24-70mm options/ bang for the buck

Ive been cruising the boards and was highly thinking of buying the canon 24-70mm L but just cant do it because of the price. So then I noticed the sigma was considerably cheaper and was of great quality. Drawbacks being not weather sealed(but neiher is my camera), noisy autofocus (i dont know if that would be a problem) and build quality (but I dont think it will fall apart either!). Its pluses are the pictures are on par wih the canon. So between the two I will pick the sigma. Now the question is: Is there a lense that you think is just a stellar performer above the sigma given this price range?

I also want to get the canon 85mm 1.8 so do you think I should for a 17-?mm instead of a 24-?mm?

the camera is the 50D

Actually rather than saying bang for the buck..what lenses do you think produce oustanding photos around this focal length and price?

Check out the Tamron 28-75 also. It's not as wide, a little longer and performs very well.

and does not suffer from flare and low contrast the way the Sigma can. It's smaller and considerably lighter and, if you are one to use filters, the Sigma will kill you (uses large filters, $$$$$).

I would go for the Sigma 18-50 Macro if I were you. 24-70 on a 1.6 crop is not a useful range, IMO.

Build quality of Sigma EX lenses is not a problem. If it's not equal to L build, it's about as close as you can get.

i'd say tokina's are better build than sigma EX lens...but the sigma's are still nicely built

Depends what you like to, or usually, shoot. For my interests a 17-50 would be used very rarely.

I generally shoot people. If I was to shoot large expanses I would go with, and am looking at one of the true wideangle zooms 10-xx or 12-xx.

Qwest905 wrote in post #6351228
i'd say tokina's are better build than sigma EX lens...but the sigma's are still nicely built

I'd say Tokinas are BETTER built than Canon L. But Tokina doesn't make a 24-XX f/2.8 lens. They do make a 16-50 though if OP would be interested in that range instead.

kevinmcdade wrote in post #6351067
Check out the Tamron 28-75 also. It's not as wide, a little longer and performs very well.

+ 1. I love my Tammy and hardly miss the 17/18mm to 28....depends on what you are shooting I guess.

I got the sigma 24-70, it is the steal of the century, its not like certain other brands that can't really cut it a f/2.8 and need stopping down, it actually works sharp at f/2.8. I think the canon 85 1.8 has bargain written all over it too, hope to pick up one sometime soon. We all know about the 50 1.8.

Not quite a lens, but a top of the range old film camera that accepts your current EF lenses can be had for $50, which is you think about it is a really cheap full frame option, an also when your 24-70 is not wide enough you can stick in on the film body and get wide that way

Well that's how I'm doing it anyway 50 1.8 can go on the film body most of the time, when I get the 85 1.8 that will also do good on the film body (similar to the 50 on my 40d or 400d)

KarlosDaJackal wrote in post #6351295
Not quite a lens, but a top of the range old film camera that accepts your current EF lenses can be had for $50

I have never seen a working 1V go for that price.

The 24-70mm Canon is my favourite lense on a crop camera, don't agree on the above comment about it not being a suitable range. When I am on holiday its on the camera more than the 10-20mm or 70-200mm.

I can't comment on the sigma or Tammy but the 24-70mm is a great L lense from Canon.

Cheers

cdifoto wrote in post #6351246
I'd say Tokinas are BETTER built than Canon L. But Tokina doesn't make a 24-XX f/2.8 lens. They do make a 16-50 though if OP would be interested in that range instead.

i'd say it's about par..that's comparing my 11-16 tokina to my 24-105mm
but u may have more experience with L lens...

but i can comment on the 28-75 tamron and i think it is a great lens. Very high IQ, fast enough focusing and better build than the nifty fifty and 18-55 kit lens.

actually im not really concerned about build quality that much. Just the quality of the picture. I havent seen one post saying such and such lense broke. So i figure given normal circumstanses any lense will hold up quite well for a long time, even the canon 50mm 1.8 mkII!

There's a Sigma 24-60/2.8- really really cheap but respected. Also the Tamron 17-50/2.8