Looking to buy a Zoom lens ( 50-200mm) Suggestions?

[vision_filmz]

I was shooting an Event this past weekend and was stuck with only a maximum focal length of 50mm. If I would have had that 100mm I could have got some key shots. Since this is usually outdoors and with plenty of light I'm not worried about fast lenses or constant aperture.


All I need is a nice lens with some form of IS in the 55-200mm area.

I'm deciding between the Sigma 50-200 and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm

Opinions?

 

[steventimothy]

Get the Canon - the IS (& AF) on the Sigma is not nearly as good. Remember you can't zoom with this lens. But for a few hundred bucks you can't go wrong. It's bound to be nice & sharp for what you're doing.

 

[vision_filmz]

Get the Canon - the IS (& AF) on the Sigma is not nearly as good. Remember you can't zoom with this lens. But for a few hundred bucks you can't go wrong. It's bound to be nice & sharp for what you're doing.

Thanks, I just need to have that focal length for now until I can afford something better.

 

[ROCKMORE]

I'm deciding between the Sigma 50-200 and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm

Opinions?

I have the 55-250mm and got it for a 24 hour shoot out of the back of a Nissan. The reason I went for the 55-250 was because I felt I needed IS being mounted on a tripod in the back of a car with vibrations and unpredictable road conditions. I also didn't have the cash for a Canon 70-200 IS f4 or f2.8.
For the price it's well worth it as long as you are shooting subjects with good contrast. In situations with lower contrast it may not have much impact and at the long end feel a little soft.
I'm going to sell it and get the 70-200 f4 non IS which is much sharper and will produce a better image and at the same time work with the 5D also a compact lens to carry around daily. I had both the 55-250 and 70-200 f4 in my hands at the time of purchase and opted for IS because of the car shoot and the wider zoom range. My gut feeling is the 70-200 F4 would have done the job better even without IS.

Below are HD 1920x1080 frame grabs in various lighting conditions from the canon 55-250 IS lens.