Which lens & review sites.

[penryar]

I'm off to Khao Lak at the end of October and am going to treat myself to a new lens for my 350d before I go.
I had almost made my mind up on a Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro Lens when I read some of the review sites. Are the people who post on these sites overly negative or is the lens not that good? / quality control issues?

Other contenders for the position of new lens were the Canon 28-105 USM II and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 XR Di-II LD [IF]

And before any mentions them, I can't afford an L series lens.

Cheers

[Dogsey]

I always tend to look at PhotoZone.de for good, in-depth lens reviews.

[Stu247]

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Ca...


Canon lens review site.

I bought a Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS USM off ebay around £195
It seems to get reasonable reviews for a non L series general purpose lens.

[_dobbo_]

http://www.fredmiranda.com

Very good for user reviews of lenses. REmember though, the vast majority of people aren't going to go on a review site and say they like something. If they hate it, they'll scream from the rooftops, hence why you might be seeing more negative stuff than positive.

FWIW the lens you mention scores reasonably well over there given that it doesn't cost a lot:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php...

[VxDuncan]

We've been round this one a few times recently. I have the Tamron, and whilst it really is amasingly sharp, I'm considering swapping it for the Sigma, as the build quality is so poor I've had to fix it a couple of times. An HSM motor would be good to. Don't have first hand experience of the 18-50 F2.8, but I have three other Sigma EX lenses and can't fault them. But constant F2.8 is the way to go if you can afford it, fast lenses really have the power to make your shots stand out - but the downsides are more cost, weight and more missed shots through missing the focal point (but you can always stop down).

[ian in lancs]

I've got the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro Lens - in the real world I cant fault it. Nice sharp colourful images. No regrets!

[penryar]

It was the Fredmiranda site that gave me the doubts to be honest. I just wondered if the people posting the negative reviews were being super-critical. It'll be taking over the 17-55 kit lens duties so is bound to be a huge step up.

Anyway, I think I'm convinced now, so its time to stump up the cash. Cheers for the real world opinions.

Steve

[MonkeyHanger]

I give you the POTN Canon-fit lens archives.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php...

All by people who actually use the lenses rather than a "reviewer" with their own agenda