Is anyone have experiences with the Sigma 17-70 F:2.8-4.5 ? The range, speed and price seems to be interesting for a standard zoom on the 7D.

My wife has been using this for her walkaround lens for a few years now. Quite sharp, very usefully range and you can get _really_ close @70mm in macro mode - basically you can place the lens hood down on a table, and you'd be able to focus on the table.

Chris,

what do you think of the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 over the Canon f/4 version? this lens has gotten excellent reviews and feedback from owners. it doesn't cost too much more than the Canon f/4 plus you gain the extra light w/ the Sigma being an f/2.8. thanks.

Hi
my close friend has sigma, and i have the canon. I compared the lenses thorroughly. first, if you need light, f2.8 is always better then f4, but sigma is far from sharp at f2.8. For video it is less important,then for photo. If you like sharp picture, whell - they say 70-200 F4 is the best of all canon zoom lenses( better then 2.8)

canon F4 are very light, compared to 2.8 lenses

If you buy sigma, go to store and first test sharpness. Try more then one piece, check for back or front focus, and trust me each one of them behave different - dont buy them over mail - only if you like lottery.

I purchased a SMC Takukmar 50mm f1.4 and a SMC Takumar 35mm f2.0 with M42 - EOS adapters for video. The lenses have minor yellowing so I'm bleaching them with UV now. These lenses are exceptional and have extremely smooth focus controls. Much better than the Canon 18-135, 18-55, or Tokina 11-16. They are fully manual, but that's the way we're shooting movies anyway on the 7D. You can get them in very good condition from a variety of sources for around $80 - $150.

I'd love to see an optical comparison to some of these older lenses to high end lenses like the Canon 50mm f1.2.

Agree w/ all you're saying, Ray, but the price difference between the IS and non-IS versions of that lens makes me cringe a bit ($650 vs. $1230). Believe I will take the f/4 over the f/2.8 for its smaller size, lower weight and greater portability.

could someone please explain to me the difference between IS and non-IS?

thanks

I.S. is Image Stabilsation. Non IS means the lens lacks this very useful stabilsation feature - if you do any hand held video work IS helps remove those horrible micro jitters, especially with anything on the longer focal length (50mm plus area) that makes many DSLR web videos totally unwatchable (in my view).

IS was developed for stills photography of course (enables you to get sharp hand held shots in low light - with a very slow shutter speed/higher F stop than you'd be able to use otherwise) but is also a great help with video now that we're all doing that too.

Only down side is that some lenses have quite noisy IS (but if you're doing anything important you'd need double system sound anyway). My Canon 70-200mm F4 IS is very noisy with IS on but my Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS is VERY quite with the IS on. Both are terrifically effective at stabilisation - just turning the IS off soon reveals just how much so!

got it thanks!

I.S. is Image Stabilsation. Non IS means the lens lacks this very useful stabilsation feature - if you do any hand held video work IS helps remove those horrible micro jitters, especially with anything on the longer focal length (50mm plus area) that makes many DSLR web videos totally unwatchable (in my view).

IS was developed for stills photography of course (enables you to get sharp hand held shots in low light - with a very slow shutter speed/higher F stop than you'd be able to use otherwise) but is also a great help with video now that we're all doing that too.

Only down side is that some lenses have quite noisy IS (but if you're doing anything important you'd need double system sound anyway). My Canon 70-200mm F4 IS is very noisy with IS on but my Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS is VERY quite with the IS on. Both are terrifically effective at stabilisation - just turning the IS off soon reveals just how much so!

Andy I forgot to ask do I need to enable the IM when using the lens? If my lens is on a tripod do I need to disable like on a video camera?

Generally, yes, switch the IS off when on a tripod - BUT if it's a long shot/your tripod is not the best/it's windy/you're planning to handle the camera a bit (e.g. to pull focus etc). within the shot it's sometimes, nay often, much better to leave IS switched on.

Also, with some of the Canon lenses (like my lovely 70-200mm F4 IS) there are two options with the IS. One helps reduce up/down and side-to-side "wobbles/jitters", the other just up/down wobbles. Using the latter IS setting for any panning video shots can be very helpful.

Generally, yes, switch the IS off when on a tripod - BUT if it's a long shot/your tripod is not the best/it's windy/you're planning to handle the camera a bit (e.g. to pull focus etc). within the shot it's sometimes, nay often, much better to leave IS switched on.

Also, with some of the Canon lenses (like my lovely 70-200mm F4 IS) there are two options with the IS. One helps reduce up/down and side-to-side "wobbles/jitters", the other just up/down wobbles. Using the latter IS setting for any panning video shots can be very helpful.

I'm getting the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens and the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 so it shouldn't be a problem for either. thanks again.

I have a question about the EF-S 17–55mm zoom lens. when i turn the zoom ring it doesn't feel as smooth like the focus ring it's a bit stiff is this normal for a lens of this quality? Does it loosen up with time?

make sure that the switch on the lens is set to MF not AF.. this should release the motor drive part that makes it stiff!

Try this link. It should help.

stillmotion's guide to lenses for weddings and events // a cinema caravan tutorial on Vimeo

make sure that the switch on the lens is set to MF not AF.. this should release the motor drive part that makes it stiff!
I haven't used the AF yet it's been on MF all the time. I'm going to return it today to B&H and try a different one.

I've been struggling with the same issues as I choose lenses for my 7D. My goal is to find lenses I can keep for the next few bodies as these cameras evolve (also I'm sometimes required to rent a 5D). One of the things that made me reluctantly stay away from the 17-55, aside from the EF-S format, is that it's just not as silky smooth to focus and zoom with as the L zooms. I went with the 16-35L and have not been disappointed in that regard. I do miss the extra 20mm of focal length. IS would be interesting to try, though I've been operating small hand held cine cameras for so long without electronic assistance that I rarely have any issues regarding unwanted camera movement.