Your opinion - Canon vs. Tamron vs. Sigma 18-200mm lens

[Bianca.Tarleton]

I'm looking to upgrade my kit lenses (the standard 18-55m, 75-300mm that come with Rebel XSi's) to what I've heard to be a good walk-around lens, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. I did a little bit of research and found that Tamron & Sigma also make similar lenses, at a fraction of the price. I know that for that price, there is something to be gained and lost, but I can't say that I'm quite ready to put out for the Canon lens until they get that USM in there.

The main concern I've heard for actually all three of them is lens-creep, which I've never actually experienced. I've also heard that specifically the Tamron produces very soft picture quality.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these lenses?

[OsmosisStudios]

As with most lenses, the 18-200 is a special-use lens. It covers such a wide range that It's pretty much ubiquitous with the travelling photographer.

The problem with them (all of them!) is that they make some rather serious compromises on image quality to get the extended range. While they may have a use to some people, I can safely say I'm not one of them.

[acedrew]

If you're set on buying an extreme zoom lens, check dslgear.com and see which lens performs best in their tests. You can also see where each lenses strengths and weaknesses lie.

Andrew Rodgers
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