Thread: Which Lens - Factory or aftermarket ?

Originally Posted by dullbird

Mmmmm Blitz I think you get their warranty not the manufactures warranty

or is that what you meant.

good question?
I have bought quite a bit of stuff through them memory cards and stuff other than the actual cameras and lenses, I have had some stuff die on me (not the Nikon stuff) sent it back and had it replaced no problems, so more than likely their warranty

Thanks all for the input. It's a big responsibility when giving a friend advice that can cost them several thousand dollars. You really need to keep personal bias (ie. Nikon vs Canon) out of the equation and explain the reasoning behind your advice. So thanks again all for your input.

My friend is now down to two choices for her 'day to day' lens. Canon 24-70 F2.8 L II USM or Canon 24-105 f4 L IS USM.

Regardless of the cost my advice was that they are both excellent lenses and allayed her concern re no IS on the 24-70 as a/. at this short a lens not really an issue and b/. there's a whole stop of shutter speed to compensate if need be. I summed it up by saying that the f2.8 is a far superior lens (hence 3-4 times the cost) and that as she progresses with her photography she will reach a limitation with the f4 lens but probably not with the f2.8 lens, or if she does she'll need to sell the house to get a better one .

I wait with baited breath for her decision.

Deano

good advice and rationale

I've got the Canon 24-105 f4 L IS USM and 10-22mm. The 24-105 is a great all-around lens.

I've had a Sigma 10-20mm and IMHO it is a better lens than the comparable Canon. Having said that both the Canons are the same diameter so I only need one set of filters, etc.

All my gear has come from DWI and while I expect there could be some issues with warranty, I did save significant $$ in buying from DWI. Savings vs risk..........

I have bought most of my camera gear through DWI and I understand they have a twelve month Australian warranty. I have never had to claim on the warranty so I can't vouch for how good it is, but I should imagine a firm as large as DWI would not offer such a warranty if they can't honour it

My friend bit the bullet and bought the Canon 24-70 F2.8 L II USM and is playing with it at the moment. Initially she had an issue re clarity when cropping. Have now set her the camera to max quality JPEG plus RAW capture so she can sample and compare though I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the Canon 'high' JPEG quality. It may be just me but I thought the 'high' JPEG quality of our Nikons was significantly better.
I was unable to view the Canon RAW images on my PC using ACDsee Pro 5 as it couldn't view the proprietary Canon RAW format. I'll see if I can download a suitable plug in for it.

Deano

Originally Posted by DeanoH

I was unable to view the Canon RAW images on my PC using ACDsee Pro 5 as it couldn't view the proprietary Canon RAW format. I'll see if I can download a suitable plug in for it.

Deano

Image browser will do it for you.

Canon

Should be on the disk that came with the camera.

Originally Posted by DeanoH

My friend takes her photography seriously, realises lens(s) are 'the pointy end of the stick', and whilst after good value for money also wants quality gear and isn't afraid to pay for it. Upgrade path is also important.
The type of photos she takes are of a general nature and she is looking to get more involved with nature and particularly bird photography.

To this end I suggested Canon 24-105 f4 L IS USM (effective 38-168mm)as her 'day to day ' lens and, weight permitting, Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM (effective 160-640mm) for avian work.

So far so good, expensive but good glass, suitable for the job and any other Canon camera including full frame possibility somewhere down the track.

If your friend REALLy wants to photograph birds I would strongly suggest a MINIMUM 400mm focal length. On a 70D, your friend will have a field of view similar to a 640mm lens due to the camera's crop sensor. For the first five years I actually used the 300/4L IS USM with matching Canon converters. I would never buy off brand converters or lenses. I am a Canon snob.

The 100-400 Canon is OK for birds and obviously covers a larger range with fields of view, but the 400/5.6L USM (no image stabilization) will give far better overall performance with image quality and autofocus. For most other nature photography she can get away with:

17-40mm f/4L USM (landscape)
50mm f/1.8 normal lens, not bad for 150 bucks.
100mm macro (as the name says)
70-200/4L USM with or without IS. You don't need f/2.8 for nature photography really. The extra stop is fine great in low light, but you can get away without it.

Shoot me a pm if you want more info.