I have a Canon 1100d, the standard 18-55mm lens kit, and the 50mm f1.8 lens. I want to buy a zoom lens as I would like to be able to get closer to far away subjects.
I have been looking at both the Tamron and Canon lens. The Tamron is a lot cheaper but the Canon has IS. Could you give me advice on which one to buy?
The Canon model has image stabilization which can come quite in handy when handholding and not using a tripod. It also has a UD element which may improve the chromatic aberration on that lens. The Canon has 50mm longer reach, which is a benefit.
The Tamron has full time manual focus which is nice to have.
One thing to point out, is that the Tamron is not a macro lens by any stretch, either is the Canon. I believe Tamron markets this lens as such, but don't buy into that.
From what I am looking at, the Canon is about $25 more on Amazon, so for the image stabilization alone I would say that is worth it. I don't see any compelling reason not to choose the Canon in this situation.
These are the two lenses I am looking at:
