Hi,
I have an old 28-135 is lens (bought it to go with my brand new Elan 7e!). The glass is still clear, no scratches, but it's been dropped, soaked, used in dusty conditions.... and might need repairs on the IS unit. I recently upgraded from the 10D to a 1dmkII so my Sigma 17-70 (love that lens) is no longer usefull and I need an all purpose walk-around lens.
The 28-135 still works but CA awfull and it just seems a little flaky - sometimes pretty good, sometimes pretty bad.
I can't easily afford a 24-105 is.
Should I try to get the 28-135 repaired and recalibrated or should I bite the bullet and move on?
Thanks for any feedback!
john
sounds like it might be cheaper to buy a new 28-135 than to do all the repairs you think it needs. There should be quite a few available used as part of a 40D kit right now.
Chunk it an buy an L. Either that buy another one on the BS board here. They have been going for around $300 here new from sellers that bought the 40D kit. Probably cheaper then repairing.
Edit...jinx 3 post about the same time with same advice.
Yeah, I was thinking that's what I'd hear. $150 sounds reasonable for the repairs, compare with $300 for a brand new lens... the math just doesn't add up.
Maybe I'll try to stretch for a 2.8 L. I could really use it in the theater. (heavy though)
Anyway,
Thank you for the advice! Anyone else have ideas?
cheers,
john
I greatly dislike the build quality of the 28-135 IS. That plus two internal lens faults has well and truly put me off it as a model. I recommend you find a better lens.
It's a pity, because for a film or full frame camera the 28-135 range is very versatile and desirable covering wide angle through to telephoto. I just prefer being able to point the lens up or down without it self-zooming. And I like the AF to work at all focal lengths all the time. Some would call me fussy
It's a frustrating lens - I've produced some really nice images with it, and the specs are great for a walk-around, but it's not consistent and never has been.
The Sigma 17-70 (crop only) just annihilates it in image quality, handling and build quality. If only Sigma made something similar for a 1.3x crop camera....
Thanks for the input!
cheers
john
3 post about the same time with same advice.