Looking at the Canon 10-22 and 60mm for my 350D.

Opinions?

Links to the two lenses in question:

Canon UK - EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5

Canon UK - EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM

Can I get similar quality/results/build quality from other lens manufacturers, for less outlay? Particularly interested in what other people are using for wide and macro use, if anything!

Cheers,

Steve

P.S. I'm not trying to decide between the two BTW, but looking for feedback on both. Just realised that's maybe not very clear from the post!

Don't you ever sleep?

You need a proper job.

You're probably right; have you see what I do? :P

Steve

You're probably right; have you see what I do? :P

Steve

Errr, no, what do you do?

Work in IT. By definition I don't really need that much sleep

I see.

My pc has just died, can you fix it?

I am sat hunched, like an arthiritic dwarf at the laptop, and it's doing my head in.

We can discuss on Thurs if you like?

Steve

I'll just bring it, you take the 'kin thing away, fix it, and I'll pick it up and pay you.

Remember that as a DSLR the 350d will have a 1.6x cropping value on non EF-S lenses. So their 10mm will actually be 16mm.

Just something to consider if comparing to other brands or Canon EF lenses. (makes a difference on lenses like the 100mm Macro = 160mm!)

Yep, very true. That wide angle is in fact a 16-35 in traditional 35mm terms.

Steve

I've got a Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro lens for my 350D. it got some good reviews and was a good price

I haven't used it that much yet, but I can post some pics when I get home if you're interested?

A mate of mine had the 10-22, but sold it because it was too wide for practical use. it was a nice, sharp lense, though.

I've got a Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro lens for my 350D. it got some good reviews and was a good price

I haven't used it that much yet, but I can post some pics when I get home if you're interested?

Please do, thanks

Cheers,

Steve

A mate of mine had the 10-22, but sold it because it was too wide for practical use. it was a nice, sharp lense, though.

Oh right, interesting. Do you know what he was primarily using it for? Did he replace it with anything else wide angle?

Steve

Please do, thanks

Cheers,

Steve

Here you go...they're not going to win any awards, but gives you an idea

Friends got the Tamron macro, swears by it. You can't go far wrong though with Sigma I have had various over the years and always good crisp pics.

To save you some money try onestopdigital they are based in Kowloon. Cheap and if you get caught for tax they pay that as well. I was a bit suss to begin with but no problems at all when I bought the 50 - 500. In fact it arrived quicker than something I ordered in this country on the same day You can also track it via internet.

Looking at a Canon, so will speak to you about it on Thursday Steve

For the wide end, I use a Sigma 10-20mm f4 - 5.6. It is very sharp, has good contrast and focusses quickly. Downsides are a little vignetting at widest aperture and angle and a little distortion at the widest angle. Easily corrected in PT Lens if you notice the effects. I have yet to.

IMO one of the very best wide angle lenses is the Sigma 12-24mm. It is an absolutely fantastic lens giving a perfectly flat field view at all zoom settings. It is very sharp too, with not a hint of vignetting on an APS size sensor. Unfortunately it was not available for the Minolta AF fitting at the time I was buying, so went 10-20. No regrets, but would have gone the extra for the 12-24 had it been available. That last couple of mm does make a difference to FOV though:

The 12-24 is a full frame lens, just in case you go up a step later on.

There is also the Tamron 11-18. My tests of two of these found it to be not as sharp and far more prone to vignetting than the Sigma pair.

At the macro end I use a Minolta 100mm f2.8 macro. It is incredibly sharp an Is the best glass I own. It also works well with a x2 converter, which makes a 2:1 (yep double origingal size on sensor) imaging with almost useable DOF. Check out these uncropped images of an M3x5 screw:

I keep hearing good things about the 90mm f2.8 Tamron macro. All who use it rate it very highly.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Thanks very much for that Chris, another great post

Len - I'll probably have it with me Thurs too

Cheers,

Steve

The 60mm Canon macro is capable of razor sharp images but working distance is quite small, overall its a superb lens. However if you ever decide to go for a full frame camera in the future you would need to buy another lens, the efs would not fit.

A 100mm is probably about the best all round for macro giving a reasonable working distance and backgrounds can be thrown out of focus nicely. You would have a difficult time deciding which had the better optical quality between the Sigma 105, the Tamron 90 and the Canon 100 macro, all are excellent. However AFAIK both the Sigma and Tamron extend quite a bit as you increase the mag, the Canon has internal focusing and stays the same length throughout its range. If you ever come to sell the Canon will also probably have the greatest residual value as well. I eventually went with the Canon 100mm myself and cannot fault it.

The ultimate macro lens has to be Canons MP-E 65, it will give up to 5x magnification, lets you get pictures like this with no cropping......

and this

enjoy!

aj

I used to own a Canon 10-22 when I had my 30D and it's an excellent lens. I loved the weight and the close focusing and it's very sharp too. Recommended.

Shot @ 10mm wide open

100% crop

Superb! Thanks mate.

Maybe next month

Steve