Is it a mistake getting a 18-200mm lens?

[JonathanG]

I have (finally) settled on buying the Minolta 5D since, even with the $200 rebate, I know that I am not "professional" enough to warrant the increased price and weight of the 7D. Plus, I know that for me, the image stabalization will be a huge factor. Now I have to obsess over lenses!

Expecting our first baby in less than 2 months so that will be the majority of the shots, but like having the zoom for my vacations and interesting zoom shots. Hardly a professional, but of course, if I am going to take the time and spend the money, I want it to look as good as possible without spending too much right off the bat (I know, wanting the cake and to eat it too).

Is it a mistake buying just the 5D body and then getting a 18-200mm lens rather than buying the kit and then an additional 70-200 (or even to 300) lens? Convenience with only one lens seems nice.

Finally, if the 18-200 lens is the way to go, is there a favorite? Minolta's new one? Tamaron's? Sigma's? At what point am I paying more money for a lens I really won't appreciate the differences on?

And if the suggestion is to go with the kit lens, will the 28mm minimum be small enough for close ups of the baby? If so, is there a favorite supplemental zoom lens?

Thank you for any help or experiences you can share,

Jonathan

[coldrain]

Noth having to change lenses when you are out and about is a big convenience, I do not think it is a mistake to go for a 18-200 lens. Both Tamron and Sigma have received good reviews in professional magazines, I do not know how well the Minolta one performs. On this forum the Sigma seems to be favoured, one of the members tried both and the results of his sigma were better than of the tamron copy he had on his canon.

Getting a more light sensitive lens for very low light inside shots with it will give you a nice set, again I do not know too much about the Minolta range, but Canon and Nikon both have a very affordable f1.8 50mm lens (under 100$) and I am quite sure Minolta has a comparable offering too.

So I think getting a 18-200mm zoom from Sigma (or minolta or tamron) and a 50mm prime for low light situations will very nicely complement your 5D with image stabilization.

[coldrain]

Hmmm.... correction to my post above.

I do not think that Sigma has a 18-200mm lens for Konika-Minolta.
Because the 7D/5D have image stabilization in the body, they can not use lenses designed for APS-C size sensors. Even though they have an APS-C size sensor, the sensor moves around to compensate for movement of the user. That makes the usable diameter of the APS-C lenses too small, and it means The KM 5D/7D need to use full 35mm lenses.

The Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC is from their DC range, that means they can only be used on APS-C size camera's. So it would be usable on an EOS 350D/20D, but not on an EOS-1Ds Mark II with a full size 35mm sensor.

Sigma only has big zoom range lenses for full frame camera's from 28mm to 200 and 300 mm. But 28 x 1.5 crop factor makes it 42mm, not really a wide field of view you want for landscapes.

Tamrons offering goes a little bit "wider" in lens diameter, and is available for minolta digital camera's. It doesn't work on full frame 35mm though.

So your choice is between a Tamron and the Konika-Minolta lens you mentioned, the Tamron is close in performance to the Sigma, and is definately worth a look.

*editted in red because I made an error*

[George Riehm]

Hmmm.... correction to my post above.

I do not think that Sigma has a 18-200mm lens for Konika-Minolta.
Because the 7D/5D have image stabilization in the body, they can not use lenses designed for APS-C size sensors. Even though they have an APS-C size sensor, the sensor moves around to compensate for movement of the user. That makes the usable diameter of the APS-C lenses too small, and it means The KM 5D/7D need to use full 35mm lenses.

The Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC is from their DC range, that means they can only be used on APS-C size camera's. So it would be usable on an EOS 350D/20D, but not on an EOS-1Ds Mark II with a full size 35mm sensor.

Sigma only has big zoom range lenses for full frame camera's from 28mm to 200 and 300 mm. But 28 x 1.5 crop factor makes it 42mm, not really a wide field of view you want for landscapes.

Tamrons offering goes a little bit "wider" in lens diameter, and is available for minolta digital camera's. It does work on full frame 35mm though.

So your choice is between a Tamron and the Konika-Minolta lens you mentioned, the Tamron is close in performance to the Sigma, and is definately worth a look.

Pretty interesting analysis on the sensor coupled Anti-Shake feature and lens design. It makes sense, but is there a write-up on this effect somewhere?

[coldrain]

Pretty interesting analysis on the sensor coupled Anti-Shake feature and lens design. It makes sense, but is there a write-up on this effect somewhere?

Besides in my post above ;) I am sure there are articles about the KM 7D and what the moving sensor means to compatible lenses and lens design, but on the moment I can not give you any pointers. If I come across some articles I will give you url's or I will copy them on here, depending on if they are web based or not. :)

[George Riehm]

Besides in my post above ;) I am sure there are articles about the KM 7D and what the moving sensor means to compatible lenses and lens design, but on the moment I can not give you any pointers. If I come across some articles I will give you url's or I will copy them on here, depending on if they are web based or not. :)

Thanks. Again it would make sense that sensor shift might cause problems.

[Robert Besen]

The ads for the Sigma indicate it is available with a Konica Minolta mount, but I haven't found it anywhere. Also, I thought the Konica Minolta 18-200 wasn't out yet. Has anyone seen one?

Another factor is that the kit lens that comes with the 5D is quite a bit lighter than the Tamron, at least. I don't know the weight of the KM.

Next factor, the filter mount of the kit lens turns when the lens focuses, making it a little harder to use a polarizing filter; not a big deal.

And lastly, the kit lens should work great for taking picture of the new addition to your family (congrats, by the way). The minimum focusing distance is about a foot over the whole focal length range.

By the way, I got my 5D a couple of weeks ago, and I love it.

[nwpoland]

I've got the Sigma 18-200 but with a nikon d50. I love it...very versatile and high quality.

I did some searching on the web for the lens for KM and only found it for sale at some obscure place called "Unique Photo":
http://www.uniquephoto.com/index.php?detail=SGL777205

No dice at Adorama or Amazon (which pools many vendors as well as their own stock).

[Robert Besen]

Thanks for the link. I had no luck finding it online.