[kaede]

Should I Buy myself the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Lens? Or get a secondary all rounder pocket sized camera for vacation: the Sony rx100 iii (mark.3)

I'm looking to spend less than $1k to upgrade my overall camera gear. I mostly use my cameras for travelling and I want something that can go wide with a decently fast lens for low light photography. I Don't do much video at all. This is my current gear:

Canon 70D + battery grip
Canon T2i (for back up) + battery grip
Canon 24-105mm F/4L IS USM (Kit lens for Full Frame Canons)
Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS II USM
Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm F/1.4 (no AF, full manual, usually use for portraits and just fooling around street photography).

If i get the Sigma:
I do not have anything that goes extremely wide, so the Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 will fit the bill very very nicely. Wide fast aperture will allow me to take clear sharp pictures at night/low light environment, coupled with the zoom range, this is a bargain peice for sure with excellent performance that rivals (on some occasion, even better) Prime lens that Canon/Nikon produces.

Pros: I will finally have all my range covered, will have low light and wide angle with the Sigma, for travelling and just one-lens purpose the Canon 24-105mm will do. If i really need the extra reach, then snap on the 70-200mm. Life is perfect in terms of Lens line up. (Next upgrade will be to ditch the 24-105mm F/4 for the 24-70mm F/2.8 II). Compared to most "Pro" lens, this is a bargain at around $800 that offers Pro Lens quality for APS-C sensor in both build and image results.

Cons: SINCE I use my camera mostly during travel and vacation, carrying around ALL the lens will be a heavy toll. Also, all the Lens are not exactly light weight... In fact, the ones I own are all quite beefy, by the end of the day, even with a very good camera backpack, I will get back aches and my wrist will feel weak from carrying the camera around.

If I get the Sony RX100 III:

Pros: Secondary camera for my Canon 70D, can sell my T2i for some extra cash which is a bonus. This pocket sized Sony camera really packs a punch and is truly a marvel. Comes with build in EVF (electronic view finder) and flash, 1 inch sensor (smaller than APS-C and micro 4/3, but definitely better than all cell phones and most compact digital size cameras). Great Zeiss Lens with zoom range from 24-70mm F1.8/2.8. Will do very good in low light. The list goes on and on... I would've considered the Canon G7X as it seems to perform everything a tiny bit better and extra range to a 100mm, but without the EVF. Whenever i don't feel like hauling around my camera gear and arsenal of lens, this is truly a grab and go alternative, the size of this camera is amazing for the photo quality it takes. Yes no interchangable lens and lower range than my Canon 24-105mm & definitely no 70-200mm, but for day to day 24-70mm on the Sony is adequate. Great camera to take on more adventurous outings such as disney, long hikes, etc due to size and overall great performance

Cons: Well.. for a compact digital camera, it ain't cheap at all. At $800, it is quite hefty and is just as expensive as the Sigma Lens. Will still not have the wide angle ability of the Sigma lens too. Also long term reliability is always an issue with compact camera's, and for that price its definitely a consideration. Also, sadly, its build in China (yes, chinese build and produced products have come a long way and have been much nicer, but still... much rather it came from the motherland of Japan for their more stringent QA). Also, eventually, I will still probably have to pick up the Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 since it is a legend and eventually I really do want that low light and wide angle lens in my arsenal. Lastly, seems like Sony is coming out with a newer and better version of the RX100 every year, if the next RX100 decided to have the max range of 100mm (like its arch rival the Canon G7X) vs the current 70mm, i will feel like i got ripped and i should've waited (not that the range matters TOO much, but if this is a grab and go camera, more reach is always better).

SO better question will probably which should I get FIRST I suppose?!??? If you were in my position, which would you personally buy first? Thanks for reading this long post and cheers!!

ps, This year I will be doing road trip from Vancouver Canada down to California. Going to visit all the tourist-sy places and do lots of sight seeing.