Starter Lens(es) for Canon 7D

pth

I have a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket and am getting close to picking up a Canon 7D and spending about the same on glass to put in front of it.

I have used a Canon G2, G10, but want to play with bigger toys now. I shoot indoor/outdoor sports (my kids basketball, volleyball and soccer), family portraits and landscapes (have an RV will be shooting Yellowstone this spring and possibly the Grand Canyon this fall. Oh by the way I love the zoo.

Feel free point to a different body, I am not committed to the 7D, just leaning that way.

Thanks

Candid Arts

I would look into the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS and the Canon 17-55 f/2.8.

However that's a bit more than your looking to spend I think... Someone else can chime in on third party brands for this and their models. Look at Tamron and Sigma. However I'm partial to the actual Canon lenses.

But those are roughly the focal lengths I would look into for what you're shooting.

DigitalMom

I guess the best place to start would be your budget.

Are you wanting wide angle, zoom, fixed focal?

pth

Canon 7D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM

Together they are over my budget (don't want to go over 4k right now), especially if I add in a filter, flash etc. At this point I am thinking I might setup with just the 17-55 and wait (till my wife calms down :-) before I invest in the zoom. I would go with only the 70-200, but that is a lot of lens to always carry around.

If I am correct the 17-55 would provide about a third of the "zoom" I am used to on the G10 (28-140mm)?

Thanks

Candid Arts

pth wrote:

Canon 7D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM

Together they are over my budget (don't want to go over 4k right now), especially if I add in a filter, flash etc. At this point I am thinking I might setup with just the 17-55 and wait (till my wife calms down :-) before I invest in the zoom. I would go with only the 70-200, but that is a lot of lens to always carry around.

If I am correct the 17-55 would provide about a third of the "zoom" I am used to on the G10 (28-140mm)?

Thanks

I honestly think that with what you're mainly shooting (sports and portraits), the zoom of the 70-200 would be more beneficial for your first lens. I think the 17-55 is going to not be enough as soon as you start shooting any of the sports you mentioned...

pth

Candid Arts wrote:

I honestly think that with what you're mainly shooting (sports and portraits), the zoom of the 70-200 would be more beneficial for your first lens. I think the 17-55 is going to not be enough as soon as you start shooting any of the sports you mentioned...

You are probably right, now I have to butter up my wife , because I think I need both, I am not sure I can lug the 70-200 around when we are camping and chase three kids and/or use it effectively around the house...

Pupator

pth wrote:

You are probably right, now I have to butter up my wife , because I think I need both, I am not sure I can lug the 70-200 around when we are camping and chase three kids and/or use it effectively around the house...

Go for the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and either the Canon 70-200 or the Tamron (or Sigma) 70-200 f/2.8. You're not doing anything that requires instant focusing so I think you'll be happy with the Tamron version of the 70-200. I know you'll be happy with the Tamron 17-50; everyone is.

DigitalMom

Pupator wrote:

Go for the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and either the Canon 70-200 or the Tamron (or Sigma) 70-200 f/2.8. You're not doing anything that requires instant focusing so I think you'll be happy with the Tamron version of the 70-200. I know you'll be happy with the Tamron 17-50; everyone is.

Thats funny because I wasn't. I shot both the Sigma and the Tamron before buying the Sigma. But I've heard of people loving the Tamron.

I got the 28-135 f/4-5.6 (or maybe its a 3.5, can't remember) with my 7D and it's been a great lens. It's a nice walk around lens and I've had no problems with it at all.

That's always an option too. Yes while it's nice to have the L glass, some times the budget doesn't allow it.

pth

Thanks for all the advice so far. After talking with a friend, he suggested the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime as a second lens. This would give me low light around the house and a nice compliment to the big zoom (for a price I can live with today). Any thoughts? Am I missing something I will regret (in less than say 6 months)?

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens
Hoya 52mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I still need a good bag and memory. Does anyone know how big is raw and/or raw+jpeg image are on this camera (that is how much compact flash would I need to shoot my brains out for one day :-)?

Thanks again

GwagDesigns

RAW files run up towards 24 megs and Jpegs as high as ~6. I bought a 8 gig for mine dedicated to video, but Id suggest if your just in it for pictures I'd get a couple high speed 4 gig cards. SanDisk Extreme III's are going for 25 each right now.

ziggy53

pth wrote:

Thanks for all the advice so far. After talking with a friend, he suggested the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime as a second lens. This would give me low light around the house and a nice compliment to the big zoom (for a price I can live with today). Any thoughts? Am I missing something I will regret (in less than say 6 months)?

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens
Hoya 52mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I still need a good bag and memory. Does anyone know how big is raw and/or raw+jpeg image are on this camera (that is how much compact flash would I need to shoot my brains out for one day :-)?

Thanks again

Unless you use the 50mm, f1.8 at f5.6 I'm afraid focus accuracy suffers pretty badly. You can use Live View and manually focus, which is a valuable technique too, but if you want autofocus capability I cannot recommend that lens.

Better by far is the EF 50mm, f1.4 USM. I've used that lens wide open, where focus is very thin, and focus accuracy is very good indeed. It does suffer from soft corners wide open and a little halation as well, but by f1.8 those are largely gone.

I'm sorry to keep spending your money for you but the lens above really is that much better and I recommend the f1.4 version.

If you plan to use the 7D for indoor family and event work a standard zoom is preferable to a prime and the 50mm will seem pretty long indoors.

While the Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM is ideal, and I use it a lot for paying event work, the Tamron 17-50mm, f2.8 XR Di II is fairly reasonable and very high quality optics. A standard zoom does not replace a fast prime lens, but the versatility of a fairly fast zoom is very valuable.

At very least the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM can deliver very good image quality at a very reasonable price. You would absolutely want an external flash with a focus assist light with this lens indoors.

Speaking of flashes, the Sigma EF 530 DG Super in Canon E-TTL II is worthy and capable. I have 4 - Sigma Super flashes and I like them a lot.

I also highly recommend the use of flash modifiers.

You can create your own light modifiers (DIY). A couple that I can recommend are:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

Joe Demb also makes an interesting device for sale (reasonable):

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/

I own a FlipIt product and it works well and is very well made.

A site showing various modifiers in use:

http://www.the-meissners.org/2006-small-albums/2006-flashmod/index.

waygard33

pth wrote:

Thanks for all the advice so far. After talking with a friend, he suggested the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime as a second lens. This would give me low light around the house and a nice compliment to the big zoom (for a price I can live with today). Any thoughts? Am I missing something I will regret (in less than say 6 months)?

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens
Hoya 52mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I still need a good bag and memory. Does anyone know how big is raw and/or raw+jpeg image are on this camera (that is how much compact flash would I need to shoot my brains out for one day :-)?

Thanks again

I know you're after the body only but for $200 more, you get the camera with the 28-135 kit lens. I was originally going to buy the body only but while looking at my lens collection, I realized I couldn't pass up the $200 lens which is less than 1/2 the price of the lens alone. Since then, I've found that I like the kit lens for now and it compliments my 70-200 zoom in terms of range.

I still plan to purchase the 17-55 in the future but pretty happy with my $200 lens in the mean time.

Wayne in Oregon

codrus

I dunno exactly what your budget is, but a couple other possibilities occured to me:

7D, 17-55, and 70-200 f/4 IS instead of f/2.8? You'll lose a bit for the indoor sports, but the f/4 is supposed to even sharper than the f/2.8.

17-55, 70-200 f/2.8 IS, and a used 50D? There's a case to be made for spending the money for new gear on the stuff that holds it value the best (glass) and buying the depreciating gear (camera bodies) used.

The 70-200 f/2.8 IS II was recently announced (but not shipping yet, AFAIK). In a month or two, there may be bargains to be had buying original version of this lens on the used market from people who wanted to upgrade.

Personally I don't think I'd go with any of the cheaper EF-S zooms in place of the 17-55. The 50/1.8 autofocus is inadequate for chasing kids around the house, in my experience.

--Ian

DigitalMom

pth wrote:

I still need a good bag and memory. Does anyone know how big is raw and/or raw+jpeg image are on this camera (that is how much compact flash would I need to shoot my brains out for one day :-)?

Thanks again

I had a 4G card with my 40D and then when I bought the 7D, bought an 8G card with it. I only shoot RAW, no JPG, and on the 4G card I can get about 200 pictures on it. With the 8G, it's around 350-375.

Since it sounds like you would mainly be carrying around your gear for landscape shots, any of the LowePro slingshot bags would work good. I have the Slingshot 100 and now it's a little small for me but I can fit the 7D body, and 2 lenses. Usually my 100mm macro and my 17-40 but I've had my 28-135 in there with the 17-40 also. Has a small pocket at the top that my flash fits perfectly in.

Brett1000

pth wrote:

Thanks for all the advice so far. After talking with a friend, he suggested the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime as a second lens. This would give me low light around the house and a nice compliment to the big zoom (for a price I can live with today). Any thoughts? Am I missing something I will regret (in less than say 6 months)?

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens
Hoya 52mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I still need a good bag and memory. Does anyone know how big is raw and/or raw+jpeg image are on this camera (that is how much compact flash would I need to shoot my brains out for one day :-)?

Thanks again

I wouldn't bother buying the filter for the 50mm, (it already hunts enough without a filter!) . Also consider the 18-55IS zoom or Tamron 17-50 2.8 you may find using the 50mm and 70-200 very restrictive indoors!

Hojman

Surprised no one mentioned the Canon 24-105mm f/4. Seems like it would be a good all around lens. Kinda short for sports and slow for indoors but heard its a great overall lens.

pth

Pushed the budget up to ~5 and am planning on waiting on a new tripod (I have a cheaper unit, not great but usable) and an external flash. Which gets me to something like:

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus Lens
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Lowepro SlingShot 100 AW Camera Bag (might be tight but should be a good choice, not sure if I should get the 200)

Probably going to pickup a 32G CF card, I only have some old/small/slow CF, been all SD for a while, anyone have any experience using an Eye-Fi card in a CF adapter? I really like my Eye-Fi for pure connivence, but have been spending more time doing raw processing so its utility is somewhat diminished.

Thanks again for all the great ideas, do you guys get a kick back from BH Photo?

ziggy53

pth wrote:

...

Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus Lens
Hoya 77mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Multi-Coated Glass Filter
Lowepro SlingShot 100 AW Camera Bag (might be tight but should be a good choice, not sure if I should get the 200)

...

That sounds like a very satisfying kit. I am not that familiar with the Lowepro bags so hopefully someone will chime in with some experience.

pth wrote:

...

Probably going to pickup a 32G CF card, I only have some old/small/slow CF, been all SD for a while, anyone have any experience using an Eye-Fi card in a CF adapter? I really like my Eye-Fi for pure connivence, but have been spending more time doing raw processing so its utility is somewhat diminished.

...

I would suggest several 8GB cards instead. 8GB fits fairly nicely onto a dual-layer data DVD without much trouble and individual cards really can fail. A couple of years ago my father zapped a card with static and lost everything on the card (which was also not backed up at all.)

pth wrote:

...

Thanks again for all the great ideas, do you guys get a kick back from BH Photo?

We have some wonderful representatives from several amazing vendors who are members of DGrin, but no, we get no monetary or other consideration for our recommendations of their respective firms.

My own recommendations are from years of purchase "and" after-sales experience and I can vouch for both B&H and Adorama and several other vendors here as well. These folks deserve respect because of their high level of service and respect for their customers.

Jekyll & Hyde

Another take

pth wrote:

I shoot indoor/outdoor sports (my kids basketball, volleyball and soccer), family portraits and landscapes

J: There certainly are a good number of workable solutions here.

H: Based on your shooting requirements, I'd recommend the 85mm f1.8 for the indoor sports (50mm f1.4 if you're closer, 100 f2 if you're further away). You'll need the extra stop of shutter speed at most venues!

J: The 50 or the 85 (if you have the room) will also work very well for portraits (candid or formal). If you're indoors (kicking about the house), the faster shutter speeds will come in very handy here too.

H: Look at the 70-200 f4L or 70-200 f4L IS for outdoor sports (seeing how you desire something more compact than the f2.8 version). 200mm can be a bit short though for soccer (depending on size of field).

J: For landscapes, you could get by with the lowly 18-55 (either flavor). If you're handholding, then the IS version would come in very handy. Get the 15-85 IS if you want more range (as a walk about), or the 17-55 IS if you want max IQ. You'll likely be stopping down for landscapes though, so any of these lenses would work well.

H: If you're gonna be using flash for your indoor candids, then one of the zooms could be a lot more useful than a fast prime.

J: I'd also recommend skipping the "Protective" filters. Instead, use your lens hoods religiously.

Good luck,
J&H

Gringriff

For sports shooting you may not really need the IS. I love my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 non-IS (great lens) and have really enjoyed and used the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-IS.

I still use the 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8 when it is just too dark for the 2.8s and I can not use flash.

But for indoor parties, social events. and family gatherings where bounced flash works well you will want the zoom of something like the 17-50 (55) over a prime. Sometimes it is difficult to back up enough to get four or five people (full or 3/4 body) in a shot with the 50mm prime unless you are in a large room.

Andy

HelenOster

Message from Helen at Adorama Camera

ziggy53 wrote:

My own recommendations are from years of purchase "and" after-sales experience and I can vouch for both B&H and Adorama and several other vendors here as well. These folks deserve respect because of their high level of service and respect for their customers.

Thank you, Ziggy; I really appreciate being able to be present on Digital Grin to be able to assist with after-sales advice or support for members.