Yet Another 7D Lens Question...(Kit lens vs Tamron 17-50mm?)

Chance White

Chance White

Well-known member
The information I'm seeking is a comparison of the kit lens and the Tamron 17-50mm 2.8. Beyond of course simply the range in focal length and speed, but more regarding image quality. Will the Tamron, since it is more prime and comparable to the highly praised Nikon in the same range, produce sharper imagery then the Canon kit lens? And will it have advantages/disadvantages for video?

My reason for asking is I'm considering purchasing the body only, the Tamron, a fast 50mm, and a fast 80 as a foundation.

Thank you all in advance for responses.
 
Bump for the same question in mind...the price and versatility in range for the kit lens is appealing.
 
Chance White said:
The information I'm seeking is a comparison of the kit lens and the Tamron 17-50mm 2.8. Beyond of course simply the range in focal length and speed, but more regarding image quality. Will the Tamron, since it is more prime and comparable to the highly praised Nikon in the same range, produce sharper imagery then the Canon kit lens? And will it have advantages/disadvantages for video?

My reason for asking is I'm considering purchasing the body only, the Tamron, a fast 50mm, and a fast 80 as a foundation.

Thank you all in advance for responses.
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The Tamron lens in question has an excellent reputation for image quality. Most users consider the image quality to match or exceed almost any Canon kit lens and to even rival Canon's elite L-series lenses. I have the full-frame version of that lens, and I love it. The main downside is that the focus ring has very little throw, which many filmmakers consider a hinderance to focusing. Personally, I don't mind it.

Honestly, the kit lens is not a great lens. When a zoom lens only adds $200 to the price of the body-only package, the quality is suspect. Plus, since the wide end is 28mm, you'll get 45mm FOV, which greatly diminishes the usefulness of the lens, IMO. A better option would be if you could get the kit with the 18-135mm lens. Even if the image quality isn't the best, then at least you'll have a great zoom range for a nice, low price.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that the Tamron is "more prime." Perhaps you mean that it has a narrower zoom range, but I don't see how that would contribute to image sharpness.
 
I bought the Tamron to go with the kit 28-135. It's sitting on the shelf gathering dust w8ing on my 7D to ship from Amazon.
 
Thanks for the input. By 'more prime', I do mean a narrower zoom range. It seems that some tend to believe that the narrower the zoom range, the closer to prime, hence the higher IQ...

So in the US for kit lens are there some packages that contain different configurations? If I were to get the kit lens, I'd definitely opt for the 18-135, though the overall excellent reaction to the Tamron makes it look very attractive, and coupled with the other lenses I mentioned (prime fast 50mm for low light and a nice long prime), and given I am interested in shooting video mostly, perhaps that's the way to go (sans kit lens, Tamron 17-50, prime fast 50 and 85)

BTW a Best Buy near me seems to believe they are receiving the camera tomorrow... anyone else heard anything about them dropping tomorrow or Tuesday?
 
Chance White said:
BTW a Best Buy near me seems to believe they are receiving the camera tomorrow... anyone else heard anything about them dropping tomorrow or Tuesday?
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Interesting... Canon's saying that they are shipping cameras from warehouses tomorrow, worldwide, but some stores (in Canada, UK, and possibly U.S.) did receive the 7D on Friday (the 25th).
 
Believe me: Having an F2.8 constant aperture for a zoom can be a life saver when you're shooting video.
 
Oh yeah, be aware that the Tamron does not have image stabilization, which is definitely a disadvantage for video. But, IMO, the F2.8 constant max aperture is more important.
 
Anyone know if the Tamron 17-50 hold's focus throught the zoom on a single take?
(some still zooms don't)
 
The Tamron lens has a constant maximum aperture. You can tell from the fact that in the lens's specification, only a single number is given for the maximum aperture: Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 Di-II LD Aspherical. In the specification for the Canon kit lens, you see F3.5-5.6. This means that the maximum aperture will vary across its zoom range.
 
ydgmdlu said:
Believe me: Having an F2.8 constant aperture for a zoom can be a life saver when you're shooting video.
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While a constant aperture is nice to have, it's not going to kill you if you don't have it. Remember that the zoom lenses on many prosumer camcorders (including the DVX100 and HVX200) are variable aperture.
 
Oh, that Tamron looks like a nice lens! It's going on my list as a possible contender after I get my Sigma 30mm f/1.4
 
Sumfun said:
While a constant aperture is nice to have, it's not going to kill you if you don't have it. Remember that the zoom lenses on many prosumer camcorders (including the DVX100 and HVX200) are variable aperture.
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Over the weekend, I did a fast-paced shoot in which I used only two zoom lenses and one prime, even though I have a bag full of primes. The zooms really helped get the job done efficiently, because all that I had to do was set/check the exposure and focus, then find the focal length that I wanted, compose the shot, and then record. I was on F2.8 because I wanted the DOF of F2.8 (at any focal length). If the maximum aperture had varied with focal length, then I would've had to keep adjusting the exposure to compensate, and I wouldn't have been able to get the DOF that I wanted.

It's an even bigger deal in low-light situations. Light is already precious as it is in those cases, and you're probably already using maximum aperture in order to keep from resorting to higher ISOs. If you're relying on a zoom lens, instead of some fast primes, for whatever reason, then you'll have to deal with the headaches of losing up to a stop and a half from one end of the zoom range to the other.

I didn't say that variable aperture is a "killer." I said that constant aperture can be a "life saver." Big difference. Also, the Tamron lens is faster than the kit lens, which makes its constant maximum aperture even more valuable. The variable aperture zoom lenses on prosumer camcorders are faster as well.
 
I didn't realize zoom lens on some camcorders have the sliding aperture until I did a test last week with the Canon XH-A1 and it sure did go up during the zoom. I also tested the 24-105 with IS today and it does make a difference with handheld work. As much as I hate to pay $1000 for the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS EF-S lens it is looking pretty nice as a workhorse lens for the 7D (or wait for the IS version of the Tamron at half the price).
 
I'm noticing that most people are going for zooms for their 7Ds. As this is a filmmaking community I find this interesting. I'm sure it has to do with budget, but primes would be the way I thought most would go. I know I am. I can't stand shooting narrative with zooms for some reason. Then again many are getting the 7D for eng and other things other than filmmaking. But for filmmaking, you can most likely get a decent set of 3 or 4 used primes for the price of a brand new zoom. Specially if you go for Nikons. Since EF lenses are newer and have auto focus, even used, they cost more than manual older nikon primes and the nikons are great glass. Nikon adapters are cheap too.
 
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