Hey Paul, I would recommend either go with the 24-105 F4 ISL or go with the 70-200 F2.8 IS L I guess it just depends on what you think that you would use more
A note on the 70-200 F2.8 vs F4 - with what everyone is saying about the 5DmkII, you'll easily get that extra stop in ISO. So if you don't need the shallower DOF, save the money, weight, and size and get the F4 IS version. It is superb!
I have the 5D, and have a 17-40F4, which is a great wide angle lens, an older 28-70 F2.8L, and the 70-200F4L IS. You could get that whole line up for your $2k if you buy used. It covers good range, plus gives some extra low light in the middle range.
Obviously zooms suit my style a lot more than primes, so the answer may be different for you.
rhorta wrote:
5D2 + 24-70/2.8 + 70-200/4 IS + 50/1.4
This will cover nearly everything, but the ultrawide.
The 24-105/4 IS is a nice GP, but if limited I'd go for the 24-70 as your main GP zoom.
Ruy
+1
This is a great set-up that you can grow from. You'll eventually want to get a 35L, and if you need longer faster reach, the 200 2.8L is very good bang for the buck (and a great size). You will will always want to hang on to those two zooms because they are a great travel kit when combined with a 50 or 35 prime. I found that I outgrew the 24-105L very quickly as it didn't quite compete IQ wise with the set-up above.
Well since your going for something like the 5D MKII your going to want some decent glass. You mention the 70-200 F4 which is a great lens, i have it and it is a great lens but its not an indoor/low light lens at all. I have been using the 20D + 17-40/70-200 F4L + 35 1.4, 85 1.8 and 1352 F2L for many years now. I like having the mix of zooms and primes. The zooms i tend to use when there is plenty of available light and the primes when the light is low. The primes are definitely better when it comes to contrast, saturation and sharpness. The first thing i would do is work out what range you use the most often and definitely get something very good in this range. The 35 1.4L and 135 F2L really is a stunning combo. With a body like the 5D on the wide side if you want zooms then i would be thinking of one of the following - 16-35, 24-70 or 24-105.
There's no sense in blowing your load all at once. Start with the 24-105L and see where your limitations are and go from there. The cool thing about L lenses is that they hold their resale value well, so use it for a while and if it sucks, sell it for close to what you paid for it.
