Originally posted by STARHUNTER94 It's a big decision to drop that kind of money on a 'want' versus a need for me, and I'm just making sure I won't have buyers remorse.
Hi @STARHUNTER94,
I know what you mean about dropping big money. I've gone through numerous rounds of comparing lenses and figuring out my 'needs' and 'wants'. At one point, I was thinking of getting a
DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4 Limited, but its original price was about CAD $1,000, too rich for me at the time. I looked into a Sigma 17-50 and the DA 18-135, and ended up getting the 18-135. I knew it was not a stellar performer at the longer end, so I treated 60-135mm as sort of a bonus.
When its price dropped to about CAD $700, I purchased a DA 20-40, and have been very happy with it. Now I use my DA 18-135 mainly when I'm out hiking with my wife and don't want to change lenses on the fly.
I've drooled over the new DA* 16-50 PLM, but can't really justify its price of CAD $1650, considering that I have a fairly complete lens collection already. I've concluded that the DA 20-40 covers most of my 'needs' in that focal length range (and I have a DA 15mm Limited for wider angle). I know the 20-40 misses on a few things such as the PLM speed and the wider angle, but I've been able to do quite a lot with it, and it's a joy to use. It's one of my 'always-carry' lenses, and I often pair it with my DA* 50-135 for a relatively compact, high-IQ kit. My photography is mostly of static subjects, so I don't need blazing AF speeds. YMMV.
Current prices in Canada:
DA* 16-50 PLM CAD $1650 (e.g., at Camera Canada), excluding sales tax.
DA 20-40mm Limited CAD $629
So, to me, the savings of $1150 (incl tax) is pretty significant. Perhaps a question is whether your photography would be improved significantly for the extra dollars? Or could you manage nicely with the less expensive lens? As much as I'd love to have the new 16-50 (and the 11-18, and the 55-300 PLM, and a FA 31 Ltd, and...and...), I don't think my images from today's photo outing (landscape) would have been much better, if at all.
I don't know whether the 20-40 would be suitable for astro shooting. Finally, a DA* 16-50 certainly would be more versatile, which comes at a price.
- Craig