XL2 and the Sigma 50-500mm or Tamron 200-500mm?
 

anyone using either of these lenses? i have a canon 70-200mm 2.8, which i love. i was thinking about a 2nd lens with more range, but since i think the 70-200mm is up to most jobs, i don't want to spend a lot more money on canon lenses. has anyone used either of these with an XL2? i hooked them up to a rebel XT in a camera store, and they both seem nice and sharp on the still cam. does anyone have anything they can share with me about either of these lenses?

Are you currently using your 70-200 on your XL2 or just a still camera? If you are already using it on your XL2 then you are aware of the approx 9.6 times magnification factor, making your 70-200 approximate a 672-1920 35mm lens. That is quite a zoom. I am not familiar with the Tamron, but have heard good things about the Sigma lens. On still cameras it performs quite nicely. Since SD video is not as demanding of the lens as still photography, I think you would find it very sharp. The only drawback is the 4-6.3 aperture. If you are needing that kind of range I am guessing you might be using it for wildlife or surveillance video. If that is the case, I think you will find the lens too slow for early morning or evening shooting. On the other hand, if you are shooting extreme sports in the middle of the day it should work out great for you. I think most good lenses made for still photography are built to a standard that is more than enough for the XL2.

thank you, lloyd, for the response. i use my 70-200mm 2.8 with my XL2, but i recently acquired a canon digital rebel XT and am considering a longer lens for the still camera, which, naturally, i would want to work well with my XL2. since the 70-200mm is, as you point out, usually plenty of zoom for the XL2, and a second lens would have a more limited use value on the video cam, i was trying to save a few bucks on the second lens. i see the canon L series lens as the primary lens, with both the video and still cameras, but might like to buy a little longer reach for the rebel. so the sigma or tamron longer lens option would be more central to the rebel and only incidentally used with the XL2. i think your point about the aperture size is well-taken, because i do shoot a lot of magic hour footage. that's definitely something to consider.