I'm no pro, but this lens has helped me learn a lot! I, too, had it in my cart at Amazon forever . . . debating. I talked with a couple pros and teachers. They all said the same thing . . . it's good, proven glass in a budget housing. As long as you respect it, it will respect you. Beautiful bokeh, and if you get a good, tight shot of somebody's face, you can focus on the tip of the nose and lose focus nearly by their cheeks. Great for isolating the subject! I used the kit lens to take a picture of the doo-dads hanging on my rear-view, then switched lenses . . . the 1.8 really made it pop!
For Wader's Eyes Only...
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I'm no pro, but this lens has helped me learn a lot! I, too, had it in my cart at Amazon forever . . . debating. I talked with a couple pros and teachers. They all said the same thing . . . it's good, proven glass in a budget housing. As long as you respect it, it will respect you. Beautiful bokeh, and if you get a good, tight shot of somebody's face, you can focus on the tip of the nose and lose focus nearly by their cheeks. Great for isolating the subject! I used the kit lens to take a picture of the doo-dads hanging on my rear-view, then switched lenses . . . the 1.8 really made it pop!
The 1.8 / 50 is a good prime that should be in every bag. On a full frame camera I'll probably have more use for it. It just never seemed to fall into the sweet-spot on a crop camera for me - or my style of shooting anyway.
If I were starting from ground zero and budget was tight - I'm go with the consumer DSLR, the Rebels. They're great cameras. I'd spend my money on glass. Bodies change every other week, it seems, but good glass lasts forever.
I probably wouldn't have bought the 20D, but gotten the Rebel instead, and then took that almost a thousand dollars (at the time) and bought a couple really nice pieces of L glass.
On a budget, the Tamron Di/LD line really does shine on the consumer versions of the prosumer cameras. L glass isn't really necessary since the crop sensor is pulling the middle sweet area out of the glass and not exposing to the edges, so CA is less of an issue. Sigma's LD glass is also worth looking at. I suspect if you shoot good Sigma or good Tamron LD, you won't seem much of a difference from L glass on a crop sensor.
That said - who knows what tomorrow's body will bring? So buy the best glass you can for what your shooting style is.
That'd be my advice anyway. (Says the 20D / 50Da modified / 5DmkII owner.
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If I were starting from ground zero and budget was tight - I'm go with the consumer DSLR, the Rebels. They're great cameras. I'd spend my money on glass. Bodies change every other week, it seems, but good glass lasts forever.
I probably wouldn't have bought the 20D, but gotten the Rebel instead, and then took that almost a thousand dollars (at the time) and bought a couple really nice pieces of L glass.
On a budget, the Tamron Di/LD line really does shine on the consumer versions of the prosumer cameras. L glass isn't really necessary since the crop sensor is pulling the middle sweet area out of the glass and not exposing to the edges, so CA is less of an issue. Sigma's LD glass is also worth looking at. I suspect if you shoot good Sigma or good Tamron LD, you won't seem much of a difference from L glass on a crop sensor.
That said - who knows what tomorrow's body will bring? So buy the best glass you can for what your shooting style is.
That'd be my advice anyway. (Says the 20D / 50Da modified / 5DmkII owner.
)
Thanks Freaky and Lynn; I have the T1i and love to take nature pix and some indoor family stuff too. I don't mind the crop too much, but can't afford the "real glass" in the L series (yet). The only reason I have avoided the tamron line is that most don't have IS, or as good as Canon's is purported to be. The kit 18-55 was ok, but my main walkaround lens is the 18-135 which I have been fairly happy with. Definitely has some issues in the corners at some focal lengths, but not too bad for most outdoor everyday kind of stuff. This is one of my zillion hobbies so I am far removed from pro level discussions, but am amazed at how much better these newer dslr's are compared to just 5 years ago - at least from the cost standpoint. The 1.8 50 is cheap enough to justify buying now, and maybe a good macro lens next. Someday I would like to step up to the 5D, but then again, it's all in the lens, then you start all over again :-(
I'm starting to feel like I'm in a photog forum, LOL. That's why I went with the Rebel, so I could get used to Canon, since I knew that I liked them and the 5D from reviews . . . the glass will move up with me that way.
BTW, I've been eying the V4L flavors . . . the photography makes every flavor so tempting! I think that is a valuable asset. I hate seeing dumpy pictures depicting what a flavor should be. That's about the only reason I haven't added V4L to my sampling yet . . . I've put about $100 in my cart three times, but can't decide what to put back to stay in budget . . . then I just say I'll come back later . . . and I do the same thing, LOL. Next time, I'll be more discerning, and pull the trigger.
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