update lense

[ron moore]

hi everyone
I would like to update the kit lense on my 500D, and i was thinking about the canon
17-85mm lense or the tamron 17-50mm lense. Can anyone please give me some
advice on these two lenses, i.e. are they any good and if so which is the better of the
two
My other lenses are the canon 50mm 1.8 and the canon 55-250mm.

regards ron moore

[ceremus]

The 17-85mm is a step-up from the kit lens in terms of optical quality, although it's a fairly slow lens at f/4-5.6. The Canon 15-85mm has better image quality still, and is a little faster on the wide end at f/3.5-5.6. It's a couple hundred plus dollars more expensive, but if you buy it before tomorrow (Feb' 04) you qualify for a $100 instant rebate on the 15-85mm.

The Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is one of the better 3rd party lenses, especially if you need a faster lens for low light. Its best feature is its excellent sharpness -- the lens has tested sharp wide open at f/2.8 and across the focal range. It competes with the Canon 17-55 lens, which is technically superior featuring better USM autofocus and an Image Stabilizer. But the Tamron is significantly less expensive (by half in many cases) which makes it an excellent value.

There is a version of the Tamron with a stabilizer, but it hasn't tested as sharp as its non-VC version.
More detailed info here:
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Review
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Review
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF Lens Review

[inkista]

Originally Posted by ceremus

The 17-85mm is a step-up from the kit lens in terms of optical quality, although it's a fairly slow lens at f/4-5.6. The Canon 15-85mm has better image quality still, and is a little faster on the wide end at f/3.5-5.6. It's a couple hundred plus dollars more expensive, but if you buy it before tomorrow (Feb' 04) you qualify for a $100 instant rebate on the 15-85mm. ...

Just one footnote to add. While new, the 17-85 goes for around $500, and the 15-85 goes for around $700, the EF-S 17-85 IS USM is plentiful in the used market, which makes it substantially less expensive than a new EF-S 15-85 IS USM. You can find it for around $350 used.

[ron moore]

hello everyone

thank you both for your replies and the information, very much appreciated.


regards ron moore