Wide-angle lens advice

[yerbache]

Hi, new to DSLR photography but getting very much better very quickly

I own a canon EOS 1000D, and bought the twin zoom lens package (18-55 and 75-300), but what I really need for the kind of photography I'm into doing right now (a lot of street photography) is a decent wide-angle lens with good all-round usability. I've obviously checked a lot of sites and everyone is talking about the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM....a very tasty lens indeed but with a price to match and I'm reluctant to extend an overdraft further at this stage of my artistic development!

I'd really appreciate some help with possible alternatives before I shell out almost £700! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Thanks, (and HI!)

[Benchista]

Well the 24-105 isn't really a wideangle on APS-C - certainly not as much so as your kit 18-55.

So what is it you actually want - a wideangle lens, or a better replacement for your 18-55? If it's a wideangle, then the Canon or Sigma 10-22s are the lenses to look for; if it's a better standard zoom, there are loads of options, but the Sigma 17-70 is probably best suited to the job.

[yerbache]

Well being a complete novice that's the question! I do want a much better replacement to the 18-55 that came with the kit; I find it too limiting when I want to take a good shot of a street scene for clarity in the field width, so I think wide-angle is what I'm after, although perhaps you could advise? I want a good all-round lens that allows me to take a good quality wide shot in a range of light levels but one which has enough flexibility for general use.

Probably being vague, but a better knowledge of what I'm looking for is what I'm here for =P

Thanks for the reply

[yerbache]

The other question is if I buy an IS lens from a different manufacturer will it still work on a canon?

[El_Sid]

For a wider angle of view than the 18-55mm lens then like Benchista says you are looking at lenses in the 10-20mm range. There are a number of zooms available from Sigma, Tamron and Tokina as well as Canons own EF-S 10-22mm. Well regarded ones are the Canon lens and Sigma's 10-20mm and 12-24mm lenses (designed for full 355mm formar cameras). You don't often hear about the Tamron or Tokina offerings although Tokina's 12-24 got a good write up in AP some while back. One lens to be wary of is the Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye zoom which is a bit of an oddity as produces fisheye images where straight lines come out curved - useful for special effects but not really a street lens.

Stabilised lenses from Sigma (designated OS) and Tamron (designated VC) in Canon EF (EOS) mount should work fine. As far as I know Tokina do not as yet have any stabilised lenses available. Pardon me if I'm stating the obvious but only lenses intended for the Canon EOS system and it's EF mount will fit and function in any way on a Canon camera. Lenses from or intended for other manufactures bodies (eg Nikon, Sony etc.) cannot be used. Always check that the lens you are buying is a Canon lens or, if from an independent maker (Sigma, Tamron etc.), that it is in Canon EF mount (occasionally described as Canon AF).

HTH

[zx9]

Is this the right room? You may have got more response in Lens Matters , best not to repost though perhaps it will get moved.

[CWyatt]

Don't rule out primes - they often have faster AF, and are smaller and less intrusive, and can give you larger apertures to work with. A lot of top street photography has been done with 28mm, 35mm or 50mm primes (on 35mm sensor).