First Lens for First EOS 10D ( Again ?)

[alonpe]

I read the topics in this forum about the first lens for 10D. Everybody suggested Canon 28-135mm IS and Canon 50mm f/1.8. When I looked at the price, they are a little more than I expected.
I'm about to purchase a Canon EOS 10D around thanksgiving. And I saw some Canon EF 28-105mm series Lenses, they are more affordable.
Since all I am going to do with this new SLR camera is architecture and portrait photograph, can I buy one of those 28-105mm lenses?
And I really want to buy a Canon EF lens instead of a Sigma one.

Are those 28-105mm lenses very bad? nobody mentioned them?

[slin100]

Not really intending to knock you, but no doubt someone else is bound to say it. If you can afford a 10D, you should not skimp on the lenses.

Now that that's out the way, from the research I've done, the 28-105mm is very comparable to the 28-135mm. Most of the extra expense in the latter is due to the Image Stabilization.

If you're planning to take architectural shots, I'm not sure 28mm is going to be wide enough. On a 10D, 28mm gives you an FOV equivalent to a 44mm lens on a 35mm camera. That's close to a normal lens.

You might want to consider primes, instead. The 24/2.8 is highly rated. It'll give you approximately 38mm FOV. Still not that wide but it's relatively affordable. You could also consider the 20/2.8 but it's a little more expensive.

Either the 20/2.8 or 24/2.8 plus the 50/1.8 would make a nice starting kit. I had a 24/2.8 and 50/1.8 combo for a while until I recently traded the 24/2.8 for a 17-40. :-D

[robertwgross]

If you are planning on *seriously* shooting architectural shots, then you need to consider a tilt-shift lens.

Otherwise, if you have a normal wide angle lens on the camera, and let's say you are standing on the ground in front of a four-story building, it is difficult to make the building look right. The bottom floor will look very wide, and the top floor will look very narrow. Plus, if you are off to one side or the other, the oblique versions of wide and narrow look even worse.

Tilt-shift lenses allow you to tilt part of the lens to minimize or eliminate the building problem. However, as you will discover, those lenses aren't cheap either.

---Bob Gross---

[CyberDyneSystems]

alonpe,

As you read more I am sure you are finding that lenses cost more than you had anticipated. Imagine if you were buying the film equivelent of the 10D,. which is the approx $400.00 Elan 7.... and the lenses you should use cost from $500.00 upwards....

The plain truth is that your lens investment pretty much allways out paces your camera body. When it was film bodies,. this was even more likely.

As Bob says,. the tilt shift lenses are designed specifically for what you are looking to do. Other wise you will probably want at the very least a wider lens than 28mm. The 17-40mm f/4 would be a good alternative.

[robertwgross]

The other idea is that if you really need to shoot a four-story building front head-on, and if all you have is a normal wide angle lens to do it with, then do this:
Go across the street and set up a tall ladder. Go up as high as you dare to and then shoot the building head-on. You won't get as much of a problem as shooting from ground level. Of course, you may want to purchase the Canon L ladder for this.

---Bob Gross---

[Tom W]

I have the 28-105 3.5-4.5 lens on my film camera. Its a good lens, and covers a useful range with film, but as has been pointed out here, you are working with a sensor that is smaller than the normal 35 mm film. Considering your purpose as stated, I don't think it will give you the range you need. Nevertheless, if you do chose that focal length, choose the 3.5-4.5 version over the slower lens of the same focal range.

Another alternative would be to buy the Digital Rebel and an "L" lens such as the 17-40 F4.0 or the 24-70 f2.8. After looking at many comparisons, I'm convinced that the glass is worth it. IMHO, of course. Dollar-wise, you'd be in a similar position but would have superior glass that could be used for years into the future.

[MediaMagic]

Yeah the ladder trick is very cool. We used it when shooting homes for a catalogue. Of course, most houses are quite a bit shorter than a four story building, but even with a house, the effect was very nice. Kinda gave an "eye-level" feel.

Also, the new Canon L umbreLLa is pretty cool too. Not only is it an outrageously expensive reflector (with corresponding red stripe), but you can leap off the top of the building and fire the shutter at each passing floor as you slowly float to the ground. I think the slogan for the L Umbrella is - "Leave the plummeting for the bank account balance."


As to your question, could you buy one? Well certainly, but, you are trying to cover two different areas of photography with one lens, and a bargain one at that. So neither the portrait nor architecture shots would be the best they *could* be. The 28-105 is not a terrible lens; it's not stellar either. It's a "good" lens. You would probably get decent shots with it comparable to the 28-135IS. In fact, most head to head comparisons I have see of those two lenses have been very close image quality wise. For standard distance portraits on the 10D, you'll most likely be somewhere between 50-70mm. That's handled with the 28-105 nicely as those focal lengths are in the middle (sharpest) range of the zoom. For architecture (depending on what it is you are shooting I suppose), I agree with the others that it's probably not wide enough. 28mm on the 10D will be the visual equivalent to 45mm on 35mm film.

Maybe you should look at it this way, get the 28-105 as more of a "learn my camera" lens, with the full knowledge that you will need other lenses as you progress and can save up more doLLars (or whatever currency you use).

David

[Gerdav43]

Alonpe,

I am guessing that this is your first digital SLR. If so, you are not alone. I purchased mine recently and have struggled with some of the same issues you have. First, any lense you buy will be around much longer than your 10d will. So you must buy what you need and want. Keeping in mind that you may spend a little more today, but it will still be good tomorrow. If you are new to photography, as I am, you will find that the world of lenses is very intimidating. Lots of stuff to learn. If so, you may not want to jump right into those L lenses and higher end glass. We need to learn a little about photography first. Therefore, a general purpose lense may be more suitable. I also preferred to stick with the Canon lense and went with the 28-135 IS. I enjoy the lense and have had very good success. It also helped with my shakes. To much caffeine I suspect. If price is concern. Take note of the market for this lense. A quick search of ebay will show that this lense used will still fetch you about $400 (US). I watched for weeks before I bought a new one. Also note that a new lense can be had for about $400 if you wait a little or pay about $450 and have it tomorrow. Good Luck and go with your heart, just don't cheat yourself.

[Longwatcher]

Given your budget, I would highly recommend going for the 300D (DRebel) with the 18-55 lens kit instead, this will leave you some money left for accessories and the 55-200 lens. This will give you good range of zoom. Otherwise you will likely be unhappy.

If you feel you need the extra capability of the 10D then get it and at a minimum the 50/1.8 and just stick with that until you can afford another quality lens.

The others are right when they say you will need the more expensive Tilt-shift lenses for what you want to do.

The recommendation of 28-135 IS and 50/1.8 is because this is the best possible value for you money. Anything less and the quality is likely to start dropping quickly, anything more and the cost starts climbing rapidly. It is also a good match to the 10D's capabilities.

On the flip side, I would rather you go with a better Sigma lens (although it may have issues) then get a lesser lens set. For a $1500 camera, you should be aiming for at least $500 in lenses to start with and preferably $1500 in lenses. However, at least the Canon lenses will work. Someone likened camera and lens to stereo and speakers. Having $100/pair speakers hooked up to a $1500 stereo system is really a waste of the $1500 stereo, but it will play music you can listen to.

Just my opinion, feel free to ignore.

Whatever you do, have fun, take pictures.