What to doooooo...? (again)

[Kiwikat]

It's that time again!

I will be getting something here in the next few weeks... Options are:

1.) Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM + Filter + Hood, Sell 18-55 IS

2.) Sell XSi + Grip + Accessories, Keep 18-55 IS kit lens, Buy Canon 50D body with grip and accessories


I know you're supposed to put glass first, but with Airventure coming up at the end of July, I would love to have a higher performance body to shoot with. Not to mention the ISO performance and FPS on my Rebel XSi aren't keeping up with my wildlife photography anymore. Its poor ISO performance kills the excellent image quality of my 300mm. I'd also like the microadjust ability of the 50D so I can fix the front focusing with my 1.4x + 300mm combo.

On the other hand, the 18-55 IS kills me when I try to use it. The build quality is abysmal and the image quality doesn't even come close to either of my primes. 18mm isn't wide enough for a walkaround lens for me either. The 30mm extra on the long end (of the 15-85) makes little difference to me, though I'm sure I would use it.

So, what do you guys think I should do? Hold out with my XSi and get a great general purpose lens or upgrade to a mid-range body? I wish I could do both lol. Maybe if I beg enough, my friend will let me borrow her 40D for EAA...

Thanks! :ernae:

[Moparmike]

That's a tough call. From what I've seen online, the 18-55kit lens is about like Pentax's DA18-55 kit lens...some are good and some aren't. Lots of variation in build quality.

If you upgrade your body, you'll still fight with a poor 18-55 lens on the new body too. but if this isn't your primary lens then that might be okay til you can upgrade the lens later on.
From what you posted, it sounds like you've already got your heart set on a new 50D, and it kinda sounds like your shooting style is ready to upgrade too. The extra goodies going from an entry-level body to a higher-end model might be worth the cost. And you can always add that 17-85 later on too.

I keep thinking the same thing about my next body. I'm tempted to stick with the K-X but I would love to have some of the features on the K-7 too. I haven't decided if the goodies will outweigh the cost difference though.

I don't know all that much about the nitpicky details on the Canons though. If I ever jump ship on Pentax I'm leaning toward Nikon.
Would be better to take another Canon shooter's opinion than mine.

[Kiwikat]

If you upgrade your body, you'll still fight with a poor 18-55 lens on the new body too. but if this isn't your primary lens then that might be okay til you can upgrade the lens later on.
From what you posted, it sounds like you've already got your heart set on a new 50D, and it kinda sounds like your shooting style is ready to upgrade too. The extra goodies going from an entry-level body to a higher-end model might be worth the cost. And you can always add that 17-85 later on too.

I'm not really set on either as of now... just thinking about the pros and cons. The 15-85 is on sale for 100 dollars off. It is unlikely to ever be this cheap again, so if I'm going to get it, it should probably be now. Also, the 50D is nearing the end of its lifespan. The 60D is probably going to be announced in the next couple months. Once that thing is released the 50D should take a momentary dive in price. The 40D did when the 50D came out.

It might be worthwhile $-wise to get the 15-85 while it is on sale now and hope for a 50D sale later on this year. I guess I'll have to start begging to borrow that 40D, lol.

But then again, the used price of my XSi is plummeting as it gets older. They are only going for about 400 bucks nowadays... Ugh.


OT: Someone just joined the 2k posts club! :jump: :173go1: :icon_lol:

[Moparmike]

Ah-hah...a sale price! Yeah, that will figure into things too. Good time to think about adding new glass then.
How does that 15-85 do wide open? Is it usable all the way down or does it fall on it's face below a certain length?
(Yeah, I typed 17-85 on the other post...my mistake)

Like most things, as the new model comes out the old one usually takes a nosedive in price. That would be a good time to look at upgrading your body.

At least you can still get $400 for your XSi. :) I'm guessing that it'll drop in price as the next new model comes out too...so figure it might do a little less if you wait for the 50D to drop after the next model arrives.
If I ever decided to dump my old DL I'd be lucky to crack $250 for it and that's if I threw in a kit lens. I'm stuck with it...it'll earn a place on the shelf next to both of my K1000SEs. :)

[Kiwikat]

How does that 15-85 do wide open? Is it usable all the way down or does it fall on it's face below a certain length?

On the charts it does fairly good wide open, though there's a bit of vignetting on the wide end. Stopped down 1 stop it is a bit better and f/8 seems to give the best corner sharpness. Nothing unusual in that regard. The only real complaint about it so far is that the image quality drops around 85mm. However it is still as good as the old 17-85 @ 85...

Canon seems to have really hit a home run with the lens. Optically it is as good as the 17-55 f/2.8 and build quality-wise it is better. It seems to be the perfect upgrade from the kit lens. It is pretty pricey though, at a sale price of $620, without a hood (grrr Canon...) or filter. I'd hope to sell my 18-55 after I got it and use that money to get a circular polarizer for it. Will definitely need to pick one of those up before EAA comes around.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

I'd get the circular polarizer first. The 15-85 has quite a bit of distortion, like similar lenses from other manufacturers (Nikon's 16-85, Sony's 16-80). It's sharp, ok. But vignetting, distortion, etc...and a lens of that price (ok, it's still an EF-S lens...) ? I'd not get it.

Think you're better off with a 24-70 (faster and more versatile, but even less wide...not a problem for me, but probably is for you), actually. Hasn't Canon any decent other lenses (primes or zooms) in that range ? Say, a 16mm or so ? Canon may have a large range of lenses, but *cough* some are not as good as their price would suggest....

What about a 17-40L or a 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM ? It's not like the 15mm setting on the 15-85 is really useable, with all the distortion and vignetting...

From the SLRgear.com review:


Distortion
As with most all-in-one zoom lenses, distortion results are complicated. Distortion is typically high for the widest angle setting (15mm) - almost +1% barrel distortion in the corners, and +0.5% on average. This barrel distortion evens out by about 20mm, where the corners then go towards pincushion distortion (-0.5%) at 24mm. After this focal length, there is some convergence, but distortion never comes to zero on either spectrum.

[Kiwikat]

Think you're better off with a 24-70 (faster and more versatile, but even less wide...not a problem for me, but probably is for you), actually. Hasn't Canon any decent other lenses (primes or zooms) in that range ? Say, a 16mm or so ? Canon may have a large range of lenses, but *cough* some are not as good as their price would suggest....

What about a 17-40L or a 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM ? It's not like the 15mm setting on the 15-85 is really useable, with all the distortion and vignetting...

Distortion and vignetting are among the easiest things to fix in photoshop, so I'm not concerned about that. The 17-55 is a big, expensive toy, so that's not even in the realm of possibility. I'd never use a 24-70 lens. The range is just too awkward on a crop camera. The speed is no big deal either as I'm either shooting outdoors or using my flash. There's nothing unexpected here considering the lens's wide range.

As of now, Canon doesn't really have any other wider general purpose lenses. There's the 16-35 L II but that is way out of my price range and is still not very wide. I believe the 15-85 is as good as its sale price. The build quality is superior to any previous EF-S lens and the image quality is just as good as some L lenses. The hundreds of sample images on POTN and flickr that I've looked through confirm this. Since the lens went on sale, it would seem a lot of people have bought it and have been happy with it. Moreso than with the 17-55...

The only other lens I'm even considering is the new Sigma 8-16mm. However if I got this, I'd still be stuck with my kit lens. Ideally I'd get the 8-16 and 15-85. It would set me up with a perfect 4 lens kit. 8-16, 15-85, 100 macro, and 300 (+1.4x).

[kilo delta]

Congrats on 2k+ posts! :ernae:

Why not consider the 550D...it has most of the features of it's big bro 7D?

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Including the metering and resolution, yes...I don't think it's that great for airshows or anything...the burst speed and AF have only been improved a little, I think. Not to mention the viewfinder. At 18 megapixels, you'd have to be looking at L-glass to get the most out of the sensor.

[kilo delta]

At 18 megapixels, you'd have to be looking at L-glass to get the most out of the sensor.

I'm thinking that Kiwi is going a little L crazy already! :d

[Kiwikat]

I'm thinking that Kiwi is going a little L crazy already! :d

Hey, I've only got one... :173go1:

Yeah if I decide to upgrade the body it won't be to a newer rebel. The 50D has many more capabilities, but does not have video. Luckily, I don't want to shoot video with my DSLR. If I need to use a camcorder, my friend has a decent Canon HD one.

[Rezabrya]

I'd say go for the 15-85. It seems logical doesn't it? The lens is on sale right now and the 50D will most likely be going on sale right as you are getting enough money to buy it. Your XSi will do for one more year at EAA.

[Panther_99FS]

Here's a good website to determine where your body/sensor rank...
-> http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor/Camera-rankings

(Shameless Plug: I like where my D5000 currently sits) :d

[Kiwikat]

So I shot an airshow today (pics coming later tonight) and thought it would help me choose between the Sigma 8-16 and Canon 15-85. Instead it REALLY made me want a 50D. I think the 15-85 would be an adequate walkaround lens though. I think all three of these things are going to be in my future over the next year or so.

Plus I had to go through the absolute torment of watching a guy use a 500mm f/4 L IS attached to a 1D Mark IV for 5 hours... I've never had such camera + lens envy :frown::173go1::173go1::173go1:

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Don't think the 50D will give you better pictures. It's a more recent camera with a higher burst speed, but I'm not sure if the AF is able to keep up with that high burst rate. It's an evolutionary design from the 50D, where the 7D is a real and major step-up. If I were you, I'd stay away from the 50D and save the money to get a 7D.

It's like I could upgrade to an A550, but I prefer waiting for a major improvement: the A7XX...

[Ferry_vO]

I've never had such camera + lens envy :frown::173go1::173go1::173go1:

It's all about boys and the size of their toys, isn't it? Sort of a virtual p3n1s envy I guess... ;)

Looking into the 15-85 myself; I wish Canon had an L-series lens with that range but it seems they do not do L series and EF-S.. From reviews the quality of the 15-85 isn't that far behind the L-series though. First I have to sell my old stuff before I can buy anything new..

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Ferry, perhaps you could sell the 70-300 to help pay for another lens...

[Ferry_vO]

Right now I have a 400D with 18-55mm kitlens, ancient 28-80mm lens, four batteries and a small bag for sale,the 70-300 IS USM plus the 17-85 can go too providing I can get the 15-85 before the Dutch airforce show in two weeks time.. (At Gilze-Rijen in the south, pretty close to Belgium..)

[JorisVandenBerghe]

before the Dutch airforce show in two weeks time.. (At Gilze-Rijen in the south, pretty close to Belgium..)
I knew you'd come up with it some day ;). Silly I still got exams (took an exam yesterday as well :frown: !), as it is this close and I have never been to Gilze-Rijen before....

But don't let that bother you :), hope the weather will be nice!

[Kiwikat]

It's all about boys and the size of their toys, isn't it? Sort of a virtual p3n1s envy I guess... ;)

It was a 500mm L... I'll admit to being completely envious! :wiggle: :salute:


On another note, I've talked to more people and decided a body would be a good upgrade if I only shot airshows. However most of my photography is wildlife/nature related. It would certainly be nice, but an upgrade to my kit lens is definitely a better choice right now.

On that subject... I've decided to throw out the 15-85mm. The upper half of its range is meaningless to me. I've instead looked into the 17-40mm f/4 L. It would fit my style much better I think. The L colors, constant aperture (f/4 isn't too slow for me), environmental sealing, build quality (especially), and top of the line USM mean more to me than a bigger focal length range and IS. Pair it up with the Sigma 8-16mm and my other two lenses and I would be set for anything.