Are third-party lenses a good choice over Canon lenses for an APS-C DSLR kit?

Asked 2/9/2011

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I'm building a lens kit for a Canon APS-C DSLR for everyday photography, social events/parties, portraits, and occasional travel/landscapes. I'm considering mainly third-party lenses because they often cost less and some are well reviewed.

Current ideas:

  • Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC OS HSM as an everyday lens
  • Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM for portraits and shallow depth of field
  • Possibly a wide-angle lens for travel/landscapes

My questions are:

  1. Does this look like a sensible starter kit?
  2. Do I need an additional wide-angle lens, or is 17mm already wide enough on APS-C for most uses?
  3. Is choosing third-party lenses over Canon lenses a smart move, or are Canon lenses usually the better long-term choice?

Originally by user3784. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user3784

15y ago

2 Answers

8

'What do you think of the lens choices?' It looks like you're missing something longer in your lens selections... Say a zoom that'll get you to 200mm or 300mm... Just something to consider. Obviously I don't really know what you plan on shooting so you may be fine, but I didn't think I'd ever have a use for a 70-200mm lens ('cause I'm a portrait photographer... Why would I ever need to go above 100mm?!?) until I used a 70-200mm lens. Over the last 5 years the 70-200mm has been my primary 'money making' lens, and I'd estimate that it's on my camera for about 75% of my client work. Again, just something to consider...

Any wide angle lens you recommend? It looks like you've already got a wide angle you're thinking about in the 17-70mm Sigma, unless you're looking to go fisheye, or you really want a prime.

Is it a 'smart move' to consider 3rd party lenses? In general, as long as you stick with the 'major' third-party brands (e.g. not grabbing some no-name lens on a rock-bottom discount on eBay) you'll at least be able to find lots of in-depth reviews on most lenses and brands available so you can evaluate your options with lots (usually lots and lots) of detail so you can make informed and objective decisions.

Despite what some people will tell you not all 3rd party lenses suck (and of course the notion that all 3rd party lenses suck is generally perpetuated by the 'name brand' camera manufacturers, so you'll tend hear that 'fact' a lot). In fact 3rd party lenses have made major strides over the last decade and there are far more good 3rd party options than there used to be. There was a time not too long ago that all the 3rd party options were sub-par by comparison to their name-brand counterparts, but not any longer... The only reasons you might specifically want to stick with 'name-brand' are:

  • If the name brand lens is a 'class leader.' No point in buying a 3rd party lens that can't compete with the brand name purely because of the price. That's penny-wise and pound-foolish. In the long run it's far better to save into a lens, buy a well cared for used lens, or wait for its price to come down a bit, then to buy the cheaper but lower quality lens.
  • In general, name-brand lenses hold their resale values better than their 3rd party counterparts. I've had several brand name lenses over the last decade that I've sold at or close to what I paid for them, but the same can't be said for the 3rd party lenses I've sold over the years, all of which have gone down in value, most of them relatively sharply. Depending on what kind of shooter you are, you may never sell lenses you buy, in which case brand-name doesn't matter nearly as much.

Originally by user2838. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2838

15y ago

0

AI Answer

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Third-party lenses can be a good choice, but brand alone shouldn’t decide it. Both Canon and third-party makers offer strong lenses and weak ones; the real comparison is lens-by-lens.

Your two choices are generally regarded as solid options, so they’re a safer bet than buying third-party purely to save money. That said, with third-party lenses there can be more variation between individual copies, so sample quality is worth keeping in mind.

For your uses, the Sigma 17-70mm is a practical walkaround range, and 17mm is already moderately wide on APS-C. You may not need another wide-angle lens unless you want something much wider for dramatic landscapes/interiors or a special-effect fisheye look.

One thing your kit may be missing is telephoto reach. Depending on what you end up shooting, a lens that goes to 200mm or beyond could become very useful.

Also, don’t assume newer or cheaper means better. Older Canon lenses can still be very reliable, and sometimes the premium pays for better optical consistency, build, or compatibility. In short: choosing third-party can be smart if the specific lenses are good and fit your needs, but compare each option on performance, not just price or brand.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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