Advice needed on the following DSLR servicing and 18-200mm lenses

I have not really had that much of a play on it yet as weather was pretty naff yesterday.
The few shots I did take were local and seemed to come out OK and the extra range stops all this changing lenses every 2 minutes.

How is the autofocus on the 18-135? I’ve heard it’s quite fast for a wide-medium tele lens.

After issues with the 18-135IS not turning up from a dealer on Amazon and sometime getting a refund sorted as lense was “lost in the post”. I finally went to Park Camera’s today and bought the lense off the shelf.
I like the build of it and feels comfortable to use but other than a quick try out on a 7D in the shop and a brief play at home on my 450D I have not really had a go on it yet to see what shots I can get.

Hoping weather not too rough tommorow than I will at least take it to London for a look at the Christmas lights.

Well, I finally bought my Canon 17-85 IS USM. So far, test shots are really good enough for me. Shots only at Dusk andwith flash though.
It was on retail in my local shop for Euros 329. However, he took my other lens in for 100 Euros. (It was a Canon non-IS zoom) so I’m pleased with that as I got more for that lens than I paid for it.

It won’t be awful.

I will update you once I have given the lense a good try as to how good I feel it is, either way I will be sticking with it unless its awful.

I personally feel as long as I can achieve photos I like and others seem to appreciate
This is the absolute key.
Nobodies eyes are as good as the modern lab tests. Everybody sees light and colour to different levels anyway. I am 100% sure you will be fine and enjoy it.
Blummin annoying about that “Stock” lens on the 450, as I said I never liked it, never trusted the results. Somebody on here (Moggy IIRC) also has it and swears it’s perfectly adequate.

I have made my mind up on the 17-85 (90%) but I will be taking the 450 into the local shop and taking 10 pictures on each lens…other being the 18-135. I’ll try and get the same shots on each. I will then come home (200 yards from shop) and have darn good look at them on Lightroom or Canon DPP.
I’m not too bothered about the sharpness loss around the edges because if I pick a picture to be properly worked (Dozens of layers etc.!) on it will be cropped anyway.
99.9% of my shots are record shots or the kids etc. I just batch process them in DPP (Contrast/saturate/sharpen) and output to Jpeg for rapid viewing.

Hi PeeDee I have gone for the Canon 18-135 lense now and just waiting for it to be delivered i got it for £240 which is the cheapest I have seen it, For my budget It feels the best option and I really can not upgrade any further so fingers crossed it will be OK.

I use my camera a great deal so I wanted a lense thats easy to take about with me, I agree the 18-55 was a bit limited, I think I got my moneys worth out of it though. As to the tests I personally feel as long as I can achieve photos I like and others seem to appreciate then I am happy, so fingers crossed this lense will allow that to happen.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

My canon 450D is in its 3rd year now and I am wondering if getting it serviced would be a good idea?. If so where is good to have it done and how much would it cost? I have cleaned the sensor a couple of times but can still see a hair through view finder, however it does not show on photos and it can be slow focusing at timeson different lenses otherwise its OK.

The other part of the question is my 18-55mm lense has lost its autofocus facility and I am considering getting a 18-200mm lense. I have around £200 to spend and wondered what anyone here would suggest is best and is it worth it or should I replace my 18-55mm one at some point?.

Sorry, only just seen this thread. My 450D is also same age as yours, I got it on the release date of the unit (Same week). My 18-55 has ALSO lost the AF facility, about 2 months ago. I never liked that lens anyway, I have some other nice Canon (Zooms) lenses and the lack of sharpness on the 18-55 was clear to see. I reckon the AF problem is related to the switch on the outer barrel. I may just try and get into it and see if there is a loose connection.
Nowthen, I’ve done a lot of research into a replacement “Walkabout” lens, and the 18-135 doesn’t come out the best for the sharpness all round (But these tests take things very seriously and 99.9% of the time, users won’t even notice the flaws highlighted by a lab. test).
I will be getting the Canon 17-85 IS USM (Euros 329) but if you are stuck to £200ish then you’ll have to go for the 18-135. Or a Tamron 19-35 F3.5. Both the 18-135 and the Tamron are in the shops here at Euros 299……..so you need to save a bit more or go for a reputable 2nd hand.

A friend has recommended the Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens as an option for me it comes in around £260 mark and has a decent zoom range for what I will mostly use it for.
I looked at a tonika 12-24 and may in sometime add that to my kit but at around £500 I can not justify that yet, The wife only just about agreeing to £250 despite my charms 😀 .

Martin,
On a Canon camera with an APS-C size sensor (like your camera), 18mm is not very wide for architecture. In my opinion for this kind of photography you would be better served with a lens starting at 12mm or even a little shorter. Good options which come to my mind include the Tokina 12-24, Tokina 11-16 and Sigma 10-20mm. If you’re lucky you might find a used Tokina 12-24mm for a very reasonable price, although probably a little above your £200 target.

Thanks for the advice regarding the hair in view finder, I just wondered if servicing is worthwhile at all in general.
I already have a 70-300mm lense which I use at airshows etc, But I also do a lot of building photography which is where the 18-55mm has been mainly used. I am working on the theory of having the 18-200 so can get more building details without needing to change lenses but really wonder what pitfalls there are in this?.
Even after looking through reviews online I am still undecided.

i think for example changing a lens whilst at an airshow is risking dirt in side the camera and i would rather not have that.

With some caution, it is no problem at all to change lenses during an airshow. I always make sure that the camera body is pointing downwards whilst changing, to prevent dirt to enter the camera. This has been my habit with DSLR’s and film SLR’s for well over 40 years now and I don’t have had any issues with dirt in my camera’s.

I use a 18-110 and a 70-300 so i get an overlap. i never swop lenses whilst out. i decide which one to use on the day. I also carry a panasonic bridge camera with a 18-300 range just in case and this also takes decent video as well. i think for example changing a lens whilst at an airshow is risking dirt in side the camera and i would rather not have that.

My advice? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!! The hair in the viewfinder has nothing to do with sensor cleaning. If it really bothers you, it could be dealt with separately (but at a price!).

As a Nikon man I’m not familiar with the Canon lenses, but my guess is that a 18-200mm would not be better than your 18-55mm in the same range. It could even be worse as an 18-200mm will be even more of a compromise. I would rather look for a lens to complement your 18-55m; for instance a 70-300mm.

Edit:
Sorry I overlooked the fact that your 18-55mm has lost its autofocus ability. However I guess that a good secondhand replacement can be found rather cheaply.