Sigma 24-70 or 17-70 ?

Yello,

I am looking at getting a mid priced 'walk around' lens and i think i have narrowed my choices down to either a Sigma 24-70 or Sigma 17-70.
I already have a 70-300 and i basically just want to fill the gap and replace my kit lens.

Main uses are for close up and normal everyday photography but i also want to use it at motorsport events where i have th opportunity to get in amongst the action, i.e Rally of GB etc.

Can anyone suggest alternatives or comment on own experiences with either of these lens. I have seen a Canon 28-135 IS but i have heard that it is quite an old lens that is sluggish at F3.5-5.6 ?

If alternatives are out there around the £300 mark please do tell but i am not in the position to buy a Canon 24-105 so those suggestions wont really help.

Thanks in advance

p.s links to images taken with sigma lenses will be most welcome !!

Jabba J

I have the Sigma 17-70mm lens and it is nice. However, I find myself wishing I had a fixed aperture. I'll probably trade it in one day for a 24-70mm either from Canon (the L series lens) or the Sigma 24-70. I don't think I'll really miss the 17-23mm focal range I'd be losing... as I have the Sigma 10-20 lens.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Sigma just released HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) versions of these lenses. So if you can wait for these versions, I would.

cheers dude, useful info, may look at something slightly longer say 100mm or so.

I have the 24-70 2.8 and love it. Beware though: it is big and requires a big filter at 82mm. It focuses fast for not having HSM/USM and is tack sharp. I would highly recommend it.

Dan, what do you primarily use yours for, i really dont know if i want the IS of the Canon 28-135 but would this be good for motorsport ?

Arghhhhhhhh

I chose to buy a 17-70mm when I picked up my 40D recently instead of the kit lens. I have been really impressed by the sharpness of the photos and also the general build quality of the lens, although a fixed aperture would be nice!

Overall it's a good multipurpose / walk-around lens and reasonably fast to focus, although noisy with it!

I have really liked the 17-70mm but I have a unique requirement. I like to backpack and I like to take good photos when I do so I generally take my 40D with me even with the weight penalty. I was really looking for a good do-most-stuff lens and after a lot of work in looking at the choices I settled on the Sigma 17-70. It's weight is much lower than the 24-70mm and I don't have to carry a second lens to get a wide shot which is generally where I stay in the woods. I found almost all my shots fell under 40mm and most under 30mm but I still found 70mm useful on occasions. It also works well for most nature macro type shots so that's another lens I don't need to hump around.

I really thought hard about the 17-40L but in the end the less I have to swap lenses the better. I wish it had an HSM focus system but it's still pretty quick. I also wish the zoom ring wider. A constant 2.8 would be nice but it would add weight and that would defeat my purpose with it. I usually take my 24-70 2.8 when I'll be mainly taking pictures indoors but for GP travel and such I really like the Sigma 17-70.

I have the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens and I think it's great. I use mine for all sorts. The new version with HSM should hit the market soon and I think it will be a real winner.

Jabba J wrote in post #6404506
Dan, what do you primarily use yours for, i really dont know if i want the IS of the Canon 28-135 but would this be good for motorsport ?

Arghhhhhhhh

I have never shot motorsports. I don't see why it would not work. I use it primarily for portraits and landscapes.

I would not be without my Sigma 24-70. I have the older 24-70 EX DG, the non-macro version. I sometimes wish I had wider, but the f/2.8 was the selling point for me. The shallow DOF comes in very handy and all around I consider it a wonderful lens. There are many posts here about it and comparing it to the Tamron 28-75 which is also a very good lens. I just know that at 28mm I would definitely be unhappy on my 40D or XT because it would just be too long.

Pros of the 24-70:
- Constant max aperture of f/2.8
- excellent sharpness
- good build

Cons of the 24-70:
- 82mm front filter diameter (expensive and some filters are hard to find in that size)
- focus motor may be a little loud for some people's tastes
- two step switch from AF to MF (flip of switch and push-pull of sleeve)
- non HSM motor - but I find it fast enough

If you are really considering motorsports it might be worth your while waiting another couple of months. Sigma is supposedly releasing a NEW version of this lens that has HSM and full time manual focus getting rid of 3 of my above cons!

Cheers Layston,

Just the kind of advice i was waiting for.

Anyone any ideas when the HSM version of the 24-70 Sigma lens is out and what RRP ?

Jabba J wrote in post #6492972
Cheers Layston,

Just the kind of advice i was waiting for.

Anyone any ideas when the HSM version of the 24-70 Sigma lens is out and what RRP ?

we're all waiting to hear when the new 24-70 will come out. if i were you i would highly consider this lens as i am also very interested in it.