ef28-135 vs 24-80 ex

[eddylush]

Hi all,
I have the sigma 24-80ex and was going to change to the 28-135 as my general lens, but after reading user reviews on Fred Mirandas site where it gets a bit of a slating im wondering if it worth it! I was changing for the extra reach mainly but the reviews seem to say im better of with what I have is this correct? I notice quite a few of you have the 28-135 from the kit bag pics!
Many thanks for your thoughts Eddy

[ijohnson]

I like the 28-135. I am not in love with it like some other lenses but it never disappoints. I just pulled it out of the bag on Saturday to take some shots of a temple here in Seoul. It did great. It was the first lense that I got for my 10D so it sort of has a black cloud over it because my initial results weren't that great (still getting comfortable with the camera). Also, in Seoul, there is a lot of dust, so it is not great here because its not that well sealed.

Otherwise, I love the IS, don't love the 5.6 at 135. Its not nearly as sharp as my 70-200 2.8 or the 50 1.4 but I still use it and it takes really nice pictures. It is good for walking around, its very light, and it focuses VERY fast.

[eddylush]

Thanks for your reply, another option for me is a 28-80L but I cant find much info on this one I think its 2.8-4 but at what ends im not sure is this lens as good as other L's? where does the 2.8 - 4 come into play? any help? many thanks Eddy

[eddylush]

ok no ideas on that one ....... is the sigma ex range considered better or worse than the standard canon ef range?
Many thanks Eddy

[ijohnson]

Thanks for your reply, another option for me is a 28-80L but I cant find much info on this one I think its 2.8-4 but at what ends im not sure is this lens as good as other L's? where does the 2.8 - 4 come into play? any help? many thanks Eddy

I'm sorry, what were you asking? I am not sure what you were getting at with this question. You want to know what 2.8 and 4 means?

Sigma gets varying reviews, I have never owned one.

[slin100]

All variable-aperture lenses always lose brightness as you increase the focal length, so in this case f/4 occurs at 80mm, f/2.8 at 28mm.

I've heard that the 28-80/2.8-4 is a pretty good lens. It seems to be pretty rare. I tried for a while to find one but never succeeded. I ended up getting a great deal for a 28-135 that I couldn't pass up.

[eddylush]

cheers guys many thanks, slin answered my ?, anyone seen any reviews on the 28-80l ive searched usual haunts! I would do the ef28-135 but it gets a slating on the fred miranda site or would i not notice compared to the ex range, im after the extra reach, silent a/f, and quality.
Cheers Eddy

[slin100]

The only reviews I've ever seen (sorry, can't find them anymore) were anecdotal. Photodo (http://photodo.com) rates the lens a very respectable 3.8, and PhotoZone (http://photozone.de) compiled an average rating from formal tests of 3.56 and a user rating of 3.55. I suspect there would be little to be dissatisfied with if you manage to acquire one.

As for the 28-135, it's no slouch. It's definitely one of the better consumer-level zooms. It ultimately can't compete with the Sigma EXes in low light performance but Image Stabilization does work wonders. It has an Ultrasonic motor, so AF is silent, though my copy makes a little scritch-scratch noise when IS is engaged. Build quality is also consumer-grade. My copy has a little zoom creep. I'm not sure if that's typical.

Anway, the folks over at Fred Miranda's site have ultra-high standards for quality (read: they're big-time L-coholics) , so I wouldn't rely solely on the reviews you find there. I've seen some awesome shots by people over at Rob Galbraith's site (http://www.robgalbraith.com) with the 28-135.