20D indoor lens?

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fugu

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I just picked up a 20D and am looking for a good indoor lens for taking pictures of people and groups. Any suggestions? Currently looking at the Canon 35mm f/2.0, Canon 28mm f1.8, and the Sigma 20mm f/1.8. I currently have the 17-85 kit lens and I'm probably going to pick up the 50mm f/1.8 since it's pretty cheap. Given that, I'm leaning towards the 20 right now.

My other option is to get a flash (550 or 580, or something comparable) and use it with the 17-85 lens I currently have, but I'm not a huge fan of flashes. That's partially due to the fact that my only experience with flashes has been with the on camera ones, so if you can make a convincing argument for a flash, I'd be open to hearing it. At some point down the road I might also get the 10-22 EF-S lens, so having a flash might save myself some overlap on the wide side, and it'd be great to be able to use a zoom indoors.

With regards to price, I don't want to spend much more than 400, but it's a bit flexible.
 
fugu said:
My other option is to get a flash (550 or 580, or something comparable) and use it with the 17-85 lens I currently have, but I'm not a huge fan of flashes. That's partially due to the fact that my only experience with flashes has been with the on camera ones, so if you can make a convincing argument for a flash, I'd be open to hearing it. At some point down the road I might also get the 10-22 EF-S lens, so having a flash might save myself some overlap on the wide side, and it'd be great to be able to use a zoom indoors.
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On camera flashes are pretty dull. They dont have much of a use other than slightly brightening up something directly in front of you, not good as real flash.

Flashes that you can point around and such rock, much softer light if you bounce it off of something...
 
I just read over on dpreview about people having trouble with Sigma / B&h about ordering the new ETTL2 sigma flashes, and recieving boxes with the new specs on them, but with old flashes inside the boxes. Supposedly sigmas fault, not b&h, although it didnt seem like there was a conclusion.
 
Go a good flash like the Canon 580/550/420EX. If you don't want to spend alot of money on one, the 420EX will get the job done. I have one that I carried over from my G3. A friend of mine has the 550EX, it has some extra features, but honestly I couldn't see spending the extra $$$ for it.

Indoors, as long as it's not a high ceiling, angle it at 60° and it will look like natural light. You can also pick up a difuser that slips over the end to soften it if you still feel the flash is too harsh. I use this one on my 420EX.

Sigma makes a flash similar in featurs to the Canon 550EX (someone posted it above), but I remember reading about some problems it had on the Canon 10D. I don't know if that's fixed with the 20D, but if you buy that one, buy it in a local store so you can take it back.
 
ETTL2 is a camera function, not a lens function.

What are you taking photos of? How big is the room/hall/area? Are flashes allowed?

The 420EX is a good flash, the only advantage the 550EX really has is if you want to use manual controls on it. I don't bother, I use flash exposure compensation (FEC) on my hacked rebel.
 
i'd be shooting mostly in places where flashes are ok, no concerts or sporting events. usually portraits, group shots, or candids
 
You could try the Tamron 28-75 F2.8, or the Canon 28-135 IS. The 50mm 1.8's pretty good too.
 
commando said:
You could try the Tamron 28-75 F2.8, or the Canon 28-135 IS. The 50mm 1.8's pretty good too.
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I'll probably get the 50mm at some point, but it's a little too narrow for a lot of the situations I'm in.

I did some research on the flashes mentioned in the thread, and it seems like some people have compatibility issues with Sigma flashes. It's a great price, but at this point I'd rather spend a bit more and not have to deal with any weirdness. There's probably enough trouble with my technique, so I'd like to minimize the amount of trouble with my hardware ;)

Anyway, I ordered a 580EX. I'd really love to have the versatility of the 17-85 lens indoors, and from what I've heard the flash works pretty well with the 20D (takes the 1.6 crop factor into account, couple other things). I've never used an external flash before, so hopefully I'll be able to learn a lot.
 
The crop factor thing just means it illuminates a narrower area, which helps battery life and recharge time. I just wish it were a bit cheaper - I have the 550EX myself.
 
canon 50mm 1.4 USM lens is really awesome ...
with the 1.4 aperature you dont even need a flash at the parties
 
Hyper_Psycho said:
canon 50mm 1.4 USM lens is really awesome ...
with the 1.4 aperature you dont even need a flash at the parties
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Yeah, that looks like a good lens from what I've read

Anyone used the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 that just came out? That one looks pretty nice also, and I really like having a zoom
 
fugu said:
Yeah, that looks like a good lens from what I've read

Anyone used the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 that just came out? That one looks pretty nice also, and I really like having a zoom
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with a zoom lens you sacrefice haing a lower f stop and that limits your indoor / low light setings ...

i found the 50mm sufficient to keep up with the inhouse madness

the kit lens is horrible indoors ... dont spend your money on it
 
Hyper_Psycho said:
with a zoom lens you sacrefice haing a lower f stop and that limits your indoor / low light setings ...

i found the 50mm sufficient to keep up with the inhouse madness

the kit lens is horrible indoors ... dont spend your money on it
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Yeah, i'm not thinking about the kit lens. Sigma makes a 18-50 mm f/2.8 lens so I've been trying to find some reviews of it.
 
fugu said:
Yeah, i'm not thinking about the kit lens. Sigma makes a 18-50 mm f/2.8 lens so I've been trying to find some reviews of it.
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That sounds like a great fast lense. Hope it turns out to be good because I can see myself buying it when I eventually get a 20D.
 
18mm on a C-sensor DSLR is not that wide, however. My D70 came with an 18-70 and I always found myself craving more at the near end. I recently bought a 12-24 f/4 and this is wide!

Sigma has one and it has been getting good reviews from everything I've read recently (some sample variations at first, I understand). However, it is variable aperature and not what you are after, I guess. Tokina is also making one now and while it is shipping, I guess it is too new even for their web site :confused:
 
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