Yes, the camera is ready, but was that a saga or what?
I decided I desperately needed a new camera for the trip (for those who don't know, photography is a hobby of mine and getting a new camera is always on the cards, it's just that the reasons are hard to come by). Anyways, currently I am a proud owned of a Canon 400D and a coupe of lenses, both Sigmas. There has always been some sort of a drama with that setup. The camera body seems just fine, but the main the lens (Sigma 18-200) has always been cheeky. There were times when whole batches of shots were coming just a touch out of focus and mushy. Eventually, I was told that most camera / lens combos can (must) be adjusted to become a happy couple, by then however the new camera was about to materialise.
OK, this is where the saga starts.
As a "well informed buyer" I decided on a Canon 50D body + a Tamron xr di 28 75 f2.8. The Tamron had brilliant reviews, seen some samples - looked like a great lens.
Went to the City, walked into a shop and after haggling for a bit I got a good deal on the combo, rushed home, opened the boxes, sniffed the "new toy" smell, charged the batteries, went out, took a cardload of photos, came back home, downloaded the lot...
Shock horror. The Tamron just did not perform at all. Half of the shots were out of focus, at the tele end all was fine, at the low end it was worse than a view through a coke bottle.
I fired up the micro adjustment on the 50D and managed (at -20) to get the wide angle to be OK, at the cost of the tele, which in the process got all mushed up...
Off to the shop the next day, with the laptop in tow. The shop guy took some photos, shook his head and tested a few other Tamrons - all with the same crapy result. He mumbled and eventually offered me a Sigma 24 70 f2.8 dg macro. Again a lens with good user reviews, $200 more. Took some shots from the shop, downloaded and they seemed much better. Home, the next day some serious testing happened. To my horror, as much as the Sigma performed well at F4 and above, at 2.8 it was shocking. Out of focus and, for the lack of a better word "dirty".
So some samples were emailed to the shop and after a brief conversation I was offered a full refund for the lens. I asked if maybe there was something wrong with the body and was assured that that was not the case.
Before I go on, just a few comments on the above two lenses.
The Tamron was fun. Very compact and lightweight it felt a bit plasticy but is very ergonomically designed. If it worked optically I'd love to have one. The bukeh on the Tamron was incredibly pleasant to the eye.
I have nothing good to say about the Sigma. Apart form being optically challenged, it feels incredibly bulky. The ergonomics are experimental to say the least. I am not sure whether it was designed for users sporting an opposing thumb... The zoom ring is tiny and so close to the body of the camera that I needed tweezers and a magnifying lens to find and operate it. The massive focusing ring moves up and down the lens to engage the AF, but you also have to flick a switch on the side of the lens to toggle AF/MF - why? Beats me. On top of that it is the most front-heavy lens I have ever played with. It's bulky, heavy and ugly. The bukeh is tragic, and overall picture quality is of a toy camera, harsh and artificial. My advice, stay away.
The story continues...
In desperation, with my refund back on my card, I moved a few doors (shops) up and ended up having a whine about my experiences to a great bloke who seemed to know what he was talking about. He pointed to a few other lenses and eventually I agreed to sell one of my kidneys and go for a Canon L series. I can't tell you the whole story here for a reason or two, but I ended up a proud owner of a EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM.
Now, let me just say that I've had and used a few dozen of lenses in my life, both professionally and for fun, but this one just blew my socks off. The whole thing just oozes quality. The mechanics are smooov, the optical quality is top notch, the bukeh to drool over. Combined with the 50D's 15Mpx pickup the images are razor sharp with an incredible amount of detail.
There are however a couple of problems I have to deal with. One is the fact that despite of the incredible sharpness and detail the lens underperforms in the Macro zone. The detail is somehow lost, which may have to with my old, shaky hands and a small DOF... I suspect there's more to it though (a microadjust maybe?). The second major issue with this lens is that I will never be able to go back to anything of a lesser quality and that costs a pretty penny.
