I need an all around zoom for my Canon 450D.

[kazuyette]

As a newb in the field of DSLR and lenses I wanted some advices because of all the optics stuff I see floating around so that's why I'm coming to you folks.

I'll try to make it simple :

I got a Canon 450D with the 18-55 IS stock lens but I'm finding this lens really limited in some situations so that's why I'm hunting for a good all around one and I came across this : Canon 28-135/3,5-5,6 IS USM. Can you give me pros and cons or maybe something better in the same price range? I have some mandatory things : the lens must have IS ( has I got shaky hands :) )and the AF must be as quick as the 18-55 stock lens.

Thanks in advance for the answers mateys :)

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

I was in the same problem. I was too stuck on features that don't really matter imho. I'm talking about IS and USM. When you choose a lens, it's all about the optical performance.

So I'll recommend Sigma 24-70 F2.8. It's about $100 more expensive than Canon 28-135. It doesn't have IS, it doesn't have USM, but the AF is ultra fast nevertheless and the lens is, imho, more advanced optically because of wider aperture. The only con about this lens is the lens hood. But at least it already comes with the hood and the pouch because it is an EX lens.

Canon L 24-70 F2.8 costs twice as much so, Sigma, imho, offers an incredible bang for the buck.

[crazzy88ss]

Canon also recently released an 18-200mm IS.

[giga Veteran]

What situations are you finding it limiting?

I don't recommend the 28-135. Not really that sharp of a lens for the money you pay.

[kazuyette]

What situations are you finding it limiting?

I don't recommend the 28-135. Not really that sharp of a lens for the money you pay.

I don't have any specific exemple to provide right now, but sometimes when I'm far from the subject I want to shoot, the 18-55 isn't enough for me to get the detail I want hence my need of something like the 18-135. And also, I don't want to carry two lenses when I can have one that fits all my needs.

The 18-200 IS from Canon is very interesting but a little bit too expensive for my budget :(

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

One lens can't fit all needs...sorry :)

Since you are on budget and want a longer range, I may recommend that you look at Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. It's a decent match to your kit lens imho. There's also Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 USM II.

[kazuyette]

One lens can't fit all needs...sorry :)

Since you are on budget and want a longer range, I may recommend that you look at Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. It's a decent match to your kit lens imho. There's also Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 USM II.

Thanks for the advices mate, this may just be what I need. I'm gonna look into it.

I think I'm gonna settle for the 55-250 IS since it fits perfectly what I need because I realize that USM is less important for me than IS since I'm mainly shooting still objects or persons and I'm not doing sports photography. THanks again for all the input mates.

Edited October 6, 2008 by kazuyette

[giga Veteran]

55-250 IS will be best value for money if you want more range.

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

I'm with giga on that one. If you choose a lens that start at 24 or 28mm, you will lose wide angle. There is no all in one lens better than a combinaison of 2 that get you the same zoom range

[kazuyette]

I've finally chosen the Sigma 18-200 IS since my usual shop didn't carry any of the mentionned lenses that you've recommended to me and I'm very happy with it and it's everything that I wanted .

Thanks again everyone for all the inputs you've provided.

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

Good to know, happy shooting!

[kazuyette]

I tried it yesterday evening at the Paris MotorShow 2K8 and had some very nice results. The weight of the lens makes the IS almost useless. As someone mentioned earlier, the Sigma lenses gives you an incredible bang for your bucks.

Here's some exemples :

Focal Range 200mm, 1/200 ,Av: 6.3

Focal range 134mm, 1/50, Av: 5.6

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

How about in extreme situation? like 18mm wide opened? or at 200mm?