L Glass Help...........!!

[Darren Turner]

If that is possible,

I currently use Canon "EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM" Lens attached to my 7D for walking about & everyday kind of Kit Lens.

Since buying my "70-200mm F2.8 IS L" which i really love i have decided to replace my kit lens with a similar L glass.

I am looking at
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM or Canon EF 24 - 105mm F4.0 L IS
(like so many others its a hard decision)

I have read all the pros & cons on the net about the IS or Non IS & the nice F2.8 & the heavy 24-70 but i still cant make my mind up..........lol

now i know i will loose some wider angle usability but what are your thoughts on me doing this upgrade.

I do have the sigma 10-20 for the wider angle if need be, which again i really like this cheaper lens.

Daz

 

[Mark Grant]

I have the 24-105 F4 L on a 60D and its not wide enough for me really, when that is 38mm at full frame equivalent.

That also rules out the 24-70 f2.8 for me.

I have been looking at the Canon 17-55 f 2.8 IS EF-S . although it is EF-S it is said to be almost L quality.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-f-2.8-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

gets 4 stars here, very high score !
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/425-canon_1755_28is_50d

expensive though :
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-ef-s-17-55mm-f2-8-is-usm-lens/p1012403

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-S-...TZ7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302516172&sr=8-1

Or the Canon 15 -85 f3.5-5.6

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/465-canon_1585_3556is

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-15-85mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-S-...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1302516270&sr=1-1

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-ef-s-15-85mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-usm-lens/p1033228

 

[Darren Turner]

wow i didn't even know about the "Canon 17-55 f 2.8 IS EF-S"

This is looking like a viable alternative especially the f2.8 that i loves sooooooooo much on my 70-200.

Now you have thrown a spanner in the works............lol

 

[Hamish Gill]

Darren
Just a word of caution ...
I don't know much about canon lenses so excuse me if any o this is incorrect
I would guess that the 17-55 2.8 is designed for aps-c cameras?
Currently both you bodies are aps-c ...
But if you were to upgrade to a full frame camera - 5d or 5dii that 17-55 will no longer operate as an idea standard zoom ... The image circle will be too small!
Unfortunatly you are operating in what I concider to be the "just below pro" teretory of kit ... Which I feel makes lens selection a bit of a mine field .. I you don't intend to buy a full frame camera soon then the 17-55 is fine ... But you will need another standard zoom as soon as you do get one!

I had this very problem when I went from d300 to d3 ... I bought the d3 for £1900 second hand then straight away had to spend another £1000 on the 24-70 2.8
I also pretty much stopped buying aps-c (or dx format as nikon call them) lenses as soon as the d3 was announced as I knew I would be buying one within the year!

To relate further to your situation the only dx lens I bought was nikons 17-55 2.8 ... BUT ... And this is a big but, I bought it second hand knowing I would get my money back on it when I sold it again when went for the d3 ... I would seriously concider this option if you are in anyway tempted by going down the full frame route within the next year or so!

 

[Darren Turner]

great advice Hamish, i dont think i will be buying a new cam soon, i have only just bought the 7D..........lol

So 17-55 2.8 is good idea, but i will still not have 55 - 70 covered...........were as if i get 24-70mm f/2.8 i will have a bit more reach & less available at wide end..........!!

so either way its looking like i need to buy 2 lens.........or stick with my EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS & save a possible £1500 haha

Daz

 

[Mark Grant]

Darren

I would guess that the 17-55 2.8 is designed for aps-c cameras?

That's correct Hamish and that's the dilemma.

But there is nothing canon full frame at f 2.8 ( the 17-40 L is f4) that is a wide enough walkabout everyday lenses on a 1.6X body.

Although the 'in demand' Canon lenses dont appear to loose much money should Darren go full frame in the future

My Canon 10-22 and Canon 24-105 L are worth more now second hand on ebay than I bought them new for about 4 years ago.... now there's an idea

 

[Hamish Gill]

That 55-70 gap is nothing!
Just shoot at 55 and crop ... Or just walk forward a few steps ... I dunno eh... How would you have coped in the days of primes!

I shot (admittedly as a guest) an entire wedding at 85mm on Saturday .. Didn't change the lens once! Everything from portrait and and shoulder shots to group shots ... I'll show you in a few days when the couple have had the photos ...
I can seriously recommend it as a way of shooting! It's a lot more satisfying than all this zooming lark!

 

[Hamish Gill]

And yeah, what about the 17-40 as an option ... Very good rep that lens ... And it will last you!

 

[Ralph Thornton]

Just a coupla points:

Just a word of caution ... I don't know much about canon lenses so excuse me if any of this is incorrect
I would guess that the 17-55 2.8 is designed for aps-c cameras?
Currently both you bodies are aps-c ...
But if you were to upgrade to a full frame camera - 5d or 5dii that 17-55 will no longer operate as an idea standard zoom ... The image circle will be too small!

Not only will the image circle be too small but the lens will not physically mount on a full frame camera. Canon designed its APS-C cameras with smaller lighter bodies and built a series of lenses to match. These lenses are the EF-S series. Those lenses extend slightly into the mount. Because of this and the requirement for a smaller image circle they can be made smaller and lighter and balance better on smaller cameras.

Because the EF-S lenses extend into the camera's lens mount they would have serious problems on a full frame camera. The mirror on a full frame camera is larger and would smack the end of the EF-S lens, not good, eh? To prevent that Canon created a different mount for the EF-S cameras. APS-C cameras can mount both EF and EF-S lenses. APS-H and full frame cameras can only mount EF lenses.

Some of those EF-S lenses are pretty darn good. While not L quality they approach it. I've had a lot of success with the EF-S 17-85 on my older XTi (400D). I use that lens as my almost all the time, walk around lens on that camera. The 15-85 get good reviews as well. But the EF-S 17-55 f2.8 seems to get the highest marks and it is f2.8. I would have most likely coupled that lens with my XTi if it had been available when I bought the XTi.

For most of my work I use my full frame 5DMKII with 17-35 f2.8L; 28-70 f2.8L or 70-200 f4 IS L. Because I knew I was going to move to full frame eventually I did not purchase more than the one EF-S lens.

The 7D is a very good camera. It definitely deserves to be coupled with "very good" glass.

 

[Hamish Gill]

... this is why i tend to steer clear of canon chat ... i know nothing!
cheers for that though Ralph!

 

[Darren Turner]

thats an awesome right up Ralph cheers for your time effort & advice......greatly appreciated..........!!

 

[Darren Bradley]

I'll chime in here and agree with Mark and others. The 17-55mm f2.8 IS EF-S is one of the best lenses in the Canon inventory. The only reason it's not L glass is because Canon never designates lenses made for APS-C sensors this way. But it's every bit as good and is the perfect choice for the 7D, in my opinion.

If you're still set on the 24-70mm or the 24-105mm, I'll also jump in that debate by telling you that I agree it may not be wide enough for you, given the cropped sensor. Both are good lenses. I chose the 24-70mm in the end for my 5D2 for two reasons - less distortion (the 24-105 has a healthy amount at the wide end) and faster. The IS only helps if your subject isn't moving.

 

[Ralph Thornton]

Darren's right on that the 24-70 f2.8 L is one great lens on a full frame camera. I used it periodically on my 1.6 crop camera too but, as Darren points out, it is not wide enough there.