Which lens should i buy with 60D?

[Essaarcee]

Folks,
I am planning to buy Canon 60D. The question is which lens should i go with it?
This would be my 1st SLR. I dont want to go with the regular 18-55mm lens.
I have been reading a lot about the 17-85, 18-135 and 18-200.

I understand that 18-200 is better than 18-135 w.r.t value vs what you get out of it (share your opinion plz). Seems 17-85mm is a better than the above 2, however it has shorter zoom. I am ok with less zoom to start with, if it is a better lens.
But again read that it has it's own issues specially between 17-25mm etc. I know other 2 also have issues with IQ being (common with zoom lenses(, and also lens creep etc.

Does the 18-200/18-135 image quality similar to regular 18-55mm lens in the 18-55 range?
What about 17-85mm perform in the same 18-55 range?

But if i had to pick one, which would be a good one?

TIA for your tips

[OsmosisStudios]

The 17-85 is poor: skip it.

The 18-200 and 18-135 are similar but very different lenses. The 18-135 will offer better image quality but is a reduced zoom range.

[Essaarcee]

Interesting!!! from most of the reviews i read, 17-85 seemed to be rated fair..w.r.t to build quality, USM, overall IQ etc. Of course it has shorter zoom than other 2.

How about the IQ for 18-200 or 18-135 in 18-55 range? is it better/worse compared to any other non L series lenses like 18-55mm or even 17-85mm?

How bad is the lens creep in the larger zoom lenses like 18-135 or 18-200?

[dlambert]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

The 17-85 is poor: skip it.

I think this bears just a bit of elaboration. I own the 17-85, so I'll toss in a few of my experiences.

The 17-85 does, indeed, have some shortcomings, but it's also got a lot going for it as an upgrade to the 18-55. If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend reading a couple of reviews on this lens. Try this one from Bob Atkins, and this one from DP Review. Both of these review mention pincushion distortion at the wide end, but pay attention to the part of Bob's review where he shows how well this can be corrected in post-processing. It's absolutely true that a photo corrected in PP isn't as good as one that's straight right from the lens, but I also don't think it's a total lost cause. The 17-85 is also not as fast as you'd like for indoor ambient-light shooting, so if you don't want to use a flash, you're going to need a faster lens.

Having said that, the build quality is a big step up from the 18-55, the IS works well, and the ring-type USM is fast and silent. In addition, the ring-USM mechanism allows this lens to have full-time-manual focusing, which is a feature I didn't appreciate until I got it. I'm hooked now, and I'll definitely favor lenses with FTM from now on.

I expect that over the long haul, you're probably going to end up upgrading any of the lenses you mentioned, so if your plan also includes some sort of telephoto zoom, I think the 17-85 is a reasonable choice. If you're looking at one lens only for now, though, I'd look at one of the other two so you can shoot over a wider zoom range.

[CharlieJ]

If you plan to shoot indoors, like shallow DoF or want to shoot moving objects in lower light, go with the fastest lens you can afford. Tokina makes an excellent 50mm~135mm f/2.8 lens. It's pricier than the two you mentioned, but might be worth the extra cash outlay.

I have an M42 50mm f/1.8, an M42 135mm f/2.8, an 18-55mm (kits lens from a 350D), a 17-135mm (came w/ my 60D) and a Sigma 75-300mm f/3.5. I shoot lots of basketball games indoors, macros outdoors and sunsets currently. The lens on my 60D most often is the 17-135mm f/3.5~5.6. Just my use... YMMV.

I hope this helps! Best wishes and let us know what you decide to purchase.

[Essaarcee]

Originally Posted by dlambert

I expect that over the long haul, you're probably going to end up upgrading any of the lenses you mentioned, so if your plan also includes some sort of telephoto zoom, I think the 17-85 is a reasonable choice. If you're looking at one lens only for now, though, I'd look at one of the other two so you can shoot over a wider zoom range.

True, thus i was thinking if 17-85mm is a better lens, i might go for it now and later research and buy a bigger zoom lens. But if it is almost same w.r.t IQ etc with say 18-135/18-200mm lens in the range 18-85mm, then I'd as well go with a bigger lens now, to give myself that extra zoom.
Without the USm factor, will you rate IQ for 17-85 for indoor (not low light) + outdoor photography better than the other 2? I am not looking for any high speed sport photography at this point, but it'd be a good to have the lens allow me capture descent sport pictures as well, till I buy a more specific lens for that in future.

[Essaarcee]

Originally Posted by CharlieJ

, a 17-135mm (came w/ my 60D) .... The lens on my 60D most often is the 17-135mm f/3.5~5.6. Just my use... YMMV.

I hope this helps! Best wishes and let us know what you decide to purchase.

Hows is the 17-135mm lens for my requirement? (w.r.t IQ, distortions, creep etc) Does it have IS and USM?

[dlambert]

@Essaarcee - I haven't used the other two, but based on what I've seen in the reviews, the biggest IQ problem is pincushioning at the wide end. The other two aren't great, and the 17-85 is slightly worse there. Other than that, I've been pretty happy with it. I tried the 18-55 kit lens in some stores, and even though it's received generally decent reviews for IQ, it *felt* like it was going to fall apart. I'm much happier with the build quality of the 17-85. Again, I can't comment directly on the 18-135 or the 18-200, but from what I understand, they're in the same family as the 55-250, which I do have and like quite a bit.

I definitely hope to replace the 17-85 at some point with a faster lens in the same range. I've got a friend who loves his Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (I'll defintely have to borrow it at some point to try it out). The 17-40 f/4 L lens and the 17-55 f/2.8 are also pretty common step-up lenses in this range.

[Essaarcee]

Thanks David for your pointers on 17-85 lens.

Anybody out here who have used both 18-135 and 18-200 and can give me there persepctive for those 2??