3rd Party Lens Regrets?

[Ozarker]

Blanket statements like "I ONLY BUY L LENSES" seem to me to be (at least in 2016) a foolish statement. You have to evaluate your options PER LENS and make a decision based on which factors are important to you.

I don't know about it being foolish. Some people like what they like. That red ring might be all that is important to some. Foolish to you and I maybe, but not to them.

I'll probably pick up the EF 16-35 f/2.8L III at some point. However, since the Tamron is so good there won't be a rush. I have designs on one of those Trioplan soap bubble bokeh lenses for now instead (Or the 35mm f/1.4L III, or the 85mm f/1.2L upgrade). Never satisfied.

 

[Zeidora]

Zeiss has done it right, no autofocus, they will likely always work on any Camera that uses EF lenses.

Soooo true, on more than one level. No zooms in recent times either. It shows on the images.

 

[axtstern]

A lot of people here speak exactly what I think.
There was a time I could not even afford Canon's mid price range of lenses.
So I often ended up with Sigma lenses and especially the ones with the sparkling coating usually worked with the camera of the day and failed me on the next model. This included analog aimed wide angles which magnets for the iris sucked to much juice, AF which would crash the camera etc...
On top of this regular issues with guidance rails inside zoom lenses especially prone to this was the first 18-200 OS Zoom and the first edition of the 120-300 2.8 . Still I continued to buy Sigma because Canon did not offer anything that fit my need.

Now the art series is out, the dark ages seem to be gone and Tamron is following heels.
I took the plunge and have kicked out my 24-70 2.8 L first generation and my 16-35 L first generation and replaced them with the Tamron 2.8 stabilized versions.

The improvement in usabillty through the Stabilisation and the optical quality is quiet visible. However the post red ring depression kicks in whenever I take the %d3 out. I do not need the approval of the other photographers arround me, but either Canon or this forum programmed my mind that something is wrong when theres no red ring L glass on the Camera. Somehow this mental sickness does not transport to my M3.

The only disadvantage of the new strive for quality with 3rd parties is the fact that weight does not play any role anymore. I walk arround with the two SIgma 1.8 Zooms on the 80D and the above mentioned Tamrons on the 5DIII when I use my short range shoulder bags. Both combinations are a punishment on day long trips.

Simmilar when using short to middle range equipment I had to change my Tamrac 4 to a 5 for the 80D and the 6 to an 8 (have nothing in between) for the 5DIII all because recent fasst stabilized lenses get huge, fat and heavy.

Especially the 18-35 1.8 is a lens which takes a lot of real estate lying flat in a bag but which is (together with a filter and the thick lens cap simply to high to fit standing in smaller backpacks.

 

[Hillsilly]

I've got a Sigma 400/5.6 APO from the late 1990's that isn't compatible with digital cameras. That turned me off third party lenses for a while.

But recently, I picked up a Sigma 300/4 APO macro lens in a Nikon mount. I'm using it with a Fuji mirrorless camera, so the loss of AF isn't an issue. I chose it over the Canon version because I can still mount it onto a Canon camera and change aperture via the aperture ring - the canon version isn't compatible with digital cameras.

If you're buying old, used lenses with known compatibility issues, and you're comfortable with manual focusing, the Nikon versions might be worth considering over the Canon versions.

 

[docsmith]

In addition to my "L" glass (6 lenses) I have the Sigma 50A, Sigma 150-600S, and Rokinon 14 mm f/2.8. I have had each now for multiple years and they are great lenses. Of course the 150-600S is big and heavy but really does produce some great images for the price. The 50A has set itself apart from my 24-70 II enough that I have kept it and the Rokinon is my astro lens. Also, I am not one of the people that have had AF issues with the 50A. It nails AF. I understand others have not had the same experience. I did have some intermittent issues with a 35A.

Personally, for reasons articulated by Mt. Spokane, I would not buy a 3rd party lens that could not have its firmware updated (if it has AF). That is, unless you own a camera body that it works with and plan to keep that camera body for long enough that when you upgrade, the lens (like the Tamron 15-30) might not work with your new body.

 

[Old Sarge]

Over the years, since my first digital rebel, I have learned a little by reading various forums, etc. I tried a Sigma lens many years ago and wasn't super pleased with it and sold it online (that was so many years ago that I can remember what it was except it was a mid-range zoom). I use a Tokina 11-16 sometimes with good results. But all of this talk about lenses not working with newer Canon cameras has me wondering about something. Is this strictly a Canon issue? Do new cameras released by Nikon have similar issues with third party lenses?

 

[JonAustin]

Blanket statements like "I ONLY BUY L LENSES" seem to me to be (at least in 2016) a foolish statement. You have to evaluate your options PER LENS and make a decision based on which factors are important to you.

These two statements very nearly contradict one another. As a person evaluates his options per lens, and if one of the factors important to him is maximum compatibility with Canon EOS bodies, then he is always going to limit his search to the Canon brand.

All of my lenses are (and have always been) Canon brand for this very reason. I don't want to worry if the next body I buy (or firmware update I run) is going to cause one of my lenses to suddenly behave erratically. I just don't want to worry about it or have to deal with it. And I willingly pay for that peace of mind.

Consequently, I own an assortment of Canon L zooms and few primes (only one of which is an L, and another of which doesn't even have USM). YMMV.

 

[AJ]

I own a bunch each of Canon, Sigma, and Tamron lenses, and also two Tokinas.
I have never had quality control issues with any of them (and I do look carefully for flaws) with the exception of the following:

• I went through two copies of Canon 17-55/2.8 USM. One was decentered and the other didn't autofocus properly at infinity (close focus was fine)
• My Tamron 17-50/2.8 non-VC used to focus very accurately and precisely (albeit slowly and noisily), but on my newest camera about 50% of the shots are severely front-focused. Seems to be a camera-lens combo that doesn't work well for some reason.
• My Canon 50/1.8 has pretty basic autofocus. Precise focus at f/1.8 takes some work. Just pressing the shutter button results in a high failure rate.

The two worst lenses I have every owned (by far) are Tamron 19-35/3.5-4.5 (an early ultrawide) and Canon 100-300/5.6 non-L (early kit telephoto). Neither produced acceptable photos, even for web-sized images. I sold both at a loss. Some regret there? Yes.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

If you bought a Sigma Art lens, you can buy a dock to upload firmware to fix Sigma's error. That's right, you pay to fix their error!

That's an odd way to look at it. How is Canon changing how Canon lenses interact with Canon cameras somehow Sigma's error?

Its Sigma's reverse engineering error. Canon has not changed their protocols, but Sigma made some wrong guesses or assumptions.

 

[Ryananthony]

If you bought a Sigma Art lens, you can buy a dock to upload firmware to fix Sigma's error. That's right, you pay to fix their error!

That's an odd way to look at it. How is Canon changing how Canon lenses interact with Canon cameras somehow Sigma's error?

Its Sigma's reverse engineering error. Canon has not changed their protocols, but Sigma made some wrong guesses or assumptions.

Ignoring the autofocus issues, I personallu have had zero issues with my 150-600C. For a large portion of photographers, even more so with ones who don't do this for a living, the price is more then a huge factor. 35mm art is $1000 cdn. Canon 35ii is $2300 that's a whole lot of savings to deal with an firmware update every 2-4 years when a new body you purchase comes out.

 

[pwp]

My default is usually in favor of L glass. The exceptions have been for a Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (pre-Art) and a Sigma 12-24 MkI. A Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for APS-C was a completely forgettable, almost unusable abomination.

The 50 f/1.4 was occasionally heroic wide open, but the hit rate for accurate AF was dreadful. I couldn't trust it and never once used it for commissioned work. AF inconsistency with a 50mm lens shooting at wide apertures is ruthlessly revealed. Pity, it was just fantastic when it did nail focus. Sold after a few months.

The 12-24 is a lens I use a few times a year when the 16-35 doesn't quite make it and the situation won't readily allow for stitching. It's not a fabulous lens, but I have likely scored a good copy. Wide open it's complete mush, but at its sweet spot of f/11 it delivers files acceptable for most usage requirements. I believe the updated 12-24 is a great improvement. Any AF inconsistency with a UWA stopped down to f/11 is unlikely to reveal itself.

Sigma will see radically increased sales once they fully consign their AF issues to history and the perception of AF unreliability has faded.

That's not to say every L lens I've ever bought has been a keeper. The old 16-35's were mostly terrible and the MkI 24-70 f/2.8's were very inconsistent from copy to copy. There are good ones out there, but tend to be the exception. A 50mm f/1.2L was a short-lived relationship. This lens does have its fans, but it never completely cut it for me. The EF 50mm f/1.4 while pleasingly compact, was never the best lens in the bag.

This year I've rationalised my lenses, selling off surplus, under-performing or obsolete glass. What remains is 16-35 f/4is, 24-70 f/2.8II, 70-200 f/2.8isII, 24 f/1.4II, 100L macro, 300 f/2.8is and the 12-24 Sigma. The two least used lenses are the Sigma 12-24 & the 24 f/1.4II. Hmmm...may as well sell the 24 f/1.4II too. Unused this year.

-pw