Lenses: Your Personal Favorite???

saurora · March 12, 2006

I'm getting close to purchasing a new camera. Canon, Nikon...I'm still undecided. :dunno Today I have been researching lenses. I know I am going to want one of everything!!! :rolleyes My photography interests are varied... portraits, landscapes, whatever catches my eye. I am obviously just an amateur and will probably stay one. I know for certain I will want a wide angle, a good walk-about lens for landscape as well as portaits, and a long lens for birds, etc. Oh...and something for macro. Anyway, there are so many choices and I am uncertain what capabilities these different lenses have. I am wondering what is your very favorite lens and what types of shots do you use it for? Perhaps post an example of one of your favorite shots taken with that lens that best depicts the results you are looking for from this lens. This would help some amateurs (like me) to see a variety of shots showing what different lenses can accomplish all in one post. Thanks for your ideas! Postscript: Forgot to add that I hate flash, love natural light and almost always shoot hand-held.

gus · March 12, 2006

No question for me...the Canon 400mm F/5.6 prime.

Example :

one

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four

five

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seven

eight

nine

annnnnd 10

I love it as its a prime lens so what you see through the lens is what you have to work with & it makes you work your eyes & brain. Its very sharp at f5.6 & lightning fast at Autofocus. For a 400mm its light & reletively cheap.

My way of thinking. Anyone can put a 50-300 mm lens on & shoot to that variable length lens but with a prime you have to aim & see whats interesting in the subject like a flaming exhaust on a race car verses the whole car.

oh...i forgot to mention. You can shoot stuff thats a looong way away & from what ive been told, they handle a teleconverter well for more distance being a prime.

wxwax · March 12, 2006

Tough.

My favorite isn't so much a focal length as it is speed. A 1.2 or a 1.8 really helps in the low light of a club.

Thusie · March 12, 2006

I'm pretty new to this, will wade in anyway:):

Bang for the buck I adore my 70-200 f4. Fun and I have walked around for hours with it and the 20D holding both with just the handstrap (would not be with out one) on the camera. Should note I have small hands for what that is worth.

The EF-S, said I would never buy one, 60 f2.8 macro. Super sharp if I hold up my end.

Also have the 17-40 f4, super nice don't use it as much as I should probably.

the 400f5.6, don't have it, will soon. The only problem I can see with that lens would be operator error.

I persoanlly found the 50 f1.8 to be a bit long for what I want inside (1.6 crop body). I think the 35L would be just the ticket, no money for that yet.

Here is my smugmug site and most everything on it has been taken buy one or the other above.

http://thusie.smugmug.com/

Richard · March 12, 2006

I don't have a lot of experience with many lenses, but FWIW I am very happy with my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 as a walkaround lens. You can see samples here, including candids, indoors shots without flash, a night shot and a stroll through the park. Any softness in those pics is purely the fault of the photographer.

There are a few pics in the last page of that gallery that were shot with a Canon 70-200 f/4L, another great lens but being a city rat, I use it less often.

The Tamron is well made and a real bargain for the price. You can also get it in both Canon and Nikon mounts. Lots of other Dgrinners seem to like it as well.

Cheers,

Bob Bell · March 12, 2006

My favorite lens by far is the 28-70/L. I use it for portraits and advertising.

Sam · March 12, 2006

saurora wrote:

I'm getting close to purchasing a new camera. Canon, Nikon...I'm still undecided. Today I have been researching lenses. I know I am going to want one of everything!!! My photography interests are varied... portraits, landscapes, whatever catches my eye. I am obviously just an amateur and will probably stay one. I know for certain I will want a wide angle, a good walk-about lens for landscape as well as portaits, and a long lens for birds, etc. Oh...and something for macro. Anyway, there are so many choices and I am uncertain what capabilities these different lenses have. I am wondering what is your very favorite lens and what types of shots do you use it for? Perhaps post an example of one of your favorite shots taken with that lens that best depicts the results you are looking for from this lens. This would help some amateurs (like me) to see a variety of shots showing what different lenses can accomplish all in one post. Thanks for your ideas!

This is a very open ended question. I would ask you a few more questions. Do you have a camera now? Is this your first SLR type camera? What is your budget? I would recomend first choosing a camera system (brand), then evaluating a body that you think will meet your known needs. Then try maybe one zoom lens in the 17mm to 85mm range. Use this to get to know your camera and see where your looking for more than that lens can provide. Don't buy everything at once when your not sure what it is you need. Start with one camera, and one lens and see where it leads you. Then when you start adding lenses and other equipment you will know why your buying it, and have an intended use for it.

Good luck,

Sam

Stan · March 12, 2006

Bob Bell wrote:

My favorite lens by far is the 28-70/L. I use it for portraits and advertising.

Superseeded by the 24-70mm f/2.8, so if you can live with out the extra 4mm width at the wide end, a second hand example will save $$$. Plus it is built like a tank

Stan

DanielB · March 12, 2006

the 17-40 is an L lens. it has the build quality and the picture quality to prove it. on a crop camera like the 20D it would be a 27-64. great walk about lens. and wide enough for most landscapes... then you could get a 50 1.4 for some portrait stuff, and a 70-200 f/4 for some of the farther out stuff... i just got this lens a week or two ago and am absolutly in love with it.:D

then you would have 17-200 covered very nicely, with only a few marginal gaps.

ziggy53 · March 12, 2006

saurora,

My favorite "kit" is a Sigma 18-50mm, f2.8 for the short end, and the venerable Canon 70-200mm, f2.8, for a bit longer. While this doesn't give complete coverage, the disparity is not too bad and I can probably move/reposition enough to compensate. I greatly appreciate both the speed of these lenses and their flexibility. They both have great bokeh wide open and are both fanatically sharp by f5.6.

I use both a Canon 50mm, f1.8 and a Pentax 50mm, f1.4 for really low light stuff, and the Pentax is so creamy smooth wide open, similar to the Canon equivalent at a fraction of the price. (Of course the Pentax isn't nearly as convenient, with manual focus and preset aperture, and requires an adapter just to fit.)

Look at your own work to see what it is that you shoot and how you shoot. Make your initial purchase against your own experience, and grow from there.

Best,

ziggy53

Red Baron · March 12, 2006

My favourite lens are the following Canon lenses:

50 f/1.4 - razor sharp, great low-light performer, silky smooth bokeh
24-105 f/4 IS - my walk around lens, light-weight (for an L), contrasty and sharp.
70-200 f/2.8 - ranks as one of the best zoom lenses Canon has ever produced. I have a Canon 1.4 teleconverter to give me extra reach with this lens (can't justify bigger glass). On a 1.6 body this gets me to 448mm.

I'm looking to round out my collection with an ultra-wide, probably the Tokina 12-24.

Sorry, I don't have any picture samples handy, I'm at work.

: By the way, you're on the right track looking at glass first. Having bought and sold many lenses over the past 10-years or so, if I had to do it all over again, I'd forget buying consumer glass and jump straight to the quality glass - it would have been cheaper had I done this from the get-go.

Thusie · March 12, 2006

Sam wrote:

Start with one camera, and one lens and see where it leads you. Then when you start adding lenses and other equipment you will know why your buying it, and have an intended use for it.

Good luck,

Sam

saurora this is really excellent advice! What might be someone elses favorite lens, and with good reason, could end up setting unused in your bag.

gluwater · March 12, 2006

Personally I love the Canon 50 f/1.4. It can be a little long indoors on a 20D sometimes but the low light ability more than makes up for it.

Red Bull · March 12, 2006

I really love my 70-200 f4 L. It's so sharp even wide open. Not really heavy at all.

I will be getting a 17-40 L very soon. From all the samples I've seen it looks like a very nice lens.

ginger_55 · March 12, 2006

I like the long and the short. Like Sid, I am also liking large apertures.......

My favorites have to be the 16-35L 2.8 Canon, as I have a Canon 20D. And the 400L 5.6. If I could only own two lenses, those would be the two. I liked my 17-40 a lot, but I must say that being able to open up the 16-35 a few more stops is very nice. Makes some things possible that may have been impossible.

I don't have as much use for the mid range lenses. I have been using my 70-200L f2.8 the last few days, but usually, it is the long or the short, depending on what I am doing.

ginger

Jeffro · March 12, 2006

70-200l F2.8 Is
I really love my Canon 70-200L F2.8 IS, it is a work horse! I shoot a lot of motocross racing with it, and it performs great under all conditions. I even use it for family shots, despite it's somewhat heavy weight. If you carry it all day, you will know it. Here is a shot of my daughter singing at a recent high school concert, that I took with the 70-200 attached to my Canon 20D at ISO 1600. It was a dark auditorium, and shot with available stage lighting....high school stage lighting:D

This was the first time I shot at ISO 1600, and it turned out pretty good.

My second favorite is the Canon 17-40L F4, it is great, superb quality, clarity, color.....well everything.

Good luck....as there are plenty of choices!

saurora · March 12, 2006

Humungus wrote:

No question for me...the Canon 400mm F/5.6 prime.
I love it as its a prime lens so what you see through the lens is what you have to work with & it makes you work your eyes & brain. Its very sharp at f5.6 & lightning fast at Autofocus. For a 400mm its light & reletively cheap.

My way of thinking. Anyone can put a 50-300 mm lens on & shoot to that variable length lens but with a prime you have to aim & see whats interesting in the subject like a flaming exhaust on a race car verses the whole car.

Humungus: Thank you for responding and taking time to post some great shots. That's exactly what I was reaching for. I really applaud your viewpoint towards using a prime lens vs. a variable. I had never thought of it in that way, but wondered what the different advantages would be other than the obvious cost factor. So you might not get the shot you were looking for, but it makes you look at things "differently" and maybe you will get shots you never would have before you "learned to use your brain". Awesome. I forgot to mention that the majority of my shots would be handheld so the weight and speed of the lens would be a major consideration for me as well as cost. Thanks again!

saurora · March 12, 2006

Thusie wrote:

I'm pretty new to this, will wade in anyway:):

Bang for the buck I adore my 70-200 f4. Fun and I have walked around for hours with it and the 20D holding both with just the handstrap (would not be with out one) on the camera. Should note I have small hands for what that is worth.

http://thusie.smugmug.com/

Thanks Thusie...I have not bought a camera yet. Was disappointed to find I did not feel comfortable holding the 20D. It felt like I was going to lose my grip and drop it!! So I was more taken by the Rebel XT which seemed a better fit for my hands. Interestingly, a week later I was at another store looking for the Nikons to "try on". I picked up the 20D again and it didn't feel so strange. Perhaps it was just larger than I was expecting. It helps to know you can carry these around comfortably as well.

saurora · March 12, 2006

rsinmadrid wrote:

I don't have a lot of experience with many lenses, but FWIW I am very happy with my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 as a walkaround lens. You can see samples here, including candids, indoors shots without flash, a night shot and a stroll through the park. Any softness in those pics is purely the fault of the photographer. There are a few pics in the last page of that gallery that were shot with a Canon 70-200 f/4L, another great lens but being a city rat, I use it less often.

The Tamron is well made and a real bargain for the price. You can also get it in both Canon and Nikon mounts. Lots of other Dgrinners seem to like it as well.

Cheers,

rsinmadrid: Thank you for observations. I had a Tamron zoom with my old Fuji SLR (back in the days before digital!!!! Yeah,,, way back then). They do make nice lenses and I am checking them out as well. You have a nice site, by the way, I have visited it before!

saurora · March 12, 2006

Sam wrote:

...Do you have a camera now? Is this your first SLR type camera? What is your budget? I would recomend first choosing a camera system (brand), then evaluating a body that you think will meet your known needs. Then try maybe one zoom lens in the 17mm to 85mm range. Use this to get to know your camera and see where your looking for more than that lens can provide. Don't buy everything at once...

Good luck,

Sam

Thanks for replying Sam. I used a Fuji SLR years ago which sits in the closet these days. Using a Canon Powershot S80 at the moment but ready to buy a real camera.

I've heard both advice......pick a system first...pick the glass first. I haven't narrowed down the camera yet, which is why I decided to look at glass and see if that steered me in any direction. I don't really have a budget because of a recent inheritance. But, I am just an amateur and don't feel I need to acquire the very, very best either! Your thoughts about buying one lens at a time I definitely agree with!!!

saurora · March 12, 2006

Molsondog wrote:

Wonderful bokeh and the VR is a real help with lower light conditions. It's a big honker but well worth the effort to lug it around.

I've read about this lens. Another thing I forgot to mention, is that I like using natural light vs. flash and I almost always shoot hand-held. In addition, as I am getting older, it is getting more difficult to hold the blankety-blank camera steady!!! Especially if the lens is heavy! All considerations to take into account. Great shot by the way, thanks for posting an example!

saurora · March 12, 2006

Bob Bell wrote:

My favorite lens by far is the 28-70/L. I use it for portraits and advertising.

Thanks, Bob...I wondered about this lens for portaits. Will check it out some more.

saurora · March 12, 2006

Stan wrote:

Superseeded by the 24-70mm f/2.8, so if you can live with out the extra 4mm width at the wide end, a second hand example will save $$$. Plus it is built like a tank

Stan

Thanks, Stan...guess I could give up the 4mm and step back a few feet???:D Second hand may be a consideration for a lot of people just starting out like me who don't know what they want.

saurora · March 12, 2006

wxwax wrote:

Tough.

My favorite isn't so much a focal length as it is speed. A 1.2 or a 1.8 really helps in the low light of a club.

Wxwax: Thank you for reminding me of 2 important things. First, I forgot to mention I hate flash! I don't use it. I love natural light. Also shoot mostly hand-held. So speed is a major consideration here for low-light situations. Really nice shots!

Again, thanks for the reminder!

blackwaterstudio · March 12, 2006

My favorite and possible the sharpest lens in Canon's Lineup, the Canon 135L f/2

saurora · March 12, 2006

DanielB wrote:

the 17-40 is an L lens. it has the build quality and the picture quality to prove it. on a crop camera like the 20D it would be a 27-64. great walk about lens. and wide enough for most landscapes... then you could get a 50 1.4 for some portrait stuff, and a 70-200 f/4 for some of the farther out stuff... i just got this lens a week or two ago and am absolutly in love with it.:D

then you would have 17-200 covered very nicely, with only a few marginal gaps.

Thanks DanielB. I'm defnitely "longing for a long" lens!!! I'll check out the L lens you're so enamored of!!!

saurora · March 12, 2006

ziggy53 wrote:

saurora,

My favorite "kit" is a Sigma 18-50mm, f2.8 for the short end, and the venerable Canon 70-200mm, f2.8...appreciate both the speed of these lenses and their flexibility... both have great bokeh wide open and are both fanatically sharp by f5.6.....

Best,

ziggy53

Fanatically sharp and great bokeh...not to mention speed and flexibility. Sounds like a winning combination! Thanks for your input, Ziggy!

saurora · March 12, 2006

blackwaterstudio wrote:

My favorite and possible the sharpest lens in Canon's Lineup, the Canon 135L f/2

This is a length I have not looked at (yet!). Have to admit these are really sharp shots, as are most of the work I have seen you post. Thanks for your recommendation.

Bob Bell · March 12, 2006

wxwax wrote:

Tough.

My favorite isn't so much a focal length as it is speed. A 1.2 or a 1.8 really helps in the low light of a club.

Sid. that pool shot is awesome. Very nice use of B&W.

saurora · March 12, 2006

Red Baron wrote:

My favourite lens are the following Canon lenses:

50 f/1.4 - razor sharp, great low-light performer, silky smooth bokeh
24-105 f/4 IS - my walk around lens, light-weight (for an L), contrasty and sharp.
70-200 f/2.8 - ranks as one of the best zoom lenses Canon has ever produced. I have a Canon 1.4 teleconverter to give me extra reach with this lens (can't justify bigger glass). On a 1.6 body this gets me to 448mm.

I'm looking to round out my collection with an ultra-wide, probably the Tokina 12-24.

Sorry, I don't have any picture samples handy, I'm at work. : By the way, you're on the right track looking at glass first. Having bought and sold many lenses over the past 10-years or so, if I had to do it all over again, I'd forget buying consumer glass and jump straight to the quality glass - it would have been cheaper had I done this from the get-go.

RedBaron: Thanks for dropping in. I appreciate your descriptions (contrasty and sharp, etc.) on each individual lens. This helps alot even though you were unable to post examples. You also mentioned the Tokina 12-24 which I was wondering about the different off-brands as well as the Canons/Nikkors. I'm glad to hear you feel I am on the right track looking at glass first. I agree forgetting about the cheaper glass, except maybe for a specialty lens you might not use too often. I'm sure I will make some mistakes buying lenses that won't serve my purposes ... it doesn't matter how hard I research I still make a lot of wrong purchases!! But every one's advice will certainly help.

Owen · March 12, 2006

I ended up getting the 24-70 f/2.8L and the 70-200 f/2.8L.

At one point I thought about the 17-40 f/4L and the 50 f/1.4, but I combined those lengths and price for the 24-70.

I LOVE my 20D.

Lenses: Your Personal Favorite???

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