Which one would you buy first?

[Cadenza]

Hello again, guys.

Another query on EOS lenses. If your nifty fifty went kaput
and you were planning to get only one new lens this month
and had to choose between the Canon 50mm f1.4 or the
Tamron 28-75 f2.8; which one would you personally choose?

Assume that A) you don't own these lenses, and that B) you'll
be getting the other one later on -- say, in 3 months or so.

Of course, it depends on what you shoot, etc, but that's
exactly what I wanted to know, *your* priorities in getting
these lenses, and how the wind blows...

Regards, Cadenza

[blackviolet]

personally, i'd get the 50 1.4 - because my 28-135 IS covers the range of the tamron, and i use the 50 quite often (mostly portraits and things). i'm sure everyone will have their different reasons for choosing one or the other...

[Olegis]

If I didn't have a lens for the 28-75 range, I would definitely buy the Tamron - it's much more flexible and convenient to use than a 50mm prime, which can be quite limiting sometimes. IMO The 50mm f/1.4 is a "nice to have" lens in addition to a zoom in that range.

[tim]

Definitely the Tamron. The only time I use the 50mm 1.8 is for very low light, and even then I usually just throw the flash on rather than using the 50mm 1.8.

[Andy_T]

I got the Tamron first.
The 50/1.4 will be among my next purchases.

Best regards,
Andy

[mikesd]

Tamron all the way, as Olegis stated, much more versatile and still good in low light situations.

[RichardtheSane]

I would go with the 50 F1.4

But then again I sold my Tamron 28-75 just before xmas.

[WestFalcon]

I find that I do not use my fixed focal length lenses nearly as much as my zooms...go zoom first.

[dhbailey]

I prefer zooms, so I would suggest the Tamron -- that plus the fact that the Tamron is a fantastic lens and you won't get much more from the 50mm 1.4 other than perhaps one or two sporadic shooting situations where the faster lens would be preferable to using a flash. And you can often offset the lens issue by using a higher ISO setting to get the same shot.

[pcasciola]

I prefer primes, and I would still recommend the Tamron 28-75mm in your case. Personally, I would get the Tamron first followed by the 50mm prime, unless I had a specific need for the 50mm f/1.4 that I knew would come up before I could buy the other lens.

[Tom W]

If you're shooting on a 1.6 camera, then you might want to consider the newer Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 as well. 28 just isn't wide at all on the 1.6, and is barely wide on the 1.3.

[MrChad]

Well since you had the nifty 50 and you evidently used the nifity 50mm, I'd get the Canon 50mm f1.4.

Who knows Tamron and Sigma drop models and come out with new lenses every few month, buy then a better lens may show up at PMA. But it's unlikely Canon would replace the 50mmm f1.4 and the Canon is more of sure thing vs. 3rd party build quality.

Doesn't the f1.4 50mm have a rebate now too? Tamron also has one, but I think Tamron always has one it seems.

[merrrrjig]

Id go with the 50

[DocFrankenstein]

I'd go with the Tamron first. With the stuff I shoot I'd use it much more often.

[wolf]

I have both and hardly ever use the 50. I find the 28-75 to be as sharp as the 50 and much more versatile.

[tacos3]

My 28-70 2.8 is my main carry lens. My 50 gets sparse usage. I'd but the 28-70 first.

[pcasciola]

I have both and hardly ever use the 50. I find the 28-75 to be as sharp as the 50 and much more versatile.
Yes, the zoom is versatile in terms of framing, but versality comes in many forms, not just zooming. I consider the 50 f/1.4 pretty versatile in another way. Being two entire stops faster than f/2.8, that's 4 times the shutter speed of the fastest zooms, enabling you to shoot in much lower light, assuming no flash of course. You can usually adjust your position to frame a shot with a prime, but you can't always shoot in low light without a flash or tripod using a zoom, and a lot of times a flash is inappropriate or just not allowed. In my opinion a complete set of lenses consists of both primes and zooms.

That said, I still think I'd get the Tamron 28-75mm first.