HELP!!! Tamaron? Vivitar? Cannon? Other?

[JTurner538]

First off (and most importantly) I am a POOR college student. I'm thinking about adding a lense or two to my case. My question is, is there a major difference between the brands? Obviously a cannon lense is the best option but what brand is nearly as good? What is a brand to stay away from? Also, and on a completely separate note, what does everyone think of extending tubes...you know, the kind that make a regular lense macro? And if you are pro-tube does it really matter what brand you buy as long as its compatable with your camera/lens? Thanks in advance for answering those two questions!
Justin

[paulnj]

As for brand generalizing..... DON'T

CANON makes some lenses that are junk and the 3RD PARTIES make a few GEMS!

You need to ask a more specific question like.... "I want a wide angle... the tamron?, Sigma ? or Canon? ..which has the most bang for the buck"

Tubes will TAKE AWAY your INFINITY focus and make your focus range tighter. Yes tubes are useful, but most times you will not get true Macro from putting tubes between a lens and the camera.

If the KENKO tubes for EOS support AF still, that would be a BUDGET minded choice. With "close up" photography manual focus is what you will use mostly, but the ABILITY to AF is a GOOD thing too.

[walterick]

Tamron! Vivitar! Canon! Other!

Like Paul said, there's as much variation within manufacturers as there is between manufacturers so what you need to look for are the good lenses that each manufacturer makes. And acquire those.

The "Reviews" section of this website is an excellent place to start. They review products by piece, not by brand name.

Extension tubes are great, close-up filters are cheaper, and lighter to carry. They are magnifying glasses that screw onto the front of your camera lens. They cost about $30 for a set of three, and you retain autofocus. Look to Ritz Camera where you buy 2 filters, get one free (all three close-ups count as one filter, btw)

Here's a shot I often post up here to show an example of what close-up filters on a 50mm 1.8 lens can get you: