Hello all,


I only got into DSLR land about a year ago, so in some ways I'm still a beginner at this and in need of advice (and gentle corrections in case I'm wrong about something).





I currently have:
  • Canon EOS 500D - this part is pretty much what's not going to change for years. I see myself sitting quite comfortably in 1.6x land for a long time to come.
  • An utterly inadequate tripod, which if I mount a standard zoom can't support the weight of camera+lens and starts tilting. I forget the exact model, but that's not really relevant either...it was a purchase made in haste before a trip and it has proven to be too hasty a decision. It's a mistake I have to assume...






And then the lenses in order of minimum focal distance:
  • <span style="color: #339966;"]Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM - I consider this the best wide angle zoom I can get for EF-S and it works wonders.
  • <span style="color: #ff0000;"]Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - the cheapo plastic kit lens that came with the camera. For the price it is sold for separately, an amazing value for the money.
  • <span style="color: #ff0000;"]Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro - this is a pretty good lens for a FF camera...on 1.6x less so due to the focal range becoming less attractive. It was bought soon after the camera and I was too new for all this then. Luckily, it was brought from a friend at a friendly price so even if I have to resell it, I won't lose much.
  • <span style="color: #339966;"]Canon 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM- for my budget it's a great zoom. Ideally I'd have the 70-200 f/2.8, but until I get the cash for that one, this is the lens I'll be sticking with.






Green is where I'm perfectly happy with what I have. Red...less so. As you can see I have the focal range from 10-300 (16-480 in full format terms) covered. If we disregard the kit lens, it's still almost all covered (apart from 22-24, but that's really not an issue, I *can* move that much). A couple things are glaringly missing though, which brings me to my next point, things which I am planning to buy:
  • A flash. The 10-22 very easily sees itself with the onboard flash and the problem is also apparent with the Sigma lens being able to see its hood when at the widest. This will most probably be the 580 EX II, which as far as I can see is the best that is available.
  • A fast portrait/low-light lens. After quite a bit of hesitation between 50mm and 85mm and then between f/1.4 and f/1.8 my mind is mostly set on the Canon 50mm f/1.4.
  • A better tripod. Not the most urgent, but the current tripod definitely needs an upgrade.
  • A standard zoom...and this is where I need some help.



And possibly:
  • A macro lens.






So about that standard zoom. I find the 24-70 to be a bit on the long end for me. Going a bit wider would give the following possibilities (in order of current preference, irregardless of price):
  • Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM
  • Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF (boy am I glad I could copy/paste that name...)
  • Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
  • Tamron SP AF 17-50mm / 2,8 XR Di II VC
  • Canon 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM
  • Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM






A couple questions:
  1. One thing I'm not sure of is the possible gap between this standard zoom and the telezoom that I have (starting at 70mm). I'd be selling the Sigma lens if I got one of these lenses so with a 17-50 for example I'd be leaving 50-70mm uncovered. How big an issue would this be? Getting the 60mm macro could help with this
  2. I am currently gravitating the most towards one of the f/2.8 lenses from the above group. I've read the review for both the Canon and the Tamron both here and over at photozone and I'm still undecided. They do say that the Canon is better, but is it really better enough to justify a price of 800 EUR as compared to 400 for the newer of the two Tamrons (VC) (or 300 for the LD IF)?
  3. I've seen that the Tamron VC variant doesn't live up optically to its predecessor. Has anyone had any experience on how the two of them compare?






And lastly I really do need some tripod suggestions from those who know the subject much better than I do. What would be a right tripod for a maximum weight of say an EOS 500D + 70-300 + flash?





Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any replies!





Patrick