what is the big difference between std to L series lenses

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Promocapture

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I am newish to photography , I have been doing it for about 3 years but this year is the first year to buying my own kit.

I have been spoilt that my company I work for (not photography) has alot of tog equipment that is able to loan , mostly 1D mark II and mark III and 1Ds Mark II and mark III (well i'll be lucky to get the 1Ds MARK III boss has that lol)

has a range of L series lenses main one I use is 16-35mm f2.8 L

but I want to have my own Lens now

what is the best lens to get to come close to an L series that isn't L series money

what are the main difference's with quality / speed etc

should I just wait for a decent second hand one on ebay ???
 
Price?

Its when you take the lenses to their limits.. you either get the shot or don't. I think theres plenty of people who will give better explanation than I have!
 
You'll need to give a bit more detail to get the best answer, as it all depends on what sort of focal length/range you are looking at? otherwise there is just too much choice.
 
I was told the sigma come close second but reading on here some say that this is not the case
 
Hawker said:
You'll need to give a bit more detail to get the best answer, as it all depends on what sort of focal length/range you are looking at? otherwise there is just too much choice.
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well I am mainly and event photographer at music festivals for dance music , but I do the odd model shoot every now and then say once or twice a month,

main lenses I would look for would be 16-35 or close

24-70 or close

has to be f2.8 because of the low light situations
 
Youll not go wrong with a 50mm f/1.8 though the focal length might be a little limiting but its only £75 new

Promocapture said:
I am newish to photography , I have been doing it for about 3 years but this year is the first year to buying my own kit.

I have been spoilt that my company I work for (not photography) has alot of tog equipment that is able to loan , mostly 1D mark II and mark III and 1Ds Mark II and mark III (well i'll be lucky to get the 1Ds MARK III boss has that lol)

has a range of L series lenses main one I use is 16-35mm f2.8 L

but I want to have my own Lens now

what is the best lens to get to come close to an L series that isn't L series money

what are the main difference's with quality / speed etc

should I just wait for a decent second hand one on ebay ???
Click to expand...
 
with a 50mm lens I wouldn't be able to get a shot this close though

4577_91050815705_644375705_2377700_4624442_n.jpg


this was a 1D Mark III with 15 mm fish eye

I know i won't get fish eye effect but I need to get more of the shot on the 50mm would be too close

this was 16mm on a 450D so about 24mm (not full frame sensor)
9022_138081215705_644375705_3077078_6599141_n.jpg
 
When you say "not L money" What do you mean? Do you mean you have 200 quid or 500 quid?
 
would happily spend up to 400 at a push 500 quid must be F2.8 though

I have used the 17-40mm F4 and it just doesn't cut it in the crazy lighting in clubs/festivals
 
L series lenses give you:-
Fantastic optics
Excellent tank like build quality
Best autofocus
Fast max aperture

Generally for non L Canon and other manufacturers lenses you can pick two of the above.
 
Ok so waiting for a cheap L on ebay or winning the lottery is defo what I need to do then

I really don't see the point in paying 400-500 quid for the sigma 24-70 2.8 when sometimes you can get a L on ebay for about 500
 
L is just a letter.

Don't choose a lens based upon the marketing, choose what you need. There are a number of lenses such as the 17-55 f2.8 or the 10-22 for example that can suit ones needs more than any of the L range. There are some fantastic Tamron, Sigmas and non-L canons. (Yes the canon L range is fantastic on the whole, you pay for it and they do not always fit your needs.)
 
Gold said:
L is just a letter.

Don't choose a lens based upon the marketing, choose what you need. There are a number of lenses such as the 17-55 f2.8 or the 10-22 for example that can suit ones needs more than any of the L range. There are some fantastic Tamron, Sigmas and non-L canons. (Yes the canon L range is fantastic on the whole, you pay for it and they do not always fit your needs.)
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if only I could afford a full frame camera ... just about to upgrade my 450D to either a 50D or a 7D

looking through posts on here I think I am more suited to the 50D so might has some dollar left over for a lens
 
if only I could afford a full frame camera ... just about to upgrade my 450D to either a 50D or a 7D
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What about looking for a 2nd hand 5D, Seen some good ones go for around £750 lately,
Best thing I ever did was to buy a FF camera. Nothing wrong with APS sensors (I still have a 20D for back up) but FF suits me much better and have found many others say the same.
 
I understand the whole full frame is better but it baffles me with the amount of features summit like the 7D has why I would go for an old 5D it makes no sense to me... please explain...
 
Finbd a good quality 17-55 Canon second hand....you will be pleased you did
 
slats said:
Isnt that EFS and he has a non EFS body?
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this is for my efs body not my work camera , I have plenty of work lenses to use that would cover every possible need, I am spoilt in that way.

I just wanted to invest in my own so for when I couldn't use a work camera

I just picked up a new 50D today ... was going to get the 7D but though by the advice on here a better lens is better than a better body
 
Promocapture said:
I just picked up a new 50D today ... was going to get the 7D but though by the advice on here a better lens is better than a better body
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Good camera but a puzzling choice because you said:

Promocapture said:
well I am mainly and event photographer at music festivals for dance music , but I do the odd model shoot every now and then say once or twice a month,

main lenses I would look for would be 16-35 or close

24-70 or close

has to be f2.8 because of the low light situations
Click to expand...


I'd have thought a 5D would have suited you more (or a 5D Mk2 with it's high ISO)
 
I don't own any L series lenses but as far as I know the advantages are weather sealing, sturdy build and good glass. Weather sealing and sturdy build don't really interest me as I'm just an amateur and very careful with my kit. Good glass interests me as do the aperture and zoom range.

The lenses I own which I believe could compete with L lenses on the basis of image quality or offered features are -

Tamron 17-50mm f2.8.
Sigma 12-24mm.
Sigma 20mm f1.8.
Sigma 50mm f1.4.
Canon 50mm f2.5.
Sigma 150mm f2.8.
 
Byker28i said:
Good camera but a puzzling choice because you said:




I'd have thought a 5D would have suited you more (or a 5D Mk2 with it's high ISO)
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why would i need more than 1600 in reality ... any more and it would be to much noise, only time I maybe use more would be crowd shots without flash

5D is too slow 5D mark II i wish out of my current price bracket
 
I would have considered a second hand 5d if its low light work. The low noise at High ISO would be a real winner for me, especially if you have lenses that only go down to 2.8

With regards to lenses, browse the sale forums here, you will get better quality products from the sellers here then you would do using ebay. The guys here are so genuine and i have never had a problem buying or selling
 
Promocapture said:
why would i need more than 1600 in reality ... any more and it would be to much noise, only time I maybe use more would be crowd shots without flash

5D is too slow 5D mark II i wish out of my current price bracket
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Because you wanted wide, but you've added a 1.6 crop into the equation.

I can't see how the 5D is too slow? 3 FPS shouldn't matter for club/portrait work.

5d mk2 is better at higher ISO, which gives you an extra stop to play with?

Since you've got the 50D, don't forget to change the default custom settings for Raw shooting to cut down on the noise.
Edit: Turn ALO and HTP off in the custom menues

Wide lens - well now I'd recommend the canon EF-s 10-22. Great lens, or step back and use the 50mm 1.4, but beware of the shallow depth of field at low f-stops.

This thread might be interesting for you:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=187575&highlight=settings
 
Answering the orginal question - for me the main advantages (for me) with L over standard optics are:

Colour reproduction
Build Quality
Sharp optics

I list Sharp optics last as there are many non-L's that are sharper than L's. For example, I like the sharpness of the 17-55 f2.8 IS, but the build quality feels poor to me for the cost, and the colours seem to need a PP boost relative to my 16-35 f2.8. Also when I (briefly) owned one I literally zoomed it in & and three or four times in testing and saw 3-4 pieces of dust appear (despite mounting a filter first!).

Phil
 
For a 50d, the 17-55 f2.8 IS would be a good purchase for this kind of venture
 
Byker28i said:
Because you wanted wide, but you've added a 1.6 crop into the equation.

I can't see how the 5D is too slow? 3 FPS shouldn't matter for club/portrait work.

5d mk2 is better at higher ISO, which gives you an extra stop to play with?

Since you've got the 50D, don't forget to change the default custom settings for Raw shooting to cut down on the noise.
Edit: Turn ALO and HTP off in the custom menues

Wide lens - well now I'd recommend the canon EF-s 10-22. Great lens, or step back and use the 50mm 1.4, but beware of the shallow depth of field at low f-stops.

This thread might be interesting for you:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=187575&highlight=settings
Click to expand...

I am a videographer , I use stop motion for videos also ,

also with artists moving about so much having rapid shot .. you can normally choose the best image of a bunch

another thing is because lighting changes so much so quickly you set up your camera and then the lighting changes by the time you change it again it could of changed back

so set the camera rapid shot until you produce the image you want

like this

IMG Copyright Promocapture.co.uk

5696_122802505705_644375705_2876999_655505_n.jpg
 
slats said:
seeing as you have a 50D then I have to agree :)
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Just checked prices and you can get a decent L series 16-35 for that

think I might go for a fixed 28mm f2.8 about 170 quid

and then wait for a decent 24-70 L series to come along for every thing else

I know what ya gonna say 24 is wider than the 28mm so might as well wait

your right ... maybe I will ... see what father crimbo may possibly bring :-D
 
It's not just about sharper, better built, faster apertures, but all of the above combined to give the image an extra something.

For example, the number of aperture blades and L Glass has Flourite elements coating on them, together it gives the image a much nicer bokeh and nicer colours. Sometimes its hard to put the finger on what it is, but you know it is something special when a photo is taken from an L to a non-L.

Sounds like black magic.....but take a photo with a 135mm at F/4 and then another photo with a 70-300 USM on the same focal length and aperture and you will see the difference.
 
Promocapture said:
I understand the whole full frame is better but it baffles me with the amount of features summit like the 7D has why I would go for an old 5D it makes no sense to me... please explain...
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err....because you said you'd like FF maybe!

And you'd have money over to put towards new glass perhaps........

Funny how we have different perceptions........I would never change by old 5D for a 7D. Each to their own though.;)
 
I own the 7d, and regularly use a 5d for feature work. Both cameras are lovely but it is all about which one fits your requirements. As someone else stated you wanted full frame, so the 5d would be my choice. In my opinion unless you are using the video, the features on the 7d won't be needed. You could get a 5d and a 16-35 for a little more than you'd pay for a 7d, giving you true 16mm wide lens at f2.8.
 
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