 Michael T. Frazee |
Does lens manufacturer matter that much? I have a Canon AE1 and up to this point I have only used a fixed focal length 50mm lens. The time has come to buy a zoom lens. Based on limited online research of prices, availability, etc I have become confused with the number of manufacturers there are to choose from. Am I better off buying a Canon made lens or something made by another manufacturer, or does it not matter? I am thinking of something in the neighborhood of 70-200mm with a Macro feature. If anyone has some advice for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
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Samuel Smith |
hey mike,welcome. no one lens manufacture makes the best lens for each application. oh, and don't buy a 70-200 for what you think might be a macro feature,it's a sales gimmick. i'm going to say if your thinking of a zoom,why not a 28-200.better coverage and they are pretty good,sigma,tamron and tokina are in some instances better than the manufactures brand.(cannon,nikon,etc.) I have a 70-300 I really like to carry around,that's me. you mentioned a macro feature?maybe you want a macro lens? you sure don't need 200mm to photograph a flower or bug or detail.. a 28-80 is a good walk around lens. ya forgot to mention what you like to shoot? ever think about used? need a wee bit more info,sam
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Michael T. Frazee |
Sam, Thanks for the response. I shoot a little bit of everything. Mainly nature, flowers, bugs, landscapes. I also like to shoot buildings, cars, motorcycles, and portraits. Up until now I have only used film (color and b/w). Going the down the used path is what I am thinking. No sense in spending $300 when I can get something equal in used condition for $100! Just to clarify are you saying that a dedicated macro and something akin to a 28-200mm would be a better choice? Thanks again, Mike
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Bob Cammarata |
Previously owned lens shopping can be arduous but if you have a general idea of what you want, you can shop the on-line auction houses and find some really great deals. It can be an added bonus when you find your lens for sale attached to a camera body and/or other accessories. Adept buyers will seek out these "packages" and re-sell the items they don't need to recover some of the costs. As far as quality issues are concerned,...lenses by ALL of the major brands and the generics have different levels of quality. Those which have the heftier price tags will perform better than the less costly ones.
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Samuel Smith |
pretty much,if you can afford it?
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Samuel Smith |
hey mike, bob made a good point I kinda passed by. on ebay I picked up a backup body,a 35-70mm,a 28-200mm,flash,cleaning kit etc.,for 69 bucks.all in exc condition! of course I shoot with older minolta film cameras which many seem to be getting rid of.ok dumping. I picked up a 28mm prime,great for landscapes,new in box for 90 bucks. when I heard minolta was going out of business,and worried about parts and repairs,i bought 2 more bodies.80 bucks total.now one body was a re-manufactured with a bad function button but was fixed for free. make sure the seller has a good rating,sam
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Michael T. Frazee |
Hey guys, Thanks for the advice. I was able to get a Sigma Zoom 70-210, a Sigma 135, and a Sigma 28mm in separate auctions for under $75 (total not each)!!!
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Samuel Smith |
have fun mike.now I have a link to your gallery again.i'll check in and see if your using them right. sam
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Andrew Laverghetta |
Hmm, something that I noticed when I first started reading this is that you mentioned at 70-200mm zoom lens for your Canon AE1, which is a manual focus camera with an aperture ring. Whatever lens you get will need to be a Canon manual focus (I think FD is the designation) so you can use the aperture and make sure the lens will fit the camera. Now that I've looked through KEH.com I see that there are more zoom lenses for these cameras that what I thought so you will probably be alright, especially with the price you got them for. I see a Canon 70-210mm f/2.8-f vivitar Ser 1 lens for $25 in "BGN" (bargain) condition.
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