Lens Dilema - Canon 7D - Driving me nuts!

bl0at3r

bl0at3r

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3,883
Name
Alan
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi, Great forum, should have joined up ages ago :cuckoo:

I have been driving myself insane!

Kit as of the beginning of last week:

40D Body
17-85 IS USM
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 1.8 Nifty Fifty

Have also had, but sold, a Canon 55-250mm & a Canon 100mm Macro

Kit as of yesterday:

7D Body
40D Body
17-85mm IS USM
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 1.8 Nifty Fifty

Up until last week, I was just going to get some L glass for my 40D. However, doing what I usually do, I changed my mind and blew the budget on a 7D Body. :lol:

So now I need to sell the 40D Body and the 17-85mm lens (which I felt was always too slow and too soft) and buy a decent main/walkabout lens for the 7D

Hopefully the Sigma and the 50 are consdiered to be good lenses for the 7D? or i'll be selling those too!

I mainly take a lot of wider stuff than telephoto - so what should I looking to get? the faster & wider the better and it has to bring out the best in my 7D

Recommendations and advice greatly appreciated
Thanks
 
EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS all the way for me. A great walkabout on my 7D. The other recommendations will be the 24-105 F4 IS and the 17-40 F2.8.

The 24-105 would be fine as you've got the 10-20, but if you want fast with IS then I think the best contender is the 17-55. It's not an L lens, and does not have the build quality of the L either. Apart from that, I find it spot on all round. I have looked at a culling of my lens to get the best I can ready for retirement, never thought of dropping or changing this one.
 
I made exactly the same upgrade as yourself (selling the 40D and 17-85mm for a 7D). The absolute best general purpose lens for the 7D is the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. However that lens comes with a high price tag ~£700, and something like the Tamrom 17-50mm f/2.8 will give better value and very good results.

If you can afford £700 get the 17-55mm F/2.8. If your budget is less, look at the Tamron 17-50mm (non IS) for ~£260 or the newly released Tamron 17-50mm VR (IS) for ~£350.

I have the 17-55mm IS, and it is a big step up from my old 17-85mm.
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Very useful, as I was thinking of the 24-70L f2.8 as my 1st choice, closely followed by the 17-40L f4.0 or the 24-105.

Hadn't considered the EFS 17-55 - this is a crop lens isn't it? not that I intend to upgrade to Full Frame anytime soon :shake:

Pricewise the 17-55 seems slap bang in between the 17-40 and the 24-70
 
The 17-55mm is indeed a crop/EF-S lens. Many compare it to the 24-70mm L in terms of IQ, but it cannot match that lens for build quality. The IS and wider angle of the 17-55 are what makes it the best option for Canon crop sensor.

edit: I have also owned a 24-105L and prefer the 17-55mm's extra stop of brightness over the extra reach and build quality offered by the L. The IS also seemed better on 17-55 vs the 24-105, although that may have just been my well worn 24-105. One thing that really annoyed me with the 17-55 was the lack of hood and pouch which really should be included at this price.
 
I'm in the same position. The 24-105 is a lovely lens and prefer the slightly richer colours it produces over the 17-55 but it's not wide enough when it really matters on a 1.6x crop body.

So my first choice is a 17-55 F/2.8 IS, then a 17-40 F4 L

Saying that you have the Sigma 10-20 for your wide needs, so it doesn't matter so much which you go for
 
I have yet to take the plunge and purchase the 7D although I am very close!! I recently upgraded from the 17-85 to 24-105L on my 40D and also have the Sigma 10-20. IMHO they complement each other well-it may be worth checking how many pics you actually take wider than 24 before making the final decision-I did and was suprised!! There are some very good deals to be had on "white box" 24-105L which make it very good value, and you cannot beat L build quality(or residual value)!

Oh and welcome to TP and enjoy the 7D!!!:)
 
my vote goes with 15-85, very handy focul range and very good IQ.. Only downside is the f3.5, but if you dont need super fast glass to freeze action, it has IS to help keep static things sharp. Build is superb also. (yes I have one for my 7D :) )

playing with wireless flash

4138831435_4e0c83588f_o.jpg
 
It's a tough one... as always with Canon's lineup, there doesn't seem to be a single lens that has all the features you want. The main contenders are, without doubt,

1) 17-55 IS
2) 24-105L IS
3) 24-70L
4) 17-40L

My choice was the 24-105 - it offers IS, constant f/4 (which I found was not too bad for a walkaround), has quite a large focal range and also the flexibility of being usable when upgrading to full-frame. However if you don't care about the full-frame then the 17-55 is the clear choice. For me, the 24-70 was too heavy, and the 17-40 wasn't long enough.
 
Canon EF and L lenses, eg 17-40L and 24-105L, are designed for full frame. And brilliant they are too. But when used on a crop camera they waste most of that coverage and do not take advantage of the optical benefits that are possible with shorter lenses designed specifically for the cropped format, eg EF-S 17-55 is f/2.8 and has IS, EF-S 10-22 is impossible to build with full frame coverage. Full frame lenses can't compete with that spec. Both are at least as sharp as any L lens but although well made they are not L build quality.

At longer focal lengths the optical benefits of the smaller cropped format are minimal which is why Canon doesn't make any longer EF-S lenses (neither Nikon) but sub-50mm or so EF-S lenses offer more.
 
Thanks again

Am leaning toward the 17-55 - I'm pretty sure I *need* a 2.8 lens - just love that dreamy bokeh :love::love:

That dog shot is great :thumbs:
 
Know I will be shot down in flames here, but after trying out a few lenses I settled on a Sigma 17-70mm
Only 2.8 at the wide end, but its the ideal focal length and produces lovely sharp pics

A few other people on here also recommend it and might be worth a try given its reasonable price.
I too have a 10-20 and the build quality on the 17-70 seems the same to me, not sure why its not branded an EX model, keeps the price down though.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Know I will be shot down in flames here, but after trying out a few lenses I settled on a Sigma 17-70mm
Only 2.8 at the wide end, but its the ideal focal length and produces lovely sharp pics

A few other people on here also recommend it and might be worth a try given its reasonable price.
I too have a 10-20 and the build quality on the 17-70 seems the same to me, not sure why its not branded an EX model, keeps the price down though.
Click to expand...

I had a 17-70, yes very nice lens for the money, but 2.8 lasts till 18mm or something lol and the IQ isnt a patch on the 15-85 ;) not to mention the extra reach at both ends ;)

The thing about "needing" 2.8 is that you must think about having a camera capable of very high quality higher iso, I think thats why canon went with the 15-85 at 3.5, less weight, smaller size (its not a small light lens though btw)... There are lots of comparison shots posted with the 17-50 and 24-105 against the 15-85, worth a look as the 15-85 comes out very well on many of the comparisons.

I was thinking ot 17-40 + 7D, but decided on 15-85 after seeing so many great examples and 17 is wide, but 15 allowed me to sell the 10-20 sigma I had as I used it mainly around 15-18mm and only occasionally used it at 10 and distortion was then an issue, ok if thats the shot you wanted, but for buildings and large groups of people its not ideal :)

The build is fantastic too, this really breaks the old ef-s mould... really nice bokeh and very narrow dof when you want it ;) ef-s suggests cheap kit lens, but believe me this is a new era for ef-s.....

Can you tell I'm impressed with it lol :bonk:
 
I would suggest if your budget allows then get L glass every time. The 24-70 f2.8 is pure class, the 24-105 even on a crop sensor is an amazing lens, I have owned both and still have the 24-70.

other option of non Canon lenses would be the Tamron 17-55 f2.8 and Tamron 28-75 f2.8 both quality lenses.

Camera's come and go but glass is for life so buy the best you can afford. if you get the 24-70 f2.8L you will have a lens that you will keep forever
 
Marac said:
I would suggest if your budget allows then get L glass every time. The 24-70 f2.8 is pure class, the 24-105 even on a crop sensor is an amazing lens, I have owned both and still have the 24-70.

Camera's come and go but glass is for life so buy the best you can afford. if you get the 24-70 f2.8L you will have a lens that you will keep forever
Click to expand...

:agree:

L lens are definately the best!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top