The DSLR Thread

[HellwratH]

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

Thanks.It is 35-80mm lens.A nomal one.And you are right.I rarely use it.

For now, I'd stick with 18-55 (IS?). It's a good performer if you can stop down a bit. Don't give up on kit lens yet . Here are some from a kit lens that came with my G1:

[white-rabbit]

Originally Posted by HellwratH

For now, I'd stick with 18-55 (IS?). It's a good performer if you can stop down a bit. Don't give up on kit lens yet . Here are some from a kit lens that came with my G1:

great snaps!!.I believe my kity has having some issues as clevermax said.Did you feel any chromatic abberations with your kit lens? BTW I didnt understand G1

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

great snaps!!.I believe my kity has having some issues as clevermax said.Did you feel any chromatic abberations with your kit lens? BTW I didnt understand G1

Not all kit lenses are bad. Check reviews for your particular model. Don't bother too much about CAs..that's for pixel peepers and nearly all lenses even expensive ones will have some level of CA albeit lower. CA is sometimes corrected by the camera's firmware provided you use a lens it recognises and is fully compatible with. Use the camera and enjoy it.

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

It is not too tight.Incase if fuse blows,where is this fuse located in 550D?

Is the gear a helical or worm gear? Why not try the Sigma service centre for a quick opinion and estimate of repair? Also, that fuse (if the camera has one) will be an internal micro fuse on the circuit board. If it blows then you will need to take it to the service centre for repairs. Don't take a risk with a legacy lens that you hardly use or intend to use.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Don't take a risk with a legacy lens that you hardly use or intend to use.

+1

My Tamron 70~300 that was in use with my film body started to give me error codes on my first digital body (400D) after a few images.

The camera and lens firmware was incompatible. Optically too, DSLR images taken with certain legacy lenses will be inferior. The sensor reflects light back onto the lenses, causing ghosting and flares especially if there is a light source in the image.

It takes a long time to build a good camera and lens collection. Buy good lenses according to your need.

[white-rabbit]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Not all kit lenses are bad. Check reviews for your particular model. Don't bother too much about CAs..that's for pixel peepers and nearly all lenses even expensive ones will have some level of CA albeit lower. CA is sometimes corrected by the camera's firmware provided you use a lens it recognises and is fully compatible with. Use the camera and enjoy it.



Is the gear a helical or worm gear? Why not try the Sigma service centre for a quick opinion and estimate of repair? Also, that fuse (if the camera has one) will be an internal micro fuse on the circuit board. If it blows then you will need to take it to the service centre for repairs. Don't take a risk with a legacy lens that you hardly use or intend to use.

Originally Posted by autocrat

+1

My Tamron 70~300 that was in use with my film body started to give me error codes on my first digital body (400D) after a few images.

The camera and lens firmware was incompatible. Optically too, DSLR images taken with certain legacy lenses will be inferior. The sensor reflects light back onto the lenses, causing ghosting and flares especially if there is a light source in the image.

It takes a long time to build a good camera and lens collection. Buy good lenses according to your need.

This answers much of my doubts.Thank you very much guys.
My kit has
canon 550D +18-55mm IS(kit)
Sigma 35-80mm is the lense I was using with Filim camera (canon 1000f).

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

This answers much of my doubts.Thank you very much guys.
My kit has
canon 550D +18-55mm IS(kit)

You are welcome. As mentioned earlier not all kit lenses are bad just because they are cheap. They have very obvious negatives but you should temper your expectations.

Just FYI - this lens has a recommended rating from dpreview and very decent reviews at other sites. So just forget the naysayers. Learn and experiment with it to your heart's content and when you're ready, buy a better lens/lenses preferably only Canon (just so you know, my experiences in the early 2000s put me off 3rd party glass permanently)

Canon EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS review: Digital Photography Review

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Review

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict

I'd recommend you dump the Sigma unless you want to keep it for sentimental reasons. A legacy 3rd party lens with a busted focussing system and questionable performance is not one I'd want to use with a new generation DSLR.

Cheers!

[white-rabbit]

Guys,How good is tamron lens?I am saving for a 70-300mm lens now.Which will be the best to go for?

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

Guys,How good is tamron lens?I am saving for a 70-300mm lens now.Which will be the best to go for?

no idea about 70-300 but have used extensively the following:

1 - Tamron 28-75 f2.8 - bought it used, had problem of micro focus adjustment, otherwise pretty sharp lens. sold after using for 8-9 months.
2 - Tamron 17-50 f2.8 - bought new from Amazon, did not like the sharpness (or the lack of it), returned the piece and got another piece which was spot on. used it for over an year and sold.
3 - Tamron 16-35 f2.8 - bought used, been using it from last two years, no problems whatsoever so far.

Tamron has had (or, it still has) issues with QC, you MAY end up with a faulty piece, so, while buying, if possible test it thoroughly while buying.

in Canon, one suggestion for you, if your budget permits; go with Canon 70-200 f4.0. it is an awesome piece of optics.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by infotech58

no idea about 70-300 but have used extensively the following:

in Canon, one suggestion for you, if your budget permits; go with Canon 70-200 f4.0. it is an awesome piece of optics.

70~300 tamron is a mixed bag.
Its decent in 100~180 mm range. @ 300mm its too soft to be a wildlife lens, but can be used as a portrait lens. Its 1:2 macro is a very useful feature, but no IS.

The lens also suffers from chromatic aberration and purple fringing. Avoid shiny objects in frame

70~200 f4 is a lens one cant find fault with

Edit: If you are tight on budget, canon 55~250mm is a good bet. You lose out 50mm on tele end, but even @ 250mm its quite sharp and has IS.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by white-rabbit

Guys,How good is tamron lens?I am saving for a 70-300mm lens now.Which will be the best to go for?

Originally Posted by infotech58

Tamron has had (or, it still has) issues with QC, you MAY end up with a faulty piece, so, while buying, if possible test it thoroughly while buying.

+1

It is this very lens i.e. the previous generation Tamron 70-300 that put me off 3rd party lenses over a decade ago whilst shooting with film. Contrast and sharpness were good thru 70-150mm or so and progressively got worse as you zoomed in to 300mm, very soft at 300 mm. Construction was well, iffy. Well, as they say you get what you pay for. It was the first lens to go.

Not that Canon and Nikon dont make duds..they do but the QC/QA issues are far far fewer and the designs much better. The Nikon 70-300 AFS VR-II is a great example of a budget lens with good performance and construction.

The only 3rd party manufacturer that merits any consideration is probably Tokina.

Originally Posted by infotech58

f your budget permits; go with Canon 70-200 f4.0. it is an awesome piece of optics.

+1 it truly is. If you cannot get the 70-200 F/2.8 the F4 version is excellent. Unfortunately Nikon doesn't offer this option at all!

Originally Posted by autocrat

70~300 tamron is a mixed bag.The lens also suffers from chromatic aberration and purple fringing. Avoid shiny objects in frame

70~200 f4 is a lens one cant find fault with

Edit: If you are tight on budget, canon 55~250mm is a good bet. You lose out 50mm on tele end, but even @ 250mm its quite sharp and has IS.

+1 again, avoid the Tamron

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by R2D2

+1

+1 it truly is. If you cannot get the 70-200 F/2.8 the F4 version is excellent. Unfortunately Nikon doesn't offer this option at all!

true that Nikon does not have f4 range of optics but as an alternative to 70-200 f2.8, one may buy 80-200 f2.8 which is equally good. i bought one few years ago and it turned out to be the best lens i have ever owned.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by infotech58

true that Nikon does not have f4 range of optics but as an alternative to 70-200 f2.8, one may buy 80-200 f2.8 which is equally good. i bought one few years ago and it turned out to be the best lens i have ever owned.

+1 again. The 80-200 is an optical gem at a fraction of the price. But you lose AF-S and VR. Also it is usable only on Nikon D90, D300 and higher bodies.

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by R2D2

+1 again. The 80-200 is an optical gem at a fraction of the price. But you lose AF-S and VR. Also it is usable only on Nikon D90, D300 and higher bodies.

nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-S is available and i own one. it was launched towards the end of production of nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-D.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by infotech58

nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-S is available and i own one. it was launched towards the end of production of nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-D.

Assuming you are refer to the one made from '98 to around 2004 - It has been discontinued hence only available pre-owned. Nikon archives:

http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/product...on/data/Nikkor Lenses/FX Format/Zoom/Telephoto Zoom/AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8D IF-ED.xml&CategoryID=gp11zkyu

(copy the entire link into your browser address field)

However, Nikon continues to manufacture the 80-200 F/2.8 D i.e. without AF-S announced way back 1996-97. I am also told by the dealer this is a stock clearance item and they will soon stop production of the lens.

The link:

http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/product...on/data/Nikkor Lenses/FX Format/Zoom/Telephoto Zoom/AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8D ED.xml&currentProductTab=2&CategoryID=gp11zkyu#

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by R2D2

+1 again. The 80-200 is an optical gem at a fraction of the price. But you lose AF-S and VR. Also it is usable only on Nikon D90, D300 and higher bodies.

Actually, it can be used on any Nikon body with a built-in focusing motor and those include the D70, D70s and D80 among the discontinued digital bodies.

Originally Posted by infotech58

nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-S is available and i own one. it was launched towards the end of production of nikkor 80-200 f2.8 AF-D.

R2D2 is right. The AFS version was discontinued and succeeded by the 70-200/2.8 VR AFS. The older non-AFS 80-200/2.8 is still available.

At less than half the cost of the 70-200/2.8, I gladly gave up VR and AFS when I got mine. It has only two drawbacks, one of which is common with the 70-200 and limits its use for travel. It is heavy. Secondly, although it is fast to focus if you use the focus limiter, it has a lot of torque feedback while focussing. It's a bit like shooting a gun