Canon 24-70 f2.8 Mk1 v MkII v Tamron 24-70 Di 24-70 f2.8 VC

Mr Perceptive

Mr Perceptive

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I have amongst my cameras a Canon 6D, with only a couple of lenses (the 24mm f2.8, and 50mm f1.8), now my partners daughter has got some gigs to shoot where she has a press pass (she is not a professional but enthusiastic amateur), and later in the year my brother has a wedding to shoot (as an amateur)

I'm considering one of the following lenses
  • Canon 24-70 f2.8L Mk1 (around £650 s/h)
  • Canon 24-70 f2.8 MkII (around £1400 new)
  • Tamron Di 24-70 f2.8 VC (around £750 new), has optical stabilisation - might be very useful in poor gig lighting
I'm not adverse to spending the money if I get a better lens, but I suspect that its not twice as good!!

If anyone has any experience of one or more of the above lenses then I would be interested in hearing the comments.
 
I use the Tamron on a 6D and and love it. The build quality is very good, VC works as well as IS on any Canon lens I have used, AF is spot on, and IQ is extremely good from wide open.

It is not as well built as the Canon's and lags slightly behind the II in terms of ultimate IQ, but the VC and price made it a good choice for me.

Digital Rev are selling the Tamron new for £619, and HDEW for £625. Amazon are £706 if you want an official UK one.
 
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I read a review somewhere from one of the rental companies comparing these lenses. Bottom line is that the 24-70f2.8II is the sharpest lens full stop. The other two are very comparable.
 
I've used the 24-70 MKI and MKII from Canon.

I much prefer the MKII - the MKI isn't great wide open (which is where you'll need it in low light). I did like the way the MKI lens retracts when zoomed to 70mm though - it makes the lens hood more effective.

The MKII is super sharp wide open.....but....I sold mine. Why? I use the more flexible 24-105 for group shots at weddings and then use primes which are much faster for low light,

My wedding set-up (which would be great for gigs too) is 24-105 f/4 (mostly for group shots), 70-200 f/2.8 II, Canon 35mm f/2 IS, Canon 50mm f/1.2

If I could only have one lens it would be the 50/1.2. I love it and prefer the rendering style to the fabled 85/1.2.
 
I know this isn't answering your question (sorry), but...

Had you considered a longer lens, such as a 70-200mm, to compliment the two lenses you already have?

While a 24-70mm covers the 'safe' range of focal lengths in one convenient package, I find it my least used lens. An additional longer lens would give you a kit offering an excellent range of focal lengths suitable for most subjects, especially press and weddings.

Just a thought.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Thanks for the comments

Longer lens is on the cards at some point. a new Tamron 24-70 and a s/h Canon 70-200 f4 cost about the same as a new Canon 24-70 II...Food for thought.....
Click to expand...

A 70-200 f/4 (non-IS) is near useless in low light unless you are exposing with flash.
 
You can get both the Tamron 24-70 VC and Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 VC (or a Canon 70-200 f/4 IS) for a similar price to the Canon 24-70 II on its own.

The Canon is indeed a great lens, but is the extra cost really justified if photography is not your day job? Only you can answer that.

The 6D's low light performance will allow for decent shots with an f/4 lens, although faster is always better when light is at a premium. My choice would be to get the Tamron 24-70 now, and add the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 when funds allow.
 
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If considering an f4, I can highly recommend the Canon 24-70f4ISL.

I am very rarely amazed by the abilities of lenses but this one really impresses.

It is really sharp across the frame and the IS works to about 3-4 stops.

It also has a x0.7macro mode which would be jolly useful for detail shots at weddings.
 
Yep, ISO 6400 and even 12800 are very acceptable on the 6D. I find my 6D to have almost 2 stops advantage over my 7D, so f/4 can still provide good results within dim condition. I tend to set auto-ISO to 3200 on my 6D vs 800 for the 7D, but will raise both values if shutter speed drops too low.

My prefered low-light combo is 6D + Tamron 24-70 VC. It replaced my 24-105L, which suffered from higher vignetting and poorer IQ at f/4 than the Tamron does at f/2.8. The Tamron & 6D are a great combo, and mine stay mated together for most of the time. I also own a 50mm f/1.4 but that rarely gets used due to the more useful range and excellent VC on the Tamron.
 
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