I'm not sure if lens manufacturing is the same as something like TV's, where % of specific grades of panels are given to certain manufacturers. that popular 8mm f/3.5 MF fisheye is manufactured by samyang AFAIK, and re-branded to a dozen manufacturers such as vivitar, rokinon, bowen, pro-optic etc.

if you get it from their .pl website, you can pick a video SLR version which has an aperture ring. if you go to their ebay store, it's just the one version, plus i think it feels safer to go through ebay and paypal and such.

Looking for some more recommendations and second opinions again. :)

I'll be attending a few concerts and graduation ceremonies in the coming months so I'm looking for a new telephoto zoom lens. Walking around to get closer or using flash is pretty much out of the question so I'll need to get a faster lens. I have the budget Nikon 55-200mm 4-5.6 right now and that just won't cut it for hand held shots in low light.

I'm not a professional obviously so I'm going to try to refrain from breaking the bank on this purchase. After reading some reviews the Sigma 50-150 f2.8 EX DC HSM (as well as the newer version) looks like the front runner at the moment.

Other lenses I have in consideration are the Nikon 80-200 f2.8D ED AF (About $300 more than the Sigma) and the Tokina 50-135 f2.8 (Not as much reach as the other two lenses.) Open to other lenses you guys may recommend as well. Looking to stay in the $800-$1100 range at most.

I know this is at the upper end of your limit, but the Sigma 70-200 HSM would minimize your "upgrade lust" :p. If possible I'd go with that. But the other two shorter lenses are pretty good as well, but I think they're not very practical lengths imo (as opposed to the more classic 70-200), and probably are more likely to get upgraded :P

Second hand lenses may be another option as well (i.e. CL).

I found a mint Nikkor 80-200mm 2.8 AFD twin ring for $650 on CL, and most do go for $700-850, I'd go that route if you're on a budget. I love this lens, it's built like a tank and has the old skool black crinkle finish, unlike the newer Nikkors which IMO don't stand up to abuse as much as the older style stuff. Focusing is a bit slower but still good enough for most things that I shoot. I'd go with this vs the Sigma lens as they do have QC problems and the Nikkor is known to be pretty sharp. The prices of used 70-200VR are coming down, but still around $1300 -1600.

I've been doing a lot of searching and a lot of reading on a wide angle lens. I've been reading up on the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and 12-24mm f/4.0 for a Canon mount (I picked up a T1i). Reading up on past posts, looks like a lot of people have picked it up the 11-16mm here.

I'm just wondering if the 12-24mm is a more useful range then the 11-16mm, even though I've seen some gorgeous photo's taken with the 11-16mm.

Assuming you have the kit lens, I'd go with the superior optics of the Tokina. (Almost) every review out there has it rivalling or beating the canon 10-22 at 400 dollars less. You can't go wrong there.

throwing in my +1 for Tokina. Loveeeee this lens!

...and as I've mentioned before, if you ever go FF, the Tokina can be used as a 14-16mm prime. :)

I usually don't like buying online but B&H has the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 HSM for $799US, about $250 cheaper than locally but is the warranty still honored in Canada if I purchase a lens from the USA? On their website's FAQ it just briefly mentions a 1 year international warranty and not much else.

I haven't done much cross-border shopping (but will start with the dollar this high).. but I think Sigma offers international warranties, but if it's like my Manfrotto warranty it asks that you return it to the place of purchase. I'm not sure on this, but the only TRUE international warranties I've come across are HP and Canon :S Worst case you mail it yourself on your own dollar. But like Senna mentioned many times, I'd be weary about buying 3rd party online. It's luck of the draw wrt getting a good copy. But with the dollar this high, it's definitely a really interesting risk.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm gonna pick up the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Hopefully I can find it at a good price.

Well I ordered the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. Gonna pick it up next Saturday. Paid $599 US so that should come out to about $615 CAD, pretty good deal. Everywhere else I tried looking had it listed for $799 or was out of stock.

After doing some research it doesn't look like buying Sigma online from the States will be a good option for me. I save $250 right off the bat but I only get a 1 year international warranty not like the 10 year offered if I were to buy locally from an authorized dealer.

I found a used one locally and I'm just wondering if anybody has purchased a used Sigma lens and had warranty work done on it? I'm still pretty new to the hobby and have never bought a used lens before. The seller is willing to give me a copy of the receipt from Broadway Camera and the warranty card is blank. Assuming the serial numbers on the receipt, box, lens, warranty card, etc all match up is there anything I should be worried about warranty-wise?

Question for you experts,

I have a 67mm diameter front lens currently with a nice B&W UV filter protecting it. If I decide to get a polarizing filter, will I get vignetting if I screw it over the top of the UV filter? Or will I have to remove to the UV filter first to use the polarizing?

The lens is not 67mm... 67mm is the diameter of the front of the lens. If you can tell us what the proper focal length of the length is we will be able to tell you if it vignettes or not.

Oops, edited. It's a 16-85mm with a 67mm front glass diameter.

You should always remove the UV filter if you're going to put a polarizer on your lens.

Has anyone ever though of using some alternative lenses with their cameras? By that I mean alternative lenses to the traditional Nikkor, Canon, Sigma, etc, but more so along the lines of Leica, Mamiya, Zeiss, Rokinen lenses? I know all of these are manual focus but some of the pictures that come out of these lenses are stunning. SOOC they capture so much detail with great contrast and the colors are quite saturated (but not overly so). I was thinking of waiting to see if I can find a Zeiss 21mm f2.8 ZE mount for my UWA instead of getting a 16-35mm at this point. Anyone else been thinking about this? :D

@freesole, yeah i had been thinking about this too. i was looking at a cosina voigtlander 20mm f3.5 color skopar EOS mount and compared to the canon and sigma versions, the cosina seemed to produce better pictures because of the richness of the colors (of course, post processing etc would make a difference too).

I own and have used a bunch:

35-70 f3.4 zeiss
135mm f3.5 pentax x2
50mm f1.4 pentax
55mm f1.8 pentax
28mm f3.5 pentax

all used on my 30D or 5D

I put a 30 year old Nikon 55mm f2.8 Ai-S micro Nikkor on my 5DmkII, and it's stunning how sharp it is.

I also use a Leica 35mm f1.4 & a Leica 90mm f2.8 often, but those attach to my Leica M6. :D

Did you find that using the manual focusing took some practice? That is my only concern. Although, practice makes perfect :)

Although if I get the 21mm ze, it is mainly for landscape photography anyway so manual focusing probably won't be so much an issue.

Manual focusing on a crop camera is a little difficult compared to a FF body, as the viewfinder is a little restricted. Also, the focusing screen makes a huge difference too. I'm not sure if you can get one for a 5DmkII but a split-screen viewfinder is great for manual focus.

I actually have a 5D2 now. I am not sure yet how that will make a difference but I look forward to giving it a shot.

Ya some of the wider lenses were hard to shoot wide open on the crop body, but fine on the FF. I never got into it enough to switch focusing screens, got lazy and used AF lenses isntead =)

One thing you may want to look into is the mirror clearance on the 5D2, not sure if its the same, but not all lenses work on the 5D without hitting the mirror. My 35-70 hangs up some times, I can kinda flex the adapter slightly and the mirror springs back down, but its annoying. I don't want to modify the camera or the lens, so I just live with it.