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Archive 2009 · Looking for lens recommendation

dowmathis
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p.1 #1 · Looking for lens recommendation

Hello, long time lurker... first question.

I have a 20D that I'm learning to use and have run into an issue with focal length of the lenses that I have. This past weekend, we took the day and drove around and I shot some pictures at a bonsai nursery, however, with my 50mm (shortest lens I have), I wasn't able to frame the shots like I wanted due to space constraints. I just flat couldn't get far enough from some of the trees to get decent pictures. So it appears that I need a shorter lens. Realizing that funds are limited, and that I'm trying really hard to stick with prime lenses, what would you recommend as a good, short focal length lens that doesn't cos an arm and a leg? I'd like good low-light performance if possible, along with fairly quick auto-focus and good image quality.

Thanks,
Dow

Jan 06, 2009 at 04:54 PM

ShaneEngelking
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p.1 #2 · Looking for lens recommendation

Tamron 17-50 is a really terrific lens for under $400. It will be fairly wide on a 20D, and will make a good standard zoom. I know you want primes, but the IQ i great and there really aren't that many worthwhile wide angle primes with autofocus for less than $1000 (24L). If you want REALLY wide, a Tokina 11-16 2.8 is worth looking at. The Canon fisheye is also an option, but it is pretty costly if I remember correctly.

Edited on Jan 06, 2009 at 05:01 PM · View previous versions

Jan 06, 2009 at 04:59 PM

philber
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p.1 #3 · Looking for lens recommendation

Try the Canon 35mm f:2. Good value for money. For more money, look into the Sigma 30mm f:1.4. Numerous reviews on both should let you get a fairly good idea of what they are like.

Jan 06, 2009 at 05:00 PM

jvarszegi
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p.1 #4 · Looking for lens recommendation

Some non-fisheye options:

Canon 18-55mm IS
Canon 35mm f/2 (not much wider than 50mm)
Sigma 12-24mm (fully full-frame compatible!)
Sigma 20mm f/1.8 (soft wide open, still not ultra-wide)
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (not much wider)
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (much cheaper than the Canon 17-55, but still decent optical quality)
Tokina 11-26mm f/2.8
Tokina 12-24mm f/4 (even cheaper)

Edited on Jan 06, 2009 at 05:01 PM · View previous versions

Jan 06, 2009 at 05:00 PM

rebelshooter
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p.1 #5 · Looking for lens recommendation

If you are happy with the 50 and just want a shorter FL, and want to stick to primes at a good price point I would look at the 35 2.0. Very happy with mine, also very happy with the tamron 17-50 2.8 if you would be interested in a zoom. Love it on my 30D and about 1/3 the cost of the Canon version.

Jan 06, 2009 at 05:00 PM

ShaneEngelking
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p.1 #6 · Looking for lens recommendation

If 35mm is wide enough (and it really isn't wide at all) then the 35 f/2 is a great lens for the money. I hated having to sell it when I got my 35L. But 35mm only gets you to standard focal length, not wide angle at all on a 20D.

Jan 06, 2009 at 05:04 PM

timbop
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p.1 #7 · Looking for lens recommendation

ShaneEngelking wrote:
Tamron 17-50 is a really terrific lens for under $400. It will be fairly wide on a 20D, and will make a good standard zoom. I know you want primes, but the IQ i great

+1.

Jan 06, 2009 at 07:53 PM

jcolwell
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p.1 #8 · Looking for lens recommendation

I suggest either the 35/2 or 24/2.8, depending on how wide you want to go.

Jan 06, 2009 at 08:15 PM

Hey.Underpants
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p.1 #9 · Looking for lens recommendation

Canon 28 1.8. Fast focusing, lightweight, good build quality. Copies vary, but mines sharp and contrasty. Perfect teammate for the 50.

Jan 06, 2009 at 09:17 PM

danmitchell
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p.1 #10 · Looking for lens recommendation

Unless you have a really, really, good reason for limiting yourself to primes, I urge you to...

... not stick to primes. At least not at first.

I could be wrong but I'm guessing that the same notions that now lead you to think about primes only (e.g. - that was great advice in the past) may also have led you to start out with 50mm lens... which is really no a very useful general lens for most shooters on a cropped sensor camera like yours.

If you want to keep your costs down, cover a very useful focal length range on your camera, and produce quite good image quality... and save money over the primes that would be alternatives, get a copy of the new image-stabilized 18-55mm kit lens.

If you aren't convinced and you really are sure that primes are the thing... look for something in the 28-35mm range if you want more or less the same functionality that a 50mm lens provided back in the days of film SLRs. You'll need much shorter if you really want good wide angle coverage on your cropped sensor camera... and, frankly, the best way to get that nowadays is with a zoom.

Dan

dowmathis wrote:
Hello, long time lurker... first question.

I have a 20D that I'm learning to use and have run into an issue with focal length of the lenses that I have. This past weekend, we took the day and drove around and I shot some pictures at a bonsai nursery, however, with my 50mm (shortest lens I have), I wasn't able to frame the shots like I wanted due to space constraints. I just flat couldn't get far enough from some of the trees to get decent pictures. So it appears that I need a shorter lens. Realizing that funds are limited,...Show more →

Jan 06, 2009 at 10:04 PM

James Anthony
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p.1 #11 · Looking for lens recommendation

For my 20D, I found I used the 17mm setting on the 17-85 a whole lot.
Primes are nice but if you want wide for indoors some of the zooms give you a much wider view for a lot less than a really wide prime. For indoors, I would say look at the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, if I still had a crop body I would get that lens. as it's a lot cheaper than the 16-35 and is a lot faster than the 17-85

Jan 06, 2009 at 10:05 PM

jvarszegi
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p.1 #12 · Looking for lens recommendation

danmitchell wrote:
I could be wrong but I'm guessing that the same notions that now lead you to think about primes only (e.g. - that was great advice in the past) may also have led you to start out with 50mm lens... which is really no a very useful general lens for most shooters on a cropped sensor camera like yours.

Absolutely false.

Jan 06, 2009 at 10:12 PM

Hey.Underpants
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p.1 #13 · Looking for lens recommendation

the problem with zooms, well my problem with them, is that you can't always get away with 2.8. But if you can, then go for it.

Jan 06, 2009 at 10:14 PM

python2000
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p.1 #14 · Looking for lens recommendation

If sticking with Canon: 18-55 kit, and 35 f/2.

Buy used. If you look around can probably get both for a total of $250. You will be able to resell at same price you paid for them, if you don't like them. The newer IS kit is actually very sharp when closed down. The 35mm will give you more light than the zoom.

Primes have several benefits: smaller form factor, typically wider apertures, usually faster focus. At wide apertures you get more light and less DOF, but at wide angles, the DOF is never very thin anyway. If you want wide, sharp, and big aperture you are talking lots of money.

Jan 06, 2009 at 10:36 PM

dowmathis
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p.1 #15 · Looking for lens recommendation

danmitchell wrote:
Unless you have a really, really, good reason for limiting yourself to primes, I urge you to...

... not stick to primes. At least not at first.

I could be wrong but I'm guessing that the same notions that now lead you to think about primes only (e.g. - that was great advice in the past) may also have led you to start out with 50mm lens... which is really no a very useful general lens for most shooters on a cropped sensor camera like yours.

If you want to keep your costs down, cover a very useful focal length range on your...Show more →

Thanks for the advice, Dan. The reason that I'm using a 50mm right now is that when I got into shooting digital, I already had a Canon Rebel 2000 slr and two lenses. I kept the lenses and sold the body and ez series flash. So that left me with a 50mm 1.8 series I lens and a 75-300 f4-5.6 IS USM zoom. Since getting the 20D, I've picked up a 100mm f2.8 macro and a metz 54mz-3 flash (thanks, dswiger, for the great flash). So now you know WHY I'm using the 50mm. As for why I want to stick with primes... It's something that I want to try, and so far, I'm really enjoying using the "foot zoom" a lot. I'm not averse to going with a zoom lens, and I've read that the kit lens w/ IS is a good lens, but I'd like to try to get along without it for now. Does that mean that I might have to work harder to get good shots? Probably, but at this point, I'm having a ball with it, so it's not "work" at all.

Whew, that was long-winded of me, wasn't it?

.

As for those who have mentioned the tamron 17-50, I thought seriously about that one before deciding to stick with primes, and I might pick one up sometime in the future, if the price is right. I know that they
re available online for a decent price new, but I've read that Tamron can have quality issues, so the only way to try out one or several locally is through the only camera shop in San Antonio, and they charge full retail ($499). Sorry, but that's out of my budget by a pretty good chunk right now.

Egad! I got even more long-winded. Guess I'll stop for now, at least on this post.

Thanks,
dow

Jan 06, 2009 at 11:42 PM

dancam
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p.1 #16 · Looking for lens recommendation

Hi dow, sounds like you're on a similar path as myself, just a few steps behind. Most people who are familiar with photography on any level beyond a point and shoot camera understand the basic differences between zooms and primes. Zooms offer an obvious advantage in convienience and, to me, that is all. Don't get me wrong, I do currently own three excellent zoom lenses that I wouldn't trade for anything. However, primes are that difference between some guy standing there taking pictures and a photographer. Everyone, knows that for the most part prime lenses are faster and sharper than most zooms at a given FL. The true hidden value in primes is that they force you to compose your shot and think about the subject/background relationship. They make photography fun and creative! I don't need to explain all this to you as you already stated you were more interested in primes anyway, just food for thought. So, on to your real question about which lenses to choose. Obviously budget is a concern, but before thinking about that, think about what type of shooting you will primarily be doing. If all you need is just a little bit wider to fit your subject then the 35 f/2 will do nicely. However, if you plan on having just a few primes in your lens collection I would go wider. Remember, you are shooting digital, so cropping and adjusting is easy. Personally, I would look at the 24 f/2.8 or possibly the 28 f/1.8. They are both relatively cheap and image quality is decent for the price range. Sorry, I wrote a novel here but, I hope it helps happy shooting

Jan 07, 2009 at 12:27 AM

mh2000
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p.1 #17 · Looking for lens recommendation

For me, the 35/2 pairs nicely with the 50. 35 *is* significantly wider than the 50 on a crop camera, essentially you are comparing a classic "normal" lens to a "portrait" lens... no, a 35 is not a "wide angle" lens, even on FF. A second cheap little lens is the 28/2.8... optically I think it is better than the 28/1.8... but it is obviously a stop slower and not as slick looking (doesn't show in photos though).

I've sold my expensive zooms... love shooting primes... do what you love!

(I have no interest in shooting any more events... I guess if I found myself in a position where I had to to eat, I'd buy another zoom...)

Jan 07, 2009 at 02:04 AM

philber
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p.1 #18 · Looking for lens recommendation

The reason why I suggested a 35mm rather than a wider lens is that Dow mentionend shooting bonsai trees. A 35mm will give him all the width he needs for that and more, IMHO, and besides it is a very useful "general-purpose" FL to complement a 50mm. True wide angles, such as the 24mm f:2.8 can come later.

Jan 07, 2009 at 03:31 AM

Allan Bruce
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p.1 #19 · Looking for lens recommendation

I would recommend the Sigma 28mm f/1.8. Its a great lens - reasonably sharp wide open, great bokeh (much nicer than the canon equiv) and is pretty cheap (half the price of the Canon!). This will give you a reasonably wide alternative to the 50mm and it gives good low light performance. This shot was taken with mine on a 30D in almost pure darkness, f/1.8 ISO 800

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/3078114904_4f9132e138_b.jpg

Jan 07, 2009 at 04:14 AM

dowmathis
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p.1 #20 · Looking for lens recommendation

Allen: Great picture of a future Jedi

. However, I think I'll try to stick with Canon for the time being.

Everybody: Okay, Lots of great advice here. I think that I'm looking at either the EF 24mm 2.8 or the EF 28mm 2.8, unless I can find a really good deal on the EF 28mm 1.8. If you were given the option of buying one of these three lsnses, which one would you choose, providing pricing and condition was the same for all three?

Oh yeah, and a related question... What are your thoughts on keh.com?

Jan 07, 2009 at 12:59 PM

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