If I skip the kit lens...should I get ....

ok, so between the sigma 17-70 and the tamron 17-50...what are the pros/cons of each? I need to place this stinkin order and make a decision and if I read one more review Im gonna go crazy lol
(and I have to take my kids to a neighborhood party so I have to decide asap)

thanks so much!!!

here's an idea of what Id like to get:

1 x EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR Digital Camera
$674.89
1 x AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0 Super Wide Angle DC
$388.89
1 x Speedlite 430EX Flash
$239.89
1 x EF 50mm F1.8 II SLR Lens -52mm- USA
$69.89

Subtotal: $1,373.56 (plus shipping)
(tamron would be $60 more)


then adding the canon 70-200 once I decide if the f/4 is enough or if I need the f/2.8

advantage of the 17-50 is constant 2.8 and sharper images. the only advantage i see of the 17-70 is the extra 20mm, and that is about it. the 17-70 is only 2.8 from 17-22mm then it changes. Also, unless you are shooting low light, you may not need the 50 1.8 as #1 the focal length is being covered by either lens and #2 2.8 is decently fast for a lens and you may not need anything faster. But that is your choice i suppose. i chose to get it also in the beginning and i kind of regret it now. I mean, it takes good pictures, but i my tamron can handle things 99% of the time.

Well the question is,

Would the (tamron would be $60 more) price matter? Do you want more reach?

f/2.8 constant is always nice. It allows you to shoot in lower light situations. Get better background blur, and generally lens perform even better stopped down by 1 or 2 stops.

You have to decide (holding money out of it), if you value the longer reach or the faster lens.

WaterLily, your list of things to put in your order looks just fine to me -
you've done about all the research you can, asked all the right questions - the last thing you might consider would be to go to a store and see if you can handle the gear and see how it looks and feels.

But you won't regret placing the order you have outlined, and the sooner you do, the sooner you'll be able to start taking pictures!

Yeah, you need to place that order soon so you can get the rebate on the camera. Is the Tamron you are debating macro? The sigma has that.

Stefan

You could buy the 17-40 f4 L instead. I know I will be selling a super sharp copy as soon as my 2.8 version comes

Looks good to me. Regarding the 17-50 vs the 17-70, as others have said, its a choice between walking to zoom that extra 40%, or getting an extra stop at the long end. Its a tradeoff; its not clear that one is absolutely better than the other. Personally, I'd take the faster lens, especially if I thought I was going to buy a telezoom later on. But on the other hand, you might want the zoom and compensate for that by pushing up the ISO.

If money was an issue, I'd leave off the flash until you really know you need it. With those fast lenses, I suspect you'll be using it much less than you think. (Especially if you work in the "creative modes" of the camera.)

Have you any compact flash memory cards? I'd suggest a 2 gig card to start.

fstopjojo is a big fan of the 17-85 but when push came to shove he opted to recommend the sigma.

now why doesn't that surprise me ?

ed rader

I have a couple smaller memory cards but will get a larger one

I wish I could see the lenses in person...I can't seem to find a store around here that has them (well, I can check out Ritz but ours is very Nikon obsessed)

ed rader wrote:
fstopjojo is a big fan of the 17-85 but when push came to shove he opted to recommend the sigma.

now why doesn't that surprise me ?

ed rader

I kinda like the 17-85 cause i'm not very steady. It really helps me. This picture was taken handheld at 1/8 of a sec.

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thanks so much for all the replies

Tonight Im just going to order the rebel xt with the kit lens...I figure I can play around with this the next couple of weeks and hopefully be able to find a store where I can see the tamron and the sigma lenses in person. I can always just keep the kit lens as a back up lens in case something happens to my prefered one and it needs to be repaired . I need to order the camera tonight to get the rebate, but the lenses dont apply so I want to be sure what I want before ordering (so that I dont spend $400 on something and wish it was the other one lol)

Still think I'll add the 50 mm, 430ex and a big old memory card to the order...
then later I'll add the 70-200 canon or sigma) and either the sigma 17-70 or tamron 17-50

Sounds like a solid plan.

I couldn't agree more with your planned purchases. Except for one thing: You should also consider the EF 70-300IS as an interesting alternative to 70-200L f4. Both are close priced, the 70-300 has more reach (to 300) and IS (which is far more important in the telephoto ranges than in the wide/standard ranges), while the 70-200 is a bit better built and f stop at f4 is a bit lower. BUT don't think the 70-200 f4 is better optically. I consider it a tie between the two lenses (and nevertheless the L designation, the 70-200 f4 is not better/sharper, its more solidly built and a bit faster, but not better optically). The 70-300 also has some UD glass which are found normally in L lenses. I suggest you read Stopjojo's comparison review and i suggest you compare them yourself. I personally chose the 70-300IS, and i'm not saying it's the better one, they are a tie to me, but for me, reach and IS was more important than L built and fixed f4. unfortunately, Canon doesn't have a 70-300L IS f4 at a lower price than the 70-200 f2.8 series. For you the choice may or may not be different.

WaterLily wrote:
thanks so much for all the replies

Tonight Im just going to order the rebel xt with the kit lens...I figure I can play around with this the next couple of weeks and hopefully be able to find a store where I can see the tamron and the sigma lenses in person. I can always just keep the kit lens as a back up lens in case something happens to my prefered one and it needs to be repaired . I need to order the camera tonight to get the rebate, but the lenses dont apply so I want to be sure what I want before ordering (so that I dont spend $400 on something and wish it was the other one lol)

Still think I'll add the 50 mm, 430ex and a big old memory card to the order...
then later I'll add the 70-200 canon or sigma) and either the sigma 17-70 or tamron 17-50

I would encourage you to get the kit lens with the XT. Simply because it's cheap, you acn use it for a while until you decide for better lenses, and if you change your camera in the future (for the future replacement of the Xt or the 30D, which one day will have 16M or 32M megapixels...) well you will have more ease to sell you XT with the kit lens then selling the body alone without a lens...