Lens info
choudhrysaab
Registered Users Posts: 249 Major grins
My question is regarding Canon lenses. Does anyone know if they only use two different type of "glass" - one for EF and other for EF-S or do they have various blends of glass for their lenses. Obviously I know they wouldn't put professional quality glass in an EF-S lens but is it possible that some of their EF-S lens contain better quality glass than others? I'm asking this because I'm thinking of purchasing an EF-S lens (since I took Matt's advice and sold my EF lens 24-105mm) and wondering if the glass used in 15-85mm lens is better than the 18-200mm lens (that comes with 60D kit).
Thanx in advance.
Thanx in advance.
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Also, the 17-55 is often considered a "professional" lens. For crop sensors, many people get it instead of the 24-70 (17-55 is about 24-70 in 35mm terms). The build quality of the 17-55 isn't "L", but the image quality could easily be considered "L."
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Please correct me if this is a misconception.
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The Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM is a "constant-aperture" lens and it is fairly well controlled for distortion at the wide end. It's also very sharp at maximum aperture at all focal lengths. All of this adds up to considerable extra "control" over DOF as well as the ability to use the lens throughout it's range without concern for quality.
The f2.8 maximum aperture also activates the high-precision capabilities of most Canon cameras for the center AF. This means that AF will be better even if you stop down.
The optical formula of the lens is very "L" like, meaning that Canon has no better optical formula for that particular range of focal lengths in a zoom lens. Color aberrations are extremely well controlled.
The only real potential downside of the EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8IS is that it cannot mount on a full-frame (FF) camera body (5D series, 1Ds series). For Canon crop 1.6x camera bodies there is simply no better lens at that focal length range available.
I have one and it is one lens that I rely on and would replace immediately if anything happened to it.
For landscapes I highly recommend a 3-4 lens lineup. For Canon crop 1.6x bodies I recommend:
1) A "super-wide" zoom lens in the 10-20mm-ish range for "vista" landscapes.
2) A Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM as the "standard" zoom, capable of wide-angle through moderate telephoto.
3) A Canon 70-200mm, the EF 70-200mm, f4L IS USM for maximum portability with extremely high quality, or a Canon EF 70-200mm, f2.8L IS USM II for the advantages of the larger aperture. (Better DOF control, lower light efficiency and activating the high-precision sensor of the AF.)
Optional 4) a genuine macro prime lens of 90mm to 180mm. This can be used for extremely high resolution landscapes as well as close-focus and macro applications. (Flowers, bugs, etc.)
I often also bring a 500mm for landscapes to allow distance compression where appropriate.
Throw in a lightweight tripod and a panoramic head and a flash, and you are set for almost any opportunity in a landscape expedition.
Start with the super-wide and the standard zoom lenses and you can cover 70-80 percent of what you need for landscape situations. (Vista landscapes through standard-angle landscapes.)
If you think that the Canon 17-55mm, f2.8IS is expensive, wait 'till you check out the Nikon Nikkor 17-55mm, f2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX. It is also a "crop" lens (Nikon calls those lenses "DX" lenses) and it does not have IS, but it's even more expensive than the Canon equivalent.
Of course it is an extremely nice lens to use and it has a better build quality than the Canon.
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EF-S type lens like the Sigma 17-50 2.8, Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon 17-55 2.8, etc. are specially designed for the smaller crop sensors and (surprisingly) have better image resolution than many of the comparable lens designed for older full frame models
The 17-55 is an excellent EF-S lens. The constant 2.8 aperture combined with a really good zoom range, is a perfect "all-in-one" lens for Canon shooters. If you have any interest, I have one listed for sale here for a friend.
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I wonder if the quality of the glass in Tamron lens is as good as Canon, looking at the price.
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Zoom Lens - $1,269.00
Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens for Canon - $879.95
Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC ASL IF Lens for Canon - $579.95
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I'm Canadian "eh"!
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Bottom line- as long as you take good care of it, and as long as your shooting needs don't require boat-loads of shallow depth, then this lens will be the best all-around lens on the market. Especially for backpacking, or vacation / travel, the 15-85 is the best option where weight, size, and price are concerned. And yes, that means I'd recommend it over the 17-55 EF-S too. Sure, you could do well with the 17-55 2.8 if you were mostly a portrait / photojournalism photographer, or better yet a full-frame camera and something like a 24-105 L, or a 24-70 2.8....but you'd be adding a pound or three, a couple / few thousand bucks depending on the body you use, and not really gaining THAT much extra image quality as far as general nature / travel / adventure photography is concerned.
You did mention that you're considering use for outdoor / landscape etc. type of photography, and that is why I'm gonna go ahead and say that the 15-85 is by far your best choice.
Of course, keep in mind that it's still classified as a "walk-around lens". In your pursuit of hardcore photography, you'll probably eventually be adding other gear to your bag. However, even so I don't consider the 15-85 to be a "stepping stone" or a waste of money. Even if I had all the expensive lenses and bodies I could want, I'd still hold onto a lens as awesome as the 15-85; coupled with a camera like a 60D it simply makes the best lightweight travel camera on the market today.
=Matt=
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I'm gonna see if there's anyone selling their used 15-85mm lens or maybe try out Sigma/Tamron lens in that range.
Usually every year in mid October Henry's photography store puts together a show where all the major Camera companies come together to display their latest and greatest so I'll be going there to try out some of these lenses.
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--Ian
=Matt=
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