mstlaurent 0 #1 October 7, 2009 Hi, I currently have a EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS lens on my Rebel XSi. It is nice but I would prefer if it would be a little bit wider. I use it for tandems. I would like to know if the EF 28mm f/2.8 would be an upgrade. I have read many posts and several people recommend this lens but I am wondering if the FOV is as large as on the 18-55mm. I don't want to have a smaller FOV only to have a small increase in picture quality. I know that some other lenses are a lot better and have a wider FOV but I am looking for a lens that weight about the same as the 18-55 (190g). The 28mm weight 185g and the 24mm f2.8 270g. Thanks! Martin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #2 October 7, 2009 The smallest number is your widest focal length. ergo; 18mm is more wide than a 28mm. If you want more width, either you must step back/fly further back, or look at a lens that has a shorter focal length than 18mm. Many here fly 15mm lenses, some fly aspherical 10mm. IMO, the 18 is plenty wide for most tandem work, but I do prefer a 15mm. However, there are few lenses as lightweight as the 18-55 that came with your camera body. The Canon 15mm is 330 grams, or nearly double the weight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #3 October 7, 2009 Anyone recommending a 28mm lens is probably using either a film camera or a full frame (big and/or expensive) digital camera. The FOV of the 28 on a film camera is about the same as the 18mm on your XSi. Might look into the canon 10-22 or the sigma 15. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miami 0 #4 October 7, 2009 The 28 and 24 were very popular when film photography was the norm (still is for those few still shooting film). The 28mm on your crop body would look like a 45mm on a film/FF camera. I don't believe you'll be able to find anything lighter than your 18-55, at least not anything of any quality. Like Spot said, the 15mm is popular for crop shooters if you really need something wider. Or a zoom like Dave suggested, either the 10-22 made by canon or the 12-24 made by sigma. The prime (15mm) is a faster lens, so if you are at least staying at the roughly 2 stops above wide open in av mode to keep sharp images you should have a little more latitude for your shutter speed. Personally I think the rebel with the 18-55 is an excellent combo for tandem photography. They can provide excellent results with the right settings and they are very light. Hope that helps...Miami Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,006 #5 October 7, 2009 >but I am looking for a lens that weight about the same as the 18-55 (190g). I doubt you will find anything like that. I often use the Canon EF-S 10-22, which is a great lens for bigways and RW. However, it's heavier (380g) and pricey ($600.) So if your question is "is there a light, cheap, really good lens that's wider than 18mm" that may be hard to find. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mstlaurent 0 #6 October 9, 2009 Thanks all for your good answers! It clears up all my interrogations and it is a good summary of all available options. I think I will not spend money... for now. ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
