350D + Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC

[ibarbar]

After a lot of digging I've come to this setup:

Canon Eos 350D body kit + Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC (around 400$)

Do they match ? Are there any problems with this setup ? Did anybody test this combination ?

Is there a 62 mm diam. close-up lens that can get me closer than 40 cm (the limit of this lens) ? Sigma, Canon or other brand and how much is it (aprox.) ?

Actually the lens will be an equivalent of a 29-320mm one on the Rebel XT and the DC means that it's made especially for D-SLRs.

Thank you.

[Bluedog]

Should work very well for you. I haven't seen any users with that Lens coupled to an XT just yet but I have their 18-125mm DC Lens that preforms quite well for the price it cost.

[speaklightly]

ibarbar-

I just came back from a three week trip to China and was using a Pentax 1stDS and the Sigma 28-300mm lens. I found it to be an excellent combination and the lens is reasonable in price. I took over 1,000 shots with it.

Here is a sample digital photo taken hand held from about 100 feet.

Sarah Joyce

[Rhys]

Let's just hope the Sigma 18 - 200 is a ton better than their 55 - 200 (sold as Quantaray).

I think you might struggle with f6.3 though. It's a bit on the dark side.

My personal opinion is that dSLRs are at their best with lenses in the range 16 - 150mm. Anything beyond that is going to have to be very fast and hence very expensive.

Better to buy a single good lens than several mediocre lenses because you'll be disappointed by the results and will want to buy a better lens later anyway.

[ibarbar]

Another thing I've been wondering, using the Sigma lens on 350D will allow me to use the 350D just as if a Canon lens would be mounted on ? I mean, there aren't any restraints like "works only in MF mode" and other things like that ?

Thank you for your time and help.

[Rhys]

Another thing I've been wondering, using the Sigma lens on 350D will allow me to use the 350D just as if a Canon lens would be mounted on ? I mean, there aren't any restraints like "works only in MF mode" and other things like that ?

Thank you for your time and help.

Nope. If it's designed to mount the Canon then it will work with it. There might have been issues with independent older non digital lenses though. It's not like Nikon whose MF lenses just won't work on their digital bodies unless you buy the D1/D2 for several times the price of a D70.

[ibarbar]

I could buy instead the Sigma 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC lens (which is cheaper, around 290 $), which on the 350D would be a 29-200 mm lens, which would be quite enough as a zoom lens, but is the difference that big ? Concerning speed and diafragma numbers ?

[Rhys]

I could buy instead the Sigma 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC lens (which is cheaper, around 290 $), which on the 350D would be a 29-200 mm lens, which would be quite enough as a zoom lens, but is the difference that big ? Concerning speed and diafragma numbers ?

The Sigma 18 - 125 has a good reputation although for me, anything darker than f4 is too dark.

Personally, I advise against zooms. I'd say get a good fixed focal length lens such as a 28mm macro lens and then work your way towards getting 18, 50 and 18mm lenses later - as and when you can afford them.

[ibarbar]

I'm sorry but I don't agree with you. I hate changing lenses and I know how awful it is not to have the right lens on at the right time (I've worked as a sports photographer and had only a 28-80 and a 80-200 mm lenses on a Eos 33, and more than often I had to quickly change lenses which of course made me lose the shot).

Plus I don't live in the US, I'm in Romania, where it is quite difficult and expensive to buy lenses and so since someone will go to the US this summer I have to know exactly what to order . Zoom lenses are better IMO for all purposes and also when you have a strict budget.

Thanks for you adivice though.

[TheObiJuan]

primes will be very expensive for someone just getting into digital slrs, Rhys.
I don't know if there is a canon mount 18mm prime lens. I know there is a tokina 17, sigma 20, 24, canon 20, 24.

I have nothing but praise for the 18-200 lens, for the money, quality, and range, it is an outstanding lens.