becandcharch Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Hello, Im sure this has been done before but I cant seem to find a thread. Looking at getting a new lens and was wondering which sites/stores people find reputable and price competitive. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I buy my stuff from D-D-Electronics and DWI Fantastic service and price... and before most of you get on the grey import bandwagon - MACK insurance resolves that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 grey import bandwagon - MACK insurance resolves that :D Whats this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellatrix Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I bought my 100mm from DWI and got it pretty fast! Ive only bought from there once and am planning to get my speedlite 580X II from them soon too :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 I bought my 100mm from DWI and got it pretty fast! Ive only bought from there once and am planning to get my speedlite 580X II from them soon too :D thats my next purchase after this one :D How's the new lens going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 All my lenses come from the US as at the times I've wanted to buy the Australian prices compared to the US prices were totally ridiculous. Shop around and double check as things may be closer right now thanks the strength of the dollar (which is falling again, I see). FWIW Canon lenses are under international warranty, if you care about such things. www.bhphoto.com -> can't go wrong with them. not always the cheapest though. www.adorama.com -> sometimes have very nice prices & always seem to have a lot of stock www.sigma4less.com (also does Canon & Nikon lenses) -> all my lenses have come quickly & been perfect. Great prices. www.canogacamera.com -> can have some good deals www.calumetphoto.com/ -> can have some good deals My absolute favourite to deal with -> Allen's Camera These guys are soooo good. Sometimes not always the cheapest so I tend to use them when I have questions because I'm happy to pay a little more for customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 kja your a star! Thanks for all the info. One more question. What is the difference between Sigma and Canon? Is it a quality issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 One more question. What is the difference between Sigma and Canon? Is it a quality issue? Ok with the MACK first - it is basically extra warranty... quite cheap for lenses, but covers you for mechanical wear and can be up to 7 years, well past the manufacturers warranty. Oh and it is international :D Sigma and Canon - well it depends on the lens... some are better in the Canon built, some are better in the Sigma built (e.g. Sigma 10-20 is the best at this range, but the Canon 70-200 L is slightly better than the Sigma, although 3x the price!) Google, photo forums, your wallet and end results will decide for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Sigma and Canon - well it depends on the lens... some are better in the Canon built, some are better in the Sigma built (e.g. Sigma 10-20 is the best at this range, but the Canon 70-200 L is slightly better than the Sigma, although 3x the price!) Funny you should say this, 70-200 f2.8 L IS is the baby I want to buy! Thanks for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Really depends on the lens for quality. And Sigma make lenses Canon don't (30 1.4 for instance) and vice versa. Often there will be similar focal length choices: Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS - $1799 - I have this and love it, though it's heavy and really stands out. Sigma 50-150 2.8 - I have this and it's a gem for the price Sigma 70 -200 2.8 II EX DG HSM AF $799 ... I have a friend who shoots in crappy lighting all the time and adores this lens. I've never tried it but those I know who have it see no reason at all to spend the extra on the Canon version. I love my Canon version but if I were buying new today, I'd be doing serious research on the sigma version to see if any of the "negatives" that it might have were things that would bother me or if they were worth the extra US $1000. Hell, I'd probably simply buy the Sigma and if it didn't live up to what I wanted I'd onsell it and get the Canon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Really depends on the lens for quality. Whilst I am a Nikon user, the Canon doesnt really go for me, but my friends use Canons so I know their experiences, but just to give you an idea of my lens setup Sigma 18-50 F2.8 = Went for this one over the Nikon as it is faster and cheaper and MACRO focus is closer. However, I would probably have gone the Tamron now which is the 17-50 because it is slightly better at the 2.8 end, but once you go to f4 they are all about the same. Either way the $500 compared to the Nikon price was a hands down. Sigma 70-200 f2.8 HSM II = as per kja's friend, I love this and it is the main lens on my camera. I do a lot of sports / pet photography and this is great. Low light is awesome... coupled with my monopod it is better than the Nikon 70-200 with VR and $800 compared to $2000 is an easier hit on the wallet... and it focuses on my D80 (and soon to be D300s) faster Nikon 50mm 1.8 = easy purchase, best in its class Save up for that 70-200 L lens, it'll do wonders for your already impressive portfolio Although, I can't recommend the Sigma enough.... I think on certain Canon bodies it'll focus faster, but get to a shop, try them both on your body and see which one works best for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Thanks again both of you. I have done a bit of reading and plan to do some more. From what I can gather, the Canon is a better lens but what I need to determine is if it is $1000 better. I dont know a lot about IS but the Sigma doesnt have this. The main purpose for this lens is shooting trithlons so maybe this would be a plus. I really dont want to bother with getting the sigma and selling it to upgrade to Canon if I change my mind. I will pop in to a shop and have a play with both. Either way its a little bit EXCITING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Really depends on the lens for quality.And Sigma make lenses Canon don't (30 1.4 for instance) and vice versa. Often there will be similar focal length choices: Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS - $1799 - I have this and love it, though it's heavy and really stands out. Ooh please tell me where it is selling for this price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Really depends on the lens for quality.And Sigma make lenses Canon don't (30 1.4 for instance) and vice versa. Often there will be similar focal length choices: Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS - $1799 - I have this and love it, though it's heavy and really stands out. Ooh please tell me where it is selling for this price. These guys are http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod1638.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I really dont want to bother with getting the sigma and selling it to upgrade to Canon if I change my mind. I will pop in to a shop and have a play with both. Either way its a little bit EXCITING!! I had exactly the same thoughts when I was buying mine I went in with my D80 and tried the Nikon, the Sigma and the Tamron... all 70-200 f2.8 lenses, only the Nikon had VR (their version of IS). In the end I still went for the cheaper... and I'll tell you why.... A Monopod IS (or VR) effectively gives you stability of 2 stops of exposure... so rather than it being 1/200 of a second, you can use 1/50 of a second with the same exposure. A Monopod will give you something very similar. In fact, most lens manufactures recommend you turn VR off if you are using a monopod or a tripod for this exact reason... it is wasted So I went for the $1000 cheaper lens and a $100 monopod. Yes I have to carry it around with me, but I get more stability in my photos (and it is great when you are standing around for hours as you can securely balance your camera on the monopod - just don't completely trust it, always tied the straps around your arm/neck!) OS/IS/VR is all good, but none of my lenses have it because the monopod goes everywhere with me, or I shoot in enough light to adjust the shutter speed or the ISO to keep enough light to the sensor to make sure the shutter speed is always faster than the longest zoom on the lens when I dont have either 'pod Sorry about that... ended up going into a camera lesson! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) that one doesn't have IS, kja listed IS as well. You can get the non IS version cheaper here: http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/...?idProduct=1473 Edited February 9, 2010 by Kirislin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniek Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Thanks again both of you.I have done a bit of reading and plan to do some more. From what I can gather, the Canon is a better lens but what I need to determine is if it is $1000 better. I dont know a lot about IS but the Sigma doesnt have this. The main purpose for this lens is shooting trithlons so maybe this would be a plus. I really dont want to bother with getting the sigma and selling it to upgrade to Canon if I change my mind. I will pop in to a shop and have a play with both. Either way its a little bit EXCITING!! Bec I have the Sigma 70 - 200. If you want to have a play with mine you are quite welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Just when I think I have decided then I just dont know again!! Thanks for all the info. It really does help. Ok i'll ponder some more ... Whoops sorry kirislin I didnt realise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Thanks again both of you.I have done a bit of reading and plan to do some more. From what I can gather, the Canon is a better lens but what I need to determine is if it is $1000 better. I dont know a lot about IS but the Sigma doesnt have this. The main purpose for this lens is shooting trithlons so maybe this would be a plus. I really dont want to bother with getting the sigma and selling it to upgrade to Canon if I change my mind. I will pop in to a shop and have a play with both. Either way its a little bit EXCITING!! Bec I have the Sigma 70 - 200. If you want to have a play with mine you are quite welcome. Wow anniek that is so nice of you!! Really really nice of you! I may just take you up on that, I get down your way quite a bit. Should I leave you one of my dogs as a deposit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellatrix Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Oh Bec, im turing green with envy! That lens is next on my list but not for many more months to come!! Just bought an imac and thats already a big spend! Looking forward to the pics when you get it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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