Which back up lens for photo shoots ?

Jwar1976

Jwar1976

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Hi all,

I currently have a 5D MK3 with the following lenses

50mm F1.8
100mm F2.8L
24-105 F4L
70-300 IS USM

I also have a 7D MK1 with a EF-S 10-18mm & 17-50 F2.8 EF-S fit

I have been doing quite a few photo shoots as of late with more coming in over the summer. Now while I love the sharpness of the 24-105 glass, I don't really want to depend on it too much, in case it fails on me again during a shoot, like it done late last year, in which I needed to have a new Aperture cable fitted. Thankfully it is under warranty until October this year, but should the problem arise again, I don't really want to wait for it to be repaired, for me to continue doing shoots with really sharp results.

I was wondering if anyone here can suggest a good sharp lens to have in my kit bag for head to toe shots, as well as top half shots with a nice bokeh ?

Many thanks
 
I think you already have the best lenses for your requirements and the addition of the Canon 85 mm coud be a good standby as suggested but if you're worried about the 24-105L failing again why not simply buy a second one as a standby?

That way you're covered and it would ease your mind even though it would mean doubling up on the lenses.
 
70-200 f4, back up the 24/105 with your 7D and 17/50 plus the 70/200 on the 5D3?
 
Raymond Lin said:
What kind of photoshoot?

I think the Canon 85/1.8 might be a great lens to add to your kit.
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I mostly do Alternative shoots like Gothic, so like to get head shots for the detailed make up, as well as full body shots to pay attention to the clothing that the model has chosen to wear. I have also been asked to do some beach shoots in the summer. Thanks for the heads up on the 85mm, in all honesty the only prime I was looking at, was something like the Sigma 35mm Art.

petersmart said:
I think you already have the best lenses for your requirements and the addition of the Canon 85 mm could be a good standby as suggested but if you're worried about the 24-105L failing again why not simply buy a second one as a standby?




That way you're covered and it would ease your mind even though it would mean doubling up on the lenses.
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I was considering another 24-105, or something like the Tamron 24-70 VC, but wasn't sure if it would be worth getting the 24-105 MKII or not, I have also heard that the Tamron 24-70 VC isn't that sharp, so that put me off.

MatBin said:
70-200 f4, back up the 24/105 with your 7D and 17/50 plus the 70/200 on the 5D3?
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Strangely enough I had been looking at the 70-200 F4 for other types of photography, I hadn't even considered it for photo shoots. :oops: :$

Thanks for all the replies :)
 
The Sigma 35 Art would work but it would be for different kind of shots. 35mm for shots with context, you can do full body shots with it, as you can with the 85. It depends on the look you are after.
 
petersmart said:
if you're worried about the 24-105L failing again why not simply buy a second one as a standby?
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I would not consider buying a second copy of a lens that is renowned for its unreliability as a solution. The EF24-105L aperture ribbon cable is a design fault that Canon knows about but they cannot be bothered to do anything to resolve this issue. There should be a recall notice on this lens.
 
Raymond Lin said:
The Sigma 35 Art would work but it would be for different kind of shots. 35mm for shots with context, you can do full body shots with it, as you can with the 85. It depends on the look you are after.
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Thank you very much for that information, I have had a look on some image sites and I see what you mean about the context with the 35mm.

redsnappa said:
I would not consider buying a second copy of a lens that is renowned for its unreliability as a solution. The EF24-105L aperture ribbon cable is a design fault that Canon knows about but they cannot be bothered to do anything to resolve this issue. There should be a recall notice on this lens.
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That was the thing that concerned me, while I got my 24-105L used in October last year, it only lasted a month before the fault reared it ugly head. This was really gutting for me as the money that paid for it, came from the inheritance that my recently deceased Dad had left me. I have done a search and have found an article dated 17th May 2017 that Canon have discontinued the following lenses.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

So looks like they have managed to shed all responsibility for the 24-105L MK1
 
redsnappa said:
I would not consider buying a second copy of a lens that is renowned for its unreliability as a solution. The EF24-105L aperture ribbon cable is a design fault that Canon knows about but they cannot be bothered to do anything to resolve this issue. There should be a recall notice on this lens.
Click to expand...

Whilst the aperture ribbon cable fault is a known issue with this lens, can it really be said that it 'is renowned for its unreliability'? When you think of how many 24-105L lenses Canon has made and sold (they were pretty much the standard kit lens for full-frame cameras and quite a popular 'walk about' lens too) I'm not aware of everyone who has bought one suffering this problem? Perhaps some of the pro-photographers who own this model lens and have given it heavy use can comment on this?

If I were in the OP's shoes I'd perhaps consider the Canon 24-70 IS L as an addition to my kit, and use this for the shorter-end range stuff, which would reduce the wear and tear on the 24-105L as you wouldn't be using it as much? There seems to be a chashback offer on the 24-70L at the moment, so it might be a cost-effective option? For instance: http://www.wexphotographic.com/cano...duct=1533870&gclid=COuZ2tu1l9QCFVAQ0wodorgHzQ (other suppliers are available and prices may vary). Anyway, perhaps it's an option idea for you to think about? Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. (y)
 
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Mr Badger said:
Whilst the aperture ribbon cable fault is a known issue with this lens, can it really be said that it 'is renowned for its unreliability'? When you think of how many 24-105L lenses Canon has made and sold (they were pretty much the standard kit lens for full-frame cameras and quite a popular 'walk about' lens too) I'm not aware of everyone who has bought one suffering this problem? Perhaps some of the pro-photographers who own this model lens and have given it heavy use can comment on this?

If I were in the OP's shoes I'd perhaps consider the Canon 24-70 IS L as an addition to my kit, and use this for the shorter-end range stuff, which would reduce the wear and tear on the 24-105L as you wouldn't be using it as much? There seems to be a chashback offer on the 24-70L at the moment, so it might be a cost-effective option? For instance: http://www.wexphotographic.com/cano...duct=1533870&gclid=COuZ2tu1l9QCFVAQ0wodorgHzQ (other suppliers are available and prices may vary). Anyway, perhaps it's an option idea for you to think about? Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. (y)
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Thanks for the advice on the 24-70 F4L, I will take a look next time that I am in WEX. :)
 
Jwar1976 said:
<snip>

So looks like they have managed to shed all responsibility for the 24-105L MK1
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There is nothing wrong with the 24-105L Mk1, and Canon has not shed any responsibility for it. It's a great lens, extremely popular, and with no more design weaknesses than any other similar lens. There are millions of lenses with flexi ribbons and sometimes they fail. Canon has simply updated it with the Mk2 and obviously discontinued the Mk1 - it can still be repaired, and will be for many years.

The Mk2 is better, but not hugely. Most Mk1 users, including me for the last eight years, have no plans to update, but there are lots of alternatives, and all very good or excellent quality: Canon 24-70/2.8 L Mk2 is king, or the handy f4 L IS version, or the good value 24-105 STM. Tamron's 24-70/2.8 VC is also highly rated, and Sigma's 24-105/4 OS is another very good option, reported to be very similar to the Canon 24-105 Mk2.

For back-up, your other lenses plus the 7D look very adequate in an emergency. Just looking at your outfit, though not knowing anything about your style, a 35/1.4 might be handy. Also upgrade the 50/1.8 to the excellent STM version, and I'd personally replace the 70-300 IS, maybe to the new version if preferably to the L :thumbs:
 
HoppyUK said:
There is nothing wrong with the 24-105L Mk1, and Canon has not shed any responsibility for it. It's a great lens, extremely popular, and with no more design weaknesses than any other similar lens. There are millions of lenses with flexi ribbons and sometimes they fail. Canon has simply updated it with the Mk2 and obviously discontinued the Mk1 - it can still be repaired, and will be for many years.

The Mk2 is better, but not hugely. Most Mk1 users, including me for the last eight years, have no plans to update, but there are lots of alternatives, and all very good or excellent quality: Canon 24-70/2.8 L Mk2 is king, or the handy f4 L IS version, or the good value 24-105 STM. Tamron's 24-70/2.8 VC is also highly rated, and Sigma's 24-105/4 OS is another very good option, reported to be very similar to the Canon 24-105 Mk2.

For back-up, your other lenses plus the 7D look very adequate in an emergency. Just looking at your outfit, though not knowing anything about your style, a 35/1.4 might be handy. Also upgrade the 50/1.8 to the excellent STM version, and I'd personally replace the 70-300 IS, maybe to the new version if preferably to the L (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on the Sigma and both the Canon 35mm F2 & Sigma 35mm Art look like gems to have. Strange you mention the 70-300 as I am also on the look out for a new Zoo lens, but something that has a bit more reach than my 70-300, so will be looking at more in depth reviews of the Sigma 100-400mm and compare it against the Canon 100-400 MK1 / MK2. I would have been interested in the 150-600 but I could barely hold it when I had a try out in WEX, so have to make do for the lighter lens, especially for places where they don't allow tripods. But that is a different story altogether.
 
70/200 f4 takes a 1.4 or 2 times converter well.
 
redsnappa said:
I would not consider buying a second copy of a lens that is renowned for its unreliability as a solution. The EF24-105L aperture ribbon cable is a design fault that Canon knows about but they cannot be bothered to do anything to resolve this issue. There should be a recall notice on this lens.
Click to expand...
Its true that is a known issue, but I've had mine now for 5 years without problems.
 
Jwar1976 said:
I guess it is just luck of the draw. @odd jim do you use your 24-105 as your main glass ?
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Pretty much, as it's so good and versatile and on a 6d the f/4 doesn't hold me back in low light. I do tend to use my prime trilogy a lot nowadays, 35mm f/2, 50mm STM and my 85mm.

I must say the 85mm f/1.8 is a stunning lens, especially on FF. I use it for portraits and street stuff [emoji3]
 
Wow that is a really great trilogy of primes, while I only have the 50mm 1.8 and the 100mm 2.8L, I have only mainly used the 100mm for Macro with a couple of portrait shots.
 
Jwar1976 said:
Wow that is a really great trilogy of primes, while I only have the 50mm 1.8 and the 100mm 2.8L, I have only mainly used the 100mm for Macro with a couple of portrait shots.
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It covers pretty much anything outside of the extreme (extreme wide and extreme long!).

On my next trip away I'm going to try and make do with just a 35 and an 85 [emoji3]

And I do love shooting wide apertures!
 
Jwar1976 said:
So with a 1.4 that would be 280mm on the 5D MK3 & 448mm on the 7D ?
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Yes, appeture effectively becomes 5.6 but both bodies will cope with that, actually 5D3 goes centre point to f8 so you could use 2x converter.
 
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odd jim said:
It covers pretty much anything outside of the extreme (extreme wide and extreme long!).

On my next trip away I'm going to try and make do with just a 35 and an 85 [emoji3]

And I do love shooting wide apertures!
Click to expand...

That would be an interesting but fun challenge to rely solely on primes :)

MatBin said:
Yes, appeture effectively becomes 5.6 but both bodies will cope with that, actually 5D3 goes centre point to f8 so you could use 2x converter.
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I will have to check for some sample images with the 2x and see how much IQ would be lost.
 
Jwar1976 said:
That would be an interesting but fun challenge to rely solely on primes :)



I will have to check for some sample images with the 2x and see how much IQ would be lost.
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Not much, depends how much you need to use a long lens and how much you are prepared to pay for one. 70/200 plus converter maintains weather seal.
 
MatBin said:
Not much, depends how much you need to use a long lens and how much you are prepared to pay for one. 70/200 plus converter maintains weather seal.
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Well in all honesty I would love to do more wildlife shots, after a couple of recent Zoo visits where they have had things like displays of birds of prey, I have started learning how to track birds and trying to capture them in flight. Whilst the results are currently too embarrassing to put on the web, I very recently found a guide of settings to use on both the 5D MK3 & 7D. So I would love to get into that more with visits to reserves, marshes, and places where they have other wildlife like Deer. where you do need the longer reach. The only other thing I would like to attempt is motor sport photography. While Wildlife & Motor sport photography isn't something that I would be looking to do week in, week out, it would be good to know that I have the equipment at hand for when I want to have use of it.
 
tricky situation
If the 24-105 is your staple, then something similar would be handy.
The sigma art 24-105 is good by all accounts.

I have the same bodies, and I dumped the 17-55 IS in favour of the Tamron 24-70mm Di VC which works on both cameras. (sold it since as I just now shoot with primes)
Also the canon 35mm f/2 is nice. On the crop it's a nice 50mm equivalent and on the full frame it's a good semi-wide.
So should the 24-105mm fail, then you would have 3 x primes (35mm for wide, 50mm for torso and 100mm for headshots) to cover the range and honestly, I just love primes through and through now, not sure why..I just do.
 
I must admit that on my 7D I did like using the 17-50 F2.8 for low light gig photography, how did you find the Tamron 24-70, was it sharp ?. Primes are great considering how cheap the Nifty Fifty was, it remains one of my favourite lens.
 
17-50 F2.8 EF-S...do you mean the canon 17-55? great lens. The 3rd party ones are 17-50 I think, Tamron and Sigma.
The tamron was great but just didn't have the feel I get for the primes. however, that could be just my bias. It was nice and versatile . Not light though. Comparable to the Canon L in image quality in price vs performance.
There are cheaper alternatives like the Sigma version I think.
 
DizMatt said:
17-50 F2.8 EF-S...do you mean the canon 17-55? great lens. The 3rd party ones are 17-50 I think, Tamron and Sigma.
The tamron was great but just didn't have the feel I get for the primes. however, that could be just my bias. It was nice and versatile . Not light though. Comparable to the Canon L in image quality in price vs performance.
There are cheaper alternatives like the Sigma version I think.
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The 17-50 F2.8 that I own, is the Tamron VC version, sometimes it preformed really well on my 7D, and other times it wasn't a good performer.
 
I don't think you need to buy anything really.

You have the 24-105L which [although I didn't like it!!] covers what you need & you also have 50mm & 100mm on full frame which is a good combination too should you need them.

Personally, I don't see the point of also sticking an 85mm lens in there but others may disagree. It's easy to have too much choice ;)
 
Jwar1976 said:
The 17-50 F2.8 that I own, is the Tamron VC version, sometimes it preformed really well on my 7D, and other times it wasn't a good performer.
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I see, when you said EF-s I thought you were talking about the Canon version, rather than the DC offering from Tamron

I had the non-VC tamron 17-50 too. nice lens but just missed the spot at a few critical intervals, so I traded it in for the canon 17-55 IS which is excellent and could be L glass if it wasn't for being cropped sensor only I think.

regarding the 85mm, it's really nice for the price. also f1.8 is a full stop wider than f/2.8 for portraits which can make a difference.
 
Apologies for the bumping of this old thread, but today whilst on a shoot, my 24-105 F4L died on me for the second time since I bought it at the end of September 2016. It is the same old problem with the Err 01 at certain apertures & focal length. I have contacted WEX and they explained to me that it is out of shop warranty and out of repair warranty from Fixation. The person I spoke to said to bring in the lens on Monday and they will send it back to fixation to be assessed and then they will discuss with me options on what they will be able to do to help me resolve it. Thankfully I still have my 50mm & 100mm for studio shoots on my 5D and the 17-50 on the 7D as well.
 
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