New Lens - is this a good choice?

[nitsch]

Hi everyone,

I am currently planning my next lens purchase and I think that the Sigma 18-125mm fits the bill but I thought I'd run it past all you knowledgable folk before I actually bite the bullet and buy it.

Here's the background to my decision:

I've got a 300D with the kit lens. The only other lens I own is a Sigma 105mm Macro which I love, so I am happy to buy another Sigma lens. I am going on holiday in the summer and will only be able to take one lens with me so I want a good "allrounder".
I want something which is lightweight, has a reasonably wide angle for landscape shots and a reasonable length telephoto yet still provides good quality images (hopefully better than the kit lens), only the Sigma 18-125 really seemed to fit all of these requirements.
I have also considered the EF-S 17-85 which has the benefit of IS but on the negative side it is shorter telephoto and more expensive, also I don't hear anyone saying great things about the image quality.

So, would the 18-125 lens be a good decision?

Cheers,

Nick

[Toogy]

Here is my experience.
The 18-125 is better than the Kit lens, but it does suffer some vignetting at the wide end and the telephoto end.
I was also not impressed with it's sharpness at both the 18mm and the 125mm settings. Plus being limited to F5.6 at full telephoto (expected)
I ended up selling it and getting the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 and have not regretted the decision at all. I do miss the wider angle, but I can live with it until I get the 10-22mm.

[tim]

FYI lens reviews (http://www.photographyreview.com/Lenses/PSC_3787crx.aspx)

[Bruce Hamilton]

You've already got a Sigma that you're happy with... Buying abother is pretty much a no brainer. :)

[nitsch]

Cheers for your comments Toogy, I have looked quite long and hard at reviews of the Tamron and it looks like an awesome lens, everyone loves the sharpness and the f2.8 aperture would be great, in fact the only thing stopping me buying it is the lack of wide angle.

Thanks for the link Tim, thats a good site, I haven't seen it before. I'm trying to read as much as possible from as many different sources as I can find.

Thanks Bruce... you're probably right! :) But really one day I would love to have a collection of L glass as in your signature!!! ;-)

[tim]

What focal lengths do you use most? Personally if I had to have a longer or a shorter lens, i'd definitely go longer, as my style is to fill the frame with what i'm interested in. 28mm is wide enough for what I do most of the time.

You already have the kit lens for 18mm shots.

[nitsch]

So far since I got the camera I have been doing mainly close up and macro work, I haven't really been out and about much because the weather has been so grim! I guess if I'm being honest I just felt that if I was going to get a lens which would serve me well in a variety of situations I needed one which had a wide angle for landscapes, but this is not based on any kind of experience so maybe this isn't the case at all. I'm starting to doubt myself now! LOL!