T2I and lenses...is it best to stick to one brand?

L

luis bunuel

Member
ok...after doing lots of reading on various forums...
i have decided to buy the T2I with standard zoom lens, i should have it by this week..

i have read multiple threads on lenses old and new..and still in the dark with what to buy

the 30mm 1.4 sigma looks superb from the videos ive watched...as so those the canon 50mm 1.4

would there be a big differences in quality if u mix the old and new lenses

was thinking maybe getting 30mm 1.4 sigma, Takumar SMC 50mm...and maybe the jupitar 9 85mm

i am new to the dslr recording ....would people recommend sticking to one brand or mix it up?

the sigma really did stand out for me when watching stuff on you tube even thought it is way more expensive...would it be better to invest now on expensive newer lenses or mix and match?
 
Welcome to DVXUser, Luis!

If you are just starting out, you might want to spend some time playing with the kit lens. Figure out what you can do with it, then figure out what you can't do. You'll have a better idea on where you can go from that point. Pay attention to what you're shooting, and always take note of your focal length for each shot. That will get you used to what the focal lengths do for you and the T2i.

Both the Sigma 30mm and Canon 50mm are fine lenses, and there are plenty of deals to be had with vintage glass. There are plenty of folks who buy their prime kits with bits and pieces from all sorts of manufacturers, but personally I don't like to mix too much. You'll find that different makes of lenses have much different looks. That translates to extra work in post-production to try and get shots to match. There are some lenses that are neutral enough that they can blend, but pay close attention to what you're getting. This is especially true of vintage glass.

If you're going to get into primes, I'd advise getting a matched series of lenses. Primes have plenty of uses, and certain benefits such as less barrel distortion and wider (faster) aperture. But again, take some time to experience the kit lens and learn from that. No sense in dropping hundreds (or thousands) on glass just because others say you need to.
 
cheers for the fast reply...might wait before i buy the primes alright...

do you know if there is a big difference between the canon and sigma when mixing?
 
I just want to add that with vintage lenses it's a lottery; for example, my carl zeiss jena pancolar 50mm has a very marked warm tint that's not on any of my three carl zeiss jena sonnars from the same era (135mm, 180mm, 300mm), and even among those sonnars there are cast differences:
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsa.html
given my limited discerning abilities, I find it's not a huge deal, though; I just have to use custom white balance for every shot, and they mix and match fine (if you push me, I'll say that even if I can still tell which one is which in the final edit, my audience won't know because they don't have so much experience with these particular lenses)

there are other vintage lenses that have a much more marked personality

against that, I'd expect modern lenses from different manufacturers to be relatively close to each other (as in: no further from a different maker's model than from same-maker siblings of different focal length), at least in the low-end (i.e. if you're not going for zeiss glass and things like that)
 
I have some friends that got the kit lens when they bought their cameras. It is relatively versatile but in my opinion ultimately a disappointment. Primes are amazing but for a beginner I think a faster sigma zoom would make the most sense. (sorry I am not that familiar with sigma or tamron)
 
the tamron 17-50 non-VC, for example, is much better than the kit lens

still, I got the kit lens when I bought my camera, because the difference is just $50; right now, the kit lens is my only lens with autofocus, my only zoom, my only lens with IS, my lightest lens, and my crash lens; and, still, I don't use it much; my vintage 35mm f/2.8, on the other hand, is my general purpose lens, and takes about a third of all my footage, closely followed by the 50mm; this wouldn't change much if I had the tamron 17-50 instead of the kit lens
 
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