Which lens would you buy?

[elmoandzoey]

My Tamron non-VC sounded nothing like that either. I never heard the focus motor at all. I did take a lot of videos with that lens on the 60D and I sure wouldn't have done that if the motor was that loud. The Sigma 30 f1.4 I just bought sounds like that but not the Tamron.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Update - I went to my local camera shop last night to try the canon 17-55. Turned out they had no new lenses in stock, just one used being sold for $659.99. I spent about 30 mins using the camera, checking the mechanics, asking questions, and looking at the pictures in the display. I'd done some research on buying used lenses to see what to ask/look for. It appears to be in excellent condition. There's a 2 week return policy and a 100 day warranty period. So I went ahead and bought it! (Along with a UV filter for it).

I'm excited and I am confident in the store and the purchase - but is there any advice on what I should.maybe continue to keep an eye on/look for, esp. over the next 2 weeks?

 

[mom2rtk]

Congrats AA!

The one thing I would do is take a close look at how much dust is inside the lens. That's the one issue that lens is known for. Mine got so bad it started showing up at higher apertures and I sent it to Canon for cleaning, and it wasn't cheap.

If it's clean, then your UV filter should help to keep the dust down.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed mine!

 

[jec6613]

You should also point it at a brick (or other featured) wall, and take a variety of pictures at f/2.8 at different focal lengths, and make sure that all four corners are equally sharp. If not, one of the elements is de-centered.

Congrats on the purchase, and although I'm a latecomer to this thread, my other suggestion would be that 24 mm f/2.8 pancake that Canon makes.

 

[hskaggs11]

I took a 18-200mm (Nikon) with me to my DL trip a few years ago. I rented it. It was super convenient not to have to carry around multiple lenses with me. As for those dark rides, even with a 30mm 1.4, the movement of the rides and how little ambient light there is will still cause sub-par pictures. Plus, your face is in your viewfinder and not enjoying the ride!! For those, I would just use a p&s camera, or your cell.

I shoot with primes, so I would certainly just rent the 18-200mm, as I would only use that lens on vacation. And I would buy the Sigma (I love the bouka the f1.4 lens give) or go with a 17-55 2.8 for some more versatility.

if you are buying used, I would HIGHLY recommend this site. It's a forum for fellow photographers, and they have a buy&sell board where you can find used equipment in great shape, as its all been taken care of by people who love their equipment. Through this site, I've bought my Nikon body, a few lenses, and even a Mac monitor. All have been excellent transactions, and the products were great quality.
www.fredmiranda.com

 

[xlxo]

I took a 18-200mm (Nikon) with me to my DL trip a few years ago. I rented it. It was super convenient not to have to carry around multiple lenses with me. As for those dark rides, even with a 30mm 1.4, the movement of the rides and how little ambient light there is will still cause sub-par pictures. Plus, your face is in your viewfinder and not enjoying the ride!! For those, I would just use a p&s camera, or your cell.

I too had an 18-200mm. The key thing that helped was Auto-ISO w/ my D200. Using higher ISO's helped with low light.

 

[jec6613]

I took a 18-200mm (Nikon) with me to my DL trip a few years ago. I rented it. It was super convenient not to have to carry around multiple lenses with me. As for those dark rides, even with a 30mm 1.4, the movement of the rides and how little ambient light there is will still cause sub-par pictures. Plus, your face is in your viewfinder and not enjoying the ride!! For those, I would just use a p&s camera, or your cell.

That's what you'd think! Manual exposure at ISO 6400, 1/60, f/1.8, and let the metering sensor and AF system do its magic and shooting from the hip I have many, a few of which are tack sharp. (I'd post, but they have faces that aren't mine in them).

I too had an 18-200mm. The key thing that helped was Auto-ISO w/ my D200. Using higher ISO's helped with low light.

And the D200 didn't have nearly the ISO headroom that the newer bodies do - I think you're about two stops behind the D5500 and D7200. The newer 24 MP bodies though really start showing the flaws of the 18-200 mm. Extremely convenient, but aside from better ISO performance you'll get pictures like a D200 (not necessarily a bad thing for family snapshots, just an observation).

At least for me, I also so rarely use focal lengths from 70-200 mm at DL and WDW that it's of little use to me, I either want something longer or wider. And after my 300 f/4 finally arrived the other day, it's coming with me to WDW and into the parks ... so light and so sharp.

 

[Angel Ariel]

You should also point it at a brick (or other featured) wall, and take a variety of pictures at f/2.8 at different focal lengths, and make sure that all four corners are equally sharp. If not, one of the elements is de-centered.

Congrats on the purchase, and although I'm a latecomer to this thread, my other suggestion would be that 24 mm f/2.8 pancake that Canon makes.

I did take some brick wall photos, though I don't remember if I took them at different focal lengths. I will have to look. We just started a major project, so I haven't had a chance to go and look at the photos I took on my laptop. I did read about the de-centering though, which is why I took some brick shots. Would the decentering be obvious just looking at the picture on the screen, or should I be zooming in to the picture even more?

 

[jec6613]

I did take some brick wall photos, though I don't remember if I took them at different focal lengths. I will have to look. We just started a major project, so I haven't had a chance to go and look at the photos I took on my laptop. I did read about the de-centering though, which is why I took some brick shots. Would the decentering be obvious just looking at the picture on the screen, or should I be zooming in to the picture even more?

Zooming to 200% is the best way to look for it. And every lens has a tiny bit*, just make sure it's not obvious and objectionable.

*The exception would be the new 300 f/4E PF lens, which will either have it in spades or not at all, because of the laser etched Fresnel element.

 

[Angel Ariel]

That's what you'd think! Manual exposure at ISO 6400, 1/60, f/1.8, and let the metering sensor and AF system do its magic and shooting from the hip I have many, a few of which are tack sharp. (I'd post, but they have faces that aren't mine in them).

I did manage to get some OK shots on dark rides..I think with the 50mm f/1.8. They weren't fantastic by any means. I think this is the best one I got on our last DLR trip (2011):

Definitely a lot more practice needed in this department

Zooming to 200% is the best way to look for it. And every lens has a tiny bit*, just make sure it's not obvious and objectionable.

*The exception would be the new 300 f/4E PF lens, which will either have it in spades or not at all, because of the laser etched Fresnel element.

Thanks! I will make sure to look for that

 

[DisneyHoosier]

I know the 18-270 may no be as clear, I love having both ends of the spectrum. I'm not selling my pics, so I'm 99% happy with image quality and think my Tamron takes great photos. If only I was better at taking them!

 

[jec6613]

I know the 18-270 may no be as clear, I love having both ends of the spectrum. I'm not selling my pics, so I'm 99% happy with image quality and think my Tamron takes great photos. If only I was better at taking them!

That just takes practice, and lots of it!

You don't say what sort of body you're using, and IIRC they made that in Sony/Minolta A, Nikon F, Canon EF-S and Pentax K mounts, but if you happen to be a Nikon shooter, you can always head over to the nikonians forum (premium for many features, but the entry level stuff is free) and ask for help.

I'm sure the Canon camp has a similar forum, but I don't know where to point you.