Canon lense vs. non Canon lenses?

[3pronghook]

After buying the 100 mm macro lense from canon and noticing the significant increase in the quality of the pictures it takes vs. my 20d 18-55mm "kit" lense, I have been looking at purchasing a replacement for the "kit" lense. I have always looked at canon lenses because I am comfortable using them and. The lense I have my eye on is the EF S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Question is; what other brands are respectable and worth considering? Also, anyone care to offer brands to stay away from?

thanks

[WCS]

I think the 17-85 mm lens you mentioned would be a good place to start. You'll get better image quality than your kit lens, good zoom range and image stabilization all for under $500. Of course the image quality will not compare to Canon "L" glass. As for non-Canon lenses, you can find some great lenses from Tamron, Sigma and Tokina. They all make some duds as well, but if you read some on-line reviews, you can identify the winners in a hurry. I have a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and love it. Very close to the equivalent Canon lens in quality, but at half the cost. I am hoping that Santa brings me a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 for christmas. I would love to have a few Canon "L" lenses in my bag, but the price tag keeps them out of reach for now.

[Steve Foss]

You'll be happy with that 17-85. It's not an L, but there are some Canon lenses that are L in all but build quality. The 10-22 and 17-85 are two of them that offer excellent quality. There are two reasons your 100 macro is much better than the 18-55 kit lens. 1. The kit lens is not much of a lens. 2. The macro is a prime, which are virtually all sharper than zooms because of the mechanics of they way lenses are built. The 100 macro is another that I consider an L for image quality but one that just lacks the heavy build quality of an L.

Avoid Quantaray at all costs.

Tamron, Sigma and a few others make lenses that vary widely in quality. The cheapest of them perform slightly less well than the cheapest Canons. But they make top-line glass, as well, so if you're considering one, find an online lens review site that you believe in and scope them out.

[Swimmer]

I bought the 30d and opted out of the kit lens. Online reviews led me to a lens that seems very similar to the one you are considering except no IS (though I wouldn't think IS is so critical given the shorter focal lengths). My research led me to the Tamron 28-75mm "SP AF ASPHERICAL XR Di LD (IF) 1.2.8 MACRO omega67" (sorry about all the lettering and don't ask me what they stand for). It takes very sharp images, is fast at f2.8, and is quite versatile (a great "walk around" lens). Anyway, given that I have about 1/1000 of the knowledge and experience of some of the folks in this forum, this lens is more than I bargained for at ~$300 (some reviews called it the "L" killer" due to its sharpness).

[3pronghook]

i have two tamron lenses that i used with my eos 10s. the 28-200 3.8/5.6 and the 200-400 5.6 the 28-200 does work alright with the 20d but the pictures are not any better than the kit lense. the focal length is not as wide and the minimum focus distance is around 4 feet. the 200-400 will take some nice pictures in the right conditions but it is s-l-o-w. either way the whole intient if the post is to get some feedback and you guys are very helpful. I have read some reviews this morning and i am still leaning to the canon 17-85. does seem a bit pricey but it also seems to meet my criteria. thanks

[Swimmer]

One of the qualities of the Tamron described above is that it is fast and sharp. I think there were some direct comparisons to the Canon lens you are considering, the Tamron, and the equivelent Canon prime on the Bob Atkins site. I'm not sure how that site ranks though. Good luck, it sounds like you can't go wrong no matter which lens you settle on.

[Steve Foss]

prong:

Go to the-digital-picture. Add the Dubyas and the dott comm to get there. Go to reviews. Exhaustive reviews of Canon gear. I've found it tremendously useful, and have had it bookmarked for quite some time.

[yakfisher]

Check out dpreview.com lots of information on cameras and lenses plus tons of forums for personal reviews. I found tons of information before I was bought my camera, almost too much. The site also allows you to compare the features of different brands directly