Canon EOS 550D

[ilesmark]

Hi all

Have just ordered a Canon 550D + 18-135mm lens kit. I already have a Sigma 100-300 lens.

A question - if you had a choice between the above, or a 550D + 18-55mm & 55-250mm Twin Lens kit for £50 more (both lenses are made by Canon), which would you go for?

Mark

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Not answering your question..

You've got an awful lot of closely packed pixels in a 550D, and if you really want to see how sharp it can be at a reasonable cost, I'd recommend getting an EF 50 f1.8. (Around £80-£100, new.)

Good luck with your new purchase.

[El_Sid]

Hi all

Have just ordered a Canon 550D + 18-135mm lens kit. I already have a Sigma 100-300 lens.

A question - if you had a choice between the above, or a 550D + 18-55mm & 55-250mm Twin Lens kit for £50 more (both lenses are made by Canon), which would you go for?

Mark

Depends on what version the 100-300mm is. If it's av f4 EX version and you know it works on digital EOS bodies then I can't see any point in going for the two lens kit...

[ilesmark]

Have just spoken to the camera people re delivery date. They reckon I'm better off with the 18-135 than with the twin lens kit cos the 18-135 is mid-range whereas the twin lens kit is bottom-end, with polymer not glass elements and a plastic not a metal mount.

It would have been different if the 18-55 and the 55-250 were mid-range - apparently Canon do 3 ranges, the bottom, the mid-range and the L-series.

Yes the Sigma does work with the new body - I tested it in the shop. It doesn't have a name, but says on the front 1:4.5-6.7 UC and also says Ø55. I've only used it a handful of times, so it's effectively brand new even though it's 13 years old!

[El_Sid]

...the twin lens kit is bottom-end, with polymer not glass elements and a plastic not a metal mount.

While they may be entry level lenses they do have glass elements. Where your supplier is getting confused is that some lenses, usually asphericals, can be moulded from optical polymer or have a moulded optical resin layer bonded to the glass bulk of the element. They do this because it's more cost effective and simpler to mould the complex curvatures needed consistently than it would be to grind them but, nonetheless, the majority of the elements are glass as even the best optical polymers are less effective than glass at modifying the light path.

While metal mounts feel and look better than plastic there's little that's really wrong with plastic ones. Wear, particularly in these days of zoom lenses, is unlikely to be an issue for most photographers - even quite enthusiastic ones - any more than it is with metal. Where plastic may be less desirable is with long heavy lenses where there is a possibility of the mount having to bear the load of a poorly supported lens - though this can equally apply to metal mounts which is why big telephoto lenses have their own tripod mounts; much better to support the camera from a heavy lens than vice-versa...

[Benchista]

Further, the 18-55 is a respectable enough performer, and the 55-250 has a very decent repuatation.

[ilesmark]

Hi all

I ended up going with the 18-135, esp as the camera shop people advised me to do so even though it meant they made £50 less from me.

I tried putting the old Sigma 100-300 zoom on it and it didn't work properly, so thinking it was a problem with the body I called the shop and they arranged to send me a new body. THEN I was discussing it with a friend and the result of that was we ended up trying the body with one of his L-series lenses and it worked faultlessly, so when I told the camera shop about this they remembered re the compatibility issue with Sigmas and newer bodies. So after that, called Sigma to discuss and it transpires this lens can't be chipped. They offered to swap it for a newer lends at 50% off list price, or advised me to put it on AV and open the aperture up as wide as poss - it now works OK. Happy days!

[quickshot]

Hi

Try out the 18-135 and if you don't like it sell it on. Personally although it is handy - i am not so keen on it as results have been poorer. I actually get good results with the 55-250 and 18-55 as well as the fixed 50mm lens. It is a matter of trial and error but i have sold on Ebay OK and have bought other lenses on it.Good luck