I am still searching for a good walk around lens, especially since my daughter recently broke the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II lens that came with my Rebel XT. Dropped from the previous list is everything except for the two L series lenses (the 24-70 and the 24-105). Added are the following: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II, Canon 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM. It is highly unlikely that I will be buying from the end of the list (they are ordered ascending in price), but I am seriously considering the Tamron f/2.8 and the Canon f/4.

Also, while I really am in search of the perfect short to medium range zoom lens for my budget, I am also dying to get a 70-200mm zoom lens to take photos of my kids playing sports. My oldest son is currently playing T-ball and his first game is this Saturday. I need something fast, so the Sigma and Canon f/2.8’s are both on my short list.

In the meantime, I just recently purchased a Sigma EX 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM lens used off of Ebay. It is in excellent condition and feels great on my Rebel XT. I have been shooting around with it some this evening, but have not looked at the images on my PC yet. I will try to post one on the photo blog after I finish this post.

UPDATE - See comments…the original story appears to have gone overboard.

The problem with the grip surface is that it is slippery. If Canon had just coated the handle with the softer faux leather rubber found on the XT’s cousins (the 20d and 30d), then I think there would be fewer complaints about size.

I have the Canon Battery Grip BG-E3. The weight, dimensions and nice rubber surface of the battery grip make the XT a lot easier to handle (especially with larger lenses). However, I still wish that Canon would upgrade the body’s grip material. If not, then I hope that an aftermarket accessory company comes up with a replacement grip handle. There is always egrips, but who wants something sticky on their camera?

Obviously, there is a huge price difference between the top and the bottom. About the only way I could possibly swing the Canon “L” glass is to sell both of my current lenses, as well as my Konica manual and Konica Hexanon lenses. I do not use them very much at all, plus I also have a Minolta manual for times I want to go retro.

After much research my thoughts on each lens are as follows (please comment if you have any advice).

• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM - Pros: Superb build, mechanical and optical quality of L-Series glass with image stabilization. Cons: Price. Verdict: If you could just have one lens.
• Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM - Pros: Fast, sharp, L-series quality. Cons: Price, weight, no IS. Verdict: If it were not for the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, this would be “the one.”
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - Pros: Useful zoom range, image stabilization, light weight. Cons: EF-S only, slow AF, large DOF good for landscapes, but not portraits/creative photgraphy. Verdict: Good for a lot of situations, providing that EF-S sticks around.
• Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di - Pros: Small, good image quality, wide fixed f/2.8 aperture, price. Cons: Noisy/slow AF, soft corners, not Canon. Verdict: No lens is perfect.
• Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM - Pros: Focal length range, reasonably sharp, image stabilization in a small size/price. Cons: Older lens (and IS technology), vignetting on the wide end. Verdict: Popular for those on a budget and for good reasons.
• Sigma 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC - Pros: Price, focal length range, size/weight, macro, sharp. Cons: Quality control/customer service, noisy/slow AF, vignetting on the wide end, not Canon. Verdict: An excellent value, but you get what you pay for.

I am president of a local non-profit organization of building managers. I would like permission to use the picture of the hunter and glass bridge in a brochure that would only be distributed at a conference.

My wife actually talked to this person, then called me at work and then called her back giving permission. I have never tried to sell my photos, so I was flattered when the assumption was made that it was okay if I said no (i.e., if I made my living from my photos…as they could not afford to pay a royalty for it).

This is the shot in question (posted even before I started sharpening my shots). So, the question is should I hang a shingle (on the side)? It’d be nice to sell a shot here or there just to help pay for the hosting, but I really do not see myself ever going pro.

The 17″ CRT that the tech guy delivered to me is fine in terms of size and height. It really is true, though, that a 15″ LCD has as much usable space as a 17″ CRT (I am staring at one right now and I swear it is no smaller). That, however, is not my disappointment. The problem is how dull and boring my photos look on that monitor! Besides that, the header color of the template is all wrong.

I tried to adjust the settings, but the low-end monitor is not sophisticated enough to allow for adjustmetns to the RGB balance. I am planning on switching to an iMac later this year. When that happens I may just have to take my little Samsung LCD monitor to work.