Lens advise for 450D

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bodis

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Hi,

This is my first post here as I have at last decided to ask for some advise rather than keep reading and getting more and more confused.

1 year ago I have bought Canon 450D with 2 kit lenses. I must say I was struggling to achieve what I wanted but got content anfter a while, 3 months later got a 50mm 1.8F... and hasnt taken it off my camera since.

At last I have decided to get one of the L lenses but need some advise on this.

I have almost decided to go for 17-55 IS, but read too many concerns regarding build of this lens and decided that I dont want to spend £800 that might not last that long.

Then I have thought about 24-105 F4 L, but there are a few reviews that mention that its not too clever with crop frame cameras.

So the more I read the more confused I got and dont know what to do anymore.

I could really do with some advise as to what lens to get for 450D. I am thinking on fixed F zoom lens, about £800, and I am not planning to upgrading to full frame in near future. My main photography would be shots of my 2 kids round the house, parks and walks and holiday landscapes etc.

Many thanks for your help.
Bodis
 
Firstly, welcome to the forum

The 17-55 is an excellent lens and is very well thought of, I was in a similar position to you earlier this year and personally plumped for the 15-85mm which is slightly slower but has the extra reach, i am pretty happy as im pretty sure i made the right choice

The 24-70 or 24-105mm are both designed for a full frame camera and not a crop such as yours and you could find yourself hankering for something a bit wider

Stephen
 
From what i read I believe that its an amazing lens, but isnt build quality little low for £800?

And are there any L lenses that would work great with 450D or are all L's directed at full frame?

Thanks
 
POAH said:
Nothing wrong with the build quality of the 17-55 IS lens
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I have never heard many bad things about it either, just to confirm you are not mixing it up with the 17-85mm
 
I'm using a 24-105 on a 500d and love it!

What you lose at the wide end you gain at the long end, which I find more useful. If you need something for the wide end, you could always get a 10-20 too :D

The difference L glass makes is incredible compared with the kit lenses.
 
I have never really understood the 24-70 and 24-105 isn't good on a crop sensor body. Yes you loose the wide end but if your style is getting in close then that doesnt matter. I may be wrong but your using the central area of the lens which is supposed to be the better area no problems with vignetting or soft corners etc?
I have spent the last 2 years using the 24-70 and 70-200 on a 450D and a 500D producing great images I did buy the 10-22mm as I like close up wide photography also so I didnt really have the loss at the wide end issue.

If you are wanting the L lens then 24-what ever will be a great lens you adapt your shooting to use it by taking a step or 2 back most of the time you can do that. If you want the wider end and a high quality image then you can't go wrong with the 17-55 f/2.8 the issue with build quality isnt an issue it is becasue people compare it to the tank like quality of the L lenses and it isn't an L lens, some say it is in all but build quality. Have a look in the classified section and see what pops up, or speak to Kerso he has good prices on lenses I have bought 6 items from him in the past and he provides a great service.
 
I have a 17-55 f2.8 and its on a crop body, it's a lovely lens build quality is ok but not quite L series glass in build but the glass and quality of the images it can produce is !!!! It shoots great hand held in low light and is quick to auto focus.

Some users have reported dust problems but I have had this lens for over 2 years and it's fine. Why not rent one and try it out :)
 
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Why not also go and have a look at a Tamron 17-50 (non VC), F2,8?
I was in pretty much the same situation as you when I bought my 450 in 2009 and in the end opted for the Tamron. (Due to available budget, however, the Canon 17-55 was not on my shortlist).
Having now sold my 450 to my brother, the Tamron remains on my 50D as my walkabout lens and I remain very happy with it.
 
Sorry. Having re-read your original post, my previous reply may not be rellevant as I see that you are looking to buy a Canon "L" lens.
 
Thanks for the comments, after reading all this I am sort of leaning towards 24-105, at least if in a year or so I decide to go full frame it will be a good investment.
 
The 17-55 f2.8 is reputed to have 'L' glass in it which is why the IQ is so nice.

I had a 24-105mm f4L on a 40D and found that to be a most excellent lens. 24mm is my favourite focal length and i find it OK (Just) for my wide angle shots. However someone did a test and found the centre of the 24-105 to be as sharp as the 18-55mm IS kit lens!! Dunno how true that is and it's just one persons opinion. The 24-70 will be excellent but expensive and heavy for such a light camera. I have the Tamron 17-50 on my 550D and it's excellent. I will at some point get the 24-105 again as it is such a nice lens and the IS works very well. The 15-85 is another great lens.
 
For a walk around lens I found 55mm on the original kit lens wasn't long enough. I use a 24-105 (first on a 450D and now 7D), I rarely want anything wider for general use.
 
bodis said:
Thanks for the comments, after reading all this I am sort of leaning towards 24-105, at least if in a year or so I decide to go full frame it will be a good investment.
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I don't understand why people make lens purchases on the basis of "what if I change to full frame in the future". How many people actually do change to full frame? Very few probably. Buy a lens that suits the body that you have now, you can always sell it if and when you change to full frame. The 24-105 is an excellent lens but, depending on what you photograph, it is long at the wide end. I had one and kept having to change it with my 10-22, which became quite annoying. So I sold it and got a 15-85, which is an excellent lens with no loss of image quality compared to the 24-105. Also the 10-22 has rarely seen light of day since.
 
Jackwow said:
I don't understand why people make lens purchases on the basis of "what if I change to full frame in the future". How many people actually do change to full frame? Very few probably. Buy a lens that suits the body that you have now, you can always sell it if and when you change to full frame. The 24-105 is an excellent lens but, depending on what you photograph, it is long at the wide end. I had one and kept having to change it with my 10-22, which became quite annoying. So I sold it and got a 15-85, which is an excellent lens with no loss of image quality compared to the 24-105. Also the 10-22 has rarely seen light of day since.
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:agree:
 
I'd suggest having a look at your needs first. You say you have two kit lenses, so i'm assuming you have a couple of basic zooms covering from 17-250 ish between them? Before you bought the 50mm 1.8, how often did you find yourself changing lenses to get the extra reach? Did it bother you, or were you happy to 'plan' for which lens would be best suited for a given scenario? Have a look through your catalogue of pictures and find out what focal length you shoot at most. Is it above or below 55mm?

I ask as you've rightly pointed out you have a couple of options in the 17-55 and 24-105. The 24-105 obviously has the extra reach, and may be more useful to you if you found you were often swapping lenses for that little more length, or your catalogue shows a leaning towards a focal length above 55mm. If not, then the 17-55 may be more suited if you shoot wider, and the majority of the catalogue is under 55mm. You might also like having the extra width for landscape photography too if you're into it.

Its down to what YOU need for YOUR circumstances that you have to consider. Do you want wide, or long? (There's a joke in there somewhere)

Obviously its never that simple, and you also have to take into consideration whether you want the constant f2.8 of the 17-55 or the f4 of the 24-105? Personally, I like shallow depth of field and find having those extra stops really useful when taking pictures of the kids indoors, so went with the 17-55.

When it comes to quality, both lenses are top drawer and I wouldn't look too far into one being an 'L' and one not. Optics wise the 17-55 is superb, and both will blow your kit lenses out of the water so if I were you i'd push that argument way down the list and concentrate on which focal length/aperture best suited my needs.

If you didn't want to spend quite as much, I'd suggest the Sigma 17-50 f2.8 OS. Its Sigma's version of the 17-55 (with a little less reach) but is priced at about £570 brand new. It also comes with a hood/case and longer warranty than the Canon equivalent, its also a little lighter. Over on POTN its been getting some rave reviews for its quality.

Hope this helps.
 
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My 15/85 mm is never of my 7D I have four other lens from 50 mm to 300 mm, but the 15/85 is used 85% of the time. it will be the best lens you could buy for your need.

Good luck.
 
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