Help me choose! Tamron 28-70 vs. Canon 85 1.8 vs. other

Hi,
I need a little help to decide on what lens to buy. I'm fairly new to photography and i only have an XTi with the kit lens so far. I'm really tired of the kit lens...it is soft and often not long enough or fast enough for what i want to shoot. I'm dying for a new lens, but right now I'd like to keep it under $400.

Right now, I could use a good walkaround lens. The 24-105L would be my ideal choice, but i can't really afford it right now. Besides a walkaround, i like taking pics of my dogs indoor and out so a fast, portrait lens with good bokeh would be nice.

I think right now i'm trying to decide between the Tamron 28-70 for a walkaround and the 85 f/1.8 a fast, portrait lens. the thing that is keeping me from buying the Tamron is i'd like to get the 24-105L sometime soon, maybe after Christmas. i dont know if it would be waste then...although i'd like a 24-70L also, and the Tammy would be a good substitute until i can get that. i'm real impressed with the 85 f/1.8 from what i've read and seen. it seems like a great lens which i'd like to get at some point, but not having the versitility (since this would be my main lens right now) concerns me.

please let me know what you think. i'm open to other options also. thanks!
-Dan

You need to decide if you can live with the kit lens and the 85mm or replace the kit lens with a general zoom lens.

I currently have a Canon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens and really like the range and aperture (it's not fast by any means but not that slow either).

I am now supplementing it with a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens for my wider shots and portraits.

I find the 28mm wide enough for most of my shots but sometimes do miss shots when I need something wider. So you will have to evaluate what you shoot and see if 28mm is wide enough for you.

Personally, I'd go with the tamron 28-75mm. It's alot more versatile and you may even decide you don't want an L lens after using it.

the tamron has reasonable background nlur so its ok for portraits. Its not terribly wide - will you miss 18-24?

you can always buy a nice used copy and sell it later for what you paid for it.

I have the tamron and think its a cracking little lens. I have recently got a 24-105 which I prefere altough its not as good value for money as the tamron its a more usable lens.
I never found that I wanted to go wider to often but always wanted longer with the tamron. and I hae the sigma 10-20 for wide stuff.

I thinking of selling my tamron to get a 85 1.8 so the 24-105 as a general lens and the 85 for being creamy dof, in my mind make a great combo.

i realize that i'm always wanting something longer and i think i rarely shoto on the wide side. i think whatever lens i get next will be my mainstay (until i get another one) and i won't miss the 18-55. maybe in the future, that Tammy 17-50 2.8 seems like a nice option for wide shots.

the Tammy seems like a good choice. I guess i'm most concerned about it's usefulness in the future and whether it is worth it now. whenever i get a 24-105L i may want to get rid of it...or it might be a nice compliment to have with the 24-105L.

I have the Tamron 28-75 and love it. Like you, I found the kit lens to be too short, and the Tamron has been a much more useful focal length for the type of shots I take. It's fast and gives great quality pics. However, another option I'd suggest for consideration is the 55-250. Like you, I take a lot of photos of my dogs, and the 55-250 has turned out to be a very nice animal (and human) portrait lens, as well as a decent lens for action shots. It provides a lot more reach and spends a lot of time on my camera these days as a walkabout lens. Obviously it's no good for indoor shots without a flash, but given that it's not an expensive lens you might be able to add the 85 f/1.8 as well. Just a thought. Below are a couple of pics of one of my dogs taken with the 55-250. I wouldn't have been able to get either shot without the longer range:

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

I love my Tamron and I love my 85mm f/1.8. If I had to chose just one I'd go with the Tamron because I'm more of a tele-shooter then a prime-shooter. If you really do plan to get the 24-105L soon then you may want to go with the 85mm. However, your feet will have to do the work for you if you want to "zoom" in or out.

With the XTi, I suggest get the Tamron 17-50 2.8 and 85 1.8.

anyone know which lens has better/faster autofocus...the 28-75 or the 85?

thanks.

timrocks311 wrote in post #6136987
anyone know which lens has better/faster autofocus...the 28-20 or the 85?

thanks.

I have the 85 1.8 and the Tamron 28-75; the autofocus on the 85 is SUPER fast with my 40D!!! It has actually spoiled me to a point where I don't like using anything slower...