I am enjoying every bit of my year end holiday. Apart from watching marathon Survivor China and basically just taking things easy by idling at home, I have been quietly researching for my imminent Digital SLR camera purchase. I have dabbled here and there with my point and shoot and decided that, like all vulnerable disciple of this addictive craft, it is high time I make the leap to upgrade to a better contraption to meet my increasingly fastidious photographic adventure. It comes down to this: I’ll grab a Canon EOS 400D body sans the lens kit (RM2199 as of this writing). Then, get one of the many excellent general purpose zoom lenses. Right now, I am looking at three choices.
1. Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 (RM1300)
2. Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (RM1700)
3. Sigma 18-200 F3.5-6.3 DC OS (RM1700)
F-stop? What stop?
It is fair to say that I am a complete dummy when it comes to understanding the various abstruse technical details of optical equipments. I am basing my prospective purchase on reviews by third party professionals and anecdotes from many amateur photographers online. From what I am able to gather and synthesize, these three lenses are pretty solid tool for all round photographing purposes and will suit a beginner SLR user who’s graduated from a point and shoot.
Difficult decision, patience will help
Still, I am in no hurry and have plenty of time to spare before making that expensive commitment. I need to know I am spending my money on quality equipment that will give me excellent results for a acceptably durable time.
As far as I know, the EOS 400D is an absolute steal given its famed comparison with the formidable Nikon D80. The lens purchase on the other hand, is giving me constant headache. Any suggestion will be welcome.