that number when you look at lenses. It determines how fast the lens is. There are some great cheap, sharp lenses like the prime lenses. A 50 mm f 1.8 is less than $100 and is a great lens.

Premium Member Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 5758

A low f/number doesn't mean it will be sharper -- it means it will be faster, i.e. it has a wider maximum aperture and will allow you to shoot in darker conditions / with faster shutter speeds. It's more expensive simply because it's a lot more glass.

Now a 50mm f/1.4 lens is likely to be sharper at f/4 than a 50mm f/4 lens is at f/4, simply because you've stopped down the faster lens somewhat. But you need to look at the specific reviews and try the lenses out too. For instance the Canon 16-35 f/2.8L is often regarded as less sharp than the 17-40 f/4L (which is half the price too).

Joined: 18 Jun 2006 Posts: 191

What about someone like my mom who just takes photos for herself, is the quantaray fine for that?

Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 131 Location: Boulder, Colorado

EOS MAN wrote:

does anyone know what KEH is??

It's about the best and most consistent source of used gear you can find....I've even bought some "Bargain" graqde stuff that was spectacular as far as quality and wear go.