why is this so hard?

So currently i shoot with a Canon 300D Rebel. Instead of making a body upgrade I'd like to gather some lens' first. Im a little too cheap to go for Canon L glass so ive been looking into "comparable" Sigma versions. I shoot mostly Car's and Car related events (car shows). First on my list is a BG-E3 grip for the extra batterylife and added comfort, and a 580ex flash. But when i make the purchase for those 2 items i want to grab a lens to save some time. Ive been looking into the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 but wont be able to afford that in addition to the 2 purchases ill be making so that will have to wait a few months. Ive been looking into the Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5 DC and the 24-70 f/2.8 EX DG. Ive read different reviews on both and they both come back positive and negative, and both seem to be very sharp lens'. I cant determine what would be best for my needs, lots of times a bit of a wider angle lens is needed for up close shots. So i added the Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM into the mix. I not only need the wider angle, but i also need the zoom. A little bit of wide angle and zoom are needed.

My main question was asking which is the better all around lens for my needs. I like the Sigma brand and havent looked into the other 3rd party competetors so please dont hesitate to leave suggestions. Sorry for making you all read so much.

Are you sure you want a telephoto lens for a car show? I love my 10-20 for cars and motorcycles, but I rarely use my 24-70. A telephoto would be good for races and such, but you didn't mention that.

Try an 18-50 Sigma f/2.8, great lens. Just my opinion.

I believe that the grip for the drebel is the BG-E1, the E-3 is for the XT/XTi. For the flash, unless you want to wirelessly control slaves, you could save some money and get the 430ex, an excellant flash in its own right. I would think that for car shows, where space could be limited, that you'd get more use out of the 17-70. 24mm isn't all that wide on a crop body, and I think you'd appreciate having the extra width of the 17mm. That's just for an all around walkabout lens. If you're going to throw the 10-20 in to the mix for the wide stuff, I'd go for the 24-70 for the contant f2.8.

mmahoney wrote in post #2833993
Is a 580 the best flash choice for the 300D? .. in the sense that the 580 is a newer unit and maybe some features are not usable on the body?

Maybe save a few dollars if you can get a used 550 flash instead .. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do, just asking the question.
Mike

"best" is quite subjective. All depends on what he's going to be using it for. I've personally never needed more than my Sigma EF 500 Super. I saved about $150 by getting it instead of a 580ex.

ill look into the flash options, ive just read the 580ex have better features than the 430ex, personally im no pro, and dont intend to be so i dont need anything crazy, just enough to give me more light than whats usually available. Im now kicking myself for not remembering the 1.6 crop body so a 24-70 would be lesser of a lens for me than the 17-70. Only thing is i lik how the 24-70 is 2.8 throughout. I was also looking at the 18-50 2.8 since i like the kit lens, its just way too slow, so that could be a nice alternative. But at that rate i'd gain the extra length from the 17-17 and gain that 1mm on the wide end.

Thank you for posting so quickly!

Ive also noticed that the BG E1 is discontinued... Why wouldnt the BG E3 for the XT work?

ct dub12 wrote in post #2834044
Ive also noticed that the BG E1 is discontinued... Why wouldnt the BG E3 for the XT work?

The 300D is a completely different sized body than the 350/400D.

There are a few new and used BG-E1's on ebay http://search.ebay.com …%26fsoo%3D1&fcl​=3&frpp=50

If you do end up heavily considering the 18-50 f/2.8, I would strongly consider the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 instead, as it is a fantastic lens.

thanks for the heads up on the tamron lens, ill look into it. Ill just search ebay for a BG E1 than, theres a quite a few on ebay already

I have no idea relating to the taking pictures of cars. However, I wonder how well a Tokina 12-24mm lens would work with your XT for this type of work?

By the way, I have decided not to upgrade camera body, but to take my time buying perhaps three lenses that I may use in a couple of years with another camera body that has a 1.6 crop factor sensor just like the XT1, 20D, or 30D. The Tokina lens I mentioned above is not a Canon L lens, but it seems to be an outstanding one, and has received nothing but positive comments from all who use it in this forum.

i was looking into the tokina but i like the sigma and its ability to go to 10mm, on the crop body it makes a huge difference that 2mm. I had a range i wanted to fill but im not 100% i want the 10-20 and the 70-200 2.8 its that middle gap thats killing me. i might just grab the 10-20 now and take some time to think of the lens to fill that gap between the two

Dump the grip, buy an extra battery which is a lot cheaper and put the extra money into your new lens.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #2833963
Try an 18-50 Sigma f/2.8, great lens. Just my opinion.

If he has the kit lens hes not going to find any use for an 18-50mm F/2.8, the kit lens is just fine at F/8 and above and when shooting cars most of the time you're going to want a small aperture, trust me I had the 18-50mm F/2.8 while a great lens it honestly isn't going to make you want to use your kit lens any less (well for me at least). You can get some great shots of cars with the kit lens as well..

If I were you, I'd save ~$100 by getting a Speedlite 430EX, honestly if you're still learning (like myself) and you don't need a master, I would save the money and go for the 430EX, its pretty powerful. I think that if you're mainly shooting cars I would look at the Sigma 10-20mm EX, I've used it a couple of times (my cousin has it) and its a great lens, very fun to use, and you can fit soo much into the picture, its pretty sharp wide open and the colors are great.

Some of my cousin's shots with the Sigma 10-20mm (click for bigger sizes):

IMAGE LINK: http://farm1.static.fl​ickr.com …13205233_8fef09​6159_b.jpg

IMAGE LINK: http://farm1.static.fl​ickr.com …97434645_fe90fe​5e68_b.jpg

With cars you can never have a wide enough angle. Those shots down low in front of the tire, yet still getting the whole side in... Engine compartments. Interiors. A flash is key for fill and interiors. I don't have direct experience with Sigma so I can't comment on those... But I can say that a 70-200mm isn't what I would recommend. Unless you want to cover the drags.

Caster, those are really NICE shots. Well done!

im definatly going to look into the 430ex, like i said before i dont want something too professional, sounds like the 430 is more for me then. I have shot with the 10-20 sigma and loved it, it was nice and sharp, however im not sure if i want to go straight for the wide angle or hold of and get a mid range lens that can give me a little bit of both (17-70) and the like, but im not sure if its what ill be looking for. i might take the rent route and see how i like it

ct dub12 wrote in post #2834647
im definatly going to look into the 430ex, like i said before i dont want something too professional, sounds like the 430 is more for me then. I have shot with the 10-20 sigma and loved it, it was nice and sharp, however im not sure if i want to go straight for the wide angle or hold of and get a mid range lens that can give me a little bit of both (17-70) and the like, but im not sure if its what ill be looking for. i might take the rent route and see how i like it

If you have a kit lens (which I'm assuming you do), I don't think you're going to find what you want in a 17-whatever range, 70mm is different from a kit lens, its a bit longer but I've shot with my 70-200mm and if I wasn't dedicated to shooting with it that day I would of pulled out my kit lens or a 10-20mm in a heartbeat (I actually did pull out my kit lens for a couple of shots), but you're going to use the wide angle soooo much more, and you've used the lens before so you already how the lens is (the build quality is excellent, focusing is quick and quiet, the lens is just really great honestly). With the 10-20mm, you're going to have 10-55mm covered (assuming you have a kit lens)