Rick Bowlby wrote:
> I know this is a very subjective question but I will ask it anyway...
>
> I have owned film SLR cameras for around 30 years, which I use mainly
> when travelling. I have taken around 6000 slides. Most recently I have
> used Canon - first a 1000FN, more recently a 300V - with 28-200mm lenses
> (Sigma and Tamron). I have found that the convenience of a single lens
> when travelling is worth the loss of quality at some settings that
> sometimes resulted.
>
> So - I have decided to take the plunge and go digital. I have been very
> happy with my Canons and all things being equal would stick with that
> brand, but are all things equal? I have a budget of up to GBP650
> (including batteries, memory cards etc). Can anyone suggest an
> appropriate combination of DSLR + superzoom lens within that price
range?
>
Canon doesn't have a superzoom. I've tested two independents - the Sigma
18-200mm OS (on Sigma) and the Tamron VC 28-300mm (on both Canon full
frame and APS-C). Obviously the Tamron has no real wide-angle end on
APS-C but a very impressive tele reach. While the Tamron appears to be
optically very good, the stabilisation is quirky. The Sigma is just not
very good at all unless you turn the OS off.
You will note that both are stabilised. I would not use a superzoom with
an effective reach over 300mm in fullframe terms, and the associated
good macro/close up abilities, and the associated very limited maximum
aperture, without image stabilisation.
For your price I'd say a Sony Alpha 200 (not yet available, due next
week) with either a Sony 18-250mm zoom or the Tamron 18-250mm zoom. This
particular lens design is probably the best superzoom currently made (it
beats all the 18-200mm designs for sharpness and clean imaging).
Your price might just be possible with the Sony branded version - it's
the same lens at heart but the Sony has a faster focusing mechanism. The
alternative could be a Pentax K10D (price just dropped because of the
K20D arrival) with their similar, slightly wider aperture, 18-200mm, or
again the Tamron 18-250mm; or the Nikon D40X with the 18-200mm VR
stabilised Nikon lens (or Sigma alternative).
The only option which doesn't tick the right box is Canon, whose 1.6X
sensor factor immediately makes the 18mm end less wide-angle, and which
offers no in-body stabilisation, and doesn't have a Canon own brand
superzoom, or a stabilised superzoom - the Sigma is pretty much the only
choice and the combo of a Canon 400D plus Sigma won't give you the
optical quality or zoom range of the Sony+18-250 or Pentax+18-250.
You could just continue to use your 28-200mm, whichever you find
sharper, on a new Canon 400D with 18-55mm kit zoom lens, or maybe no kit
lens, and use the saving to buy a Tokina 12-24mm wide angle zoom (or
Canon, Tamron, Sigma of similar range). You would have two lenses then,
and although 200mm is similar to using a 320mm on full frame, as long as
you aware of the very real risks of camera shake and switch to higher
ISOs and faster shutter speeds, you should be OK. The old superzoom may
not be as good on the digital format as a new purpose-made design though.
Our daughter's Canon kit has a 400D with the kit 18-55mm and an early
(secondhand) Canon image stabilised 70-300mm covering the tele end,
where the IS stabilisation is extremely beneficial. Now if you can do a
search and hunt down such a lens that's a reasonable kit. I do not
advice the closest thing Canon has a stabilised superzoom, the full
frame 28-135mm IS. It's neither fish nor fowl when used on the smaller
digital format, and it's not much better than independent brand optics
either.
David
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