17-40L good first lens?

[crotter]

Greetings,

I recently picked up a D60 with battery grip on fleabay (this is my first dslr), and have been having lots of fun shooting around and learning with it. This summer I will be going to Europe to tour Italy, and attend Oktoberfest in Munich.
I would like to have some nice glass and after reading through this forum, I have been dreaming of owning a nice "L" series lens.

I would really like a 24-105 but unfortunately that is a bit out of my price range. I have noticed that the 17-40 go for about $500 used... do you think that would be a nice "walk around" lens for my trip to Europe?

I am currently shooting with a 15 year old Canon 28-80 that came with my EOS Elan film camera! So naturally, almost any lens would be an upgrade.
I also plan on picking up the 50mm 1.8 II as those are cheap, and everyone seems to love them.

So anyways, what do you guys think about the 17-40? I understand my camera (D60) has the 1.6X crop factor so it will actually be like a 27-64 right?


Anyways, $500 is a lot for me to drop on a new hobby, but what can I say, I just cant stop thinking about those darn L's and how good they will look and feel on my camera:D

[PAS Photography]

I just bought a 17-40 L and love it. My main lens was the 28-135mm IS, but my 17-40 is all I use unless I need some reach then I grab the 70-200 f2.8 Sigma I have.

[wcl4]

Might want to consider the Tamron 17-50mm. Get an extra 10mm, extra stop, for $100 less. Excellent reviews as well.

[clengster_77]

17 - 40l was my first L lens combined with my 350d and i'm was happy with it. makes your money worth :)

[Nanboh]

I love the 17-40 and it was my first L. It would be very well suited to scenery and such on your trip, I would think. I used it for a walk-around a good deal of the time. Sharp and beautiful.

[printsrich]

That is my walk around lens. It's sharp. Great color. I love that lens. You can't go wrong.
I've taken it all over the world and never been disappointed.

_________
Canon 30D, 17-40 L, 24-105 L IS, 70-200 f4 L IS

[ScottE]

Unfortunately your D60 cannot use EF-S lenses, so the better Canon alternatives such as the 17-55 f/2.8 IS and 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS are not available to you.

I have the 17-40 which I used on my D60, but have replaced it with the 17-55 for my 20D. I found the zoom range of the 17-40 did not go long enough to make a good general purpose lens on a 1.6x crop camera. Image quality is good, but a little soft at the longer end of the range compared to the 17-55. I am only going to keep the 17-40 until I stop using the D60 and EOS 3 as back up cameras. That may occur when the replacement for the 30D comes out and been used long enough to let others find the bugs.

Due to the limited zoom range of the 17-40, I would consider either the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 or Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 if I was getting a general purpose lens for my D60. You should find the faster aperture and longer focal length handy in many general purpose situations. Usually I prefer Canon to Sigma or Tamron lenses, but this is one of the niches where the non-Canon manufactures are making a more useful lens.

[crotter]

ahh, well lots of good replies here. thanks!

looks like lots of you really love the 17-40, so I guess the next best thing to do would be try one out and see if I can deal with the somewhat limited zoom.

Anyone know of a good store in the Miami, FL area as that is where I will be the next couple days. I would like to try a couple of the recommend lenses out before I buy.

cheers,

CHRISTIAN

[ed rader]

the 17-40L is a great first lens. don't listen to scotte. he paid $1000 for a consumer lens and he takes every opportunity he can to get his money's worth even if it means recommending lenses he's never used or ones that won't fit your camera :D !

get the 17-40L :D !

ed rader

[NorCalAl]

Wonderful lens. Probably my favorite for IQ, colors and contrast. Tho my 7-2/4IS may be sharper, the 17-40 is a spectacular lens.

[dgcorner]

Its a fantastic lens. Go for it.

[peatoire]

It was my first on a 350d and it was a cracking lens for a walkabout. Get it!

[Raymate]

This was my first L and love it, buy it and dont look back.

[steved110]

It was my first L lens, and a definite keeper. i am planning to go full-frame at some stage so buy my lenses with that in mind. I'm not obsessed by f/2.8 apertures either...so the EF-S 17-55 IS has left me cold.

go get yourself that 17-40L - it is the best value walk about lens of quality going, providing the focal length suits you. and once you have one, you'll love it so much that you will find the focal length is actually .....perfect.

[ebann]

I bought the 24-105mm and sometimes wonder if I should have picked the 17-40mm because 24mm on my 1.6 crop camera is too narrow for my landscape shots. I was sold on the IS... Definitely get the 17-40mm, it'll serve you well on travel vacations because most shots tend to be scenery, and for that you need wide angle!

[kobe629]

This was my first lens too 17-40 with my XT..Love the colors it produces. I think it would be a good move..

[ernst_blofeld]

I think the Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX would be a better match with a D60, a stop brighter aperture really makes a difference...

But that 17-40L will definately be more of a keeper, because you will want to trade that Sigma to something better at some point! I know I did...

[picturecrazy]

Tamron 17-50. It's awesome. I'd pick that over the 17-40 any day for a 1.6 crop. It's a totally different story on full frame though.

either that or I would buy a used, out of warranty canon 17-85 and rip out the baffle so it fits the D60.

[rwong2k]

Hmm interesting,
the 17-40 was my first L lens, it was sharp and contrasty. I used it more than my 24-70 back then but now that I've switched over to FF I'm considering getting that lens ... we'll see =) or wait for my next yr's tax return =p

[cdhender]

It's a great walkround on a 1.6 crop. But the 17-55 is better (and significantly more expensive at that).

Just a warning though, this is the lens that, for a lot of people, starts L fever :D

[terriyaki]

Just a warning though, this is the lens that, for a lot of people, starts L fever :D

This is so true it's not even funny :(

[arkturas]

17-40 is great lens on my 1.6 crop body - I used 95% of the time in New Zealand.

[chanth99]

This is so true it's not even funny :(

I second that too..

17-40L is my first L lens and it has served me well in lots of different situations. I sometimes find the 40mm long end slightly too short, especially for portraits. In that case you can add the 50 F1.8 to your gear if the budget is not too large.

[crotter]

well, its been done!! I just got home from the local wolf camera that happened to have a 17-40L in stock. They let me give it a "test drive" and I snapped a bunch of pictures. I absolutely loved it! It was my first "L" experience and I cant wait to finally get one for myself.

Wolf wanted $800 though :lol: so I will definitely be getting it online for a whole lot less.

Thanks for swaying me in the right direction everyone!

CHRISTIAN

edit: I also was able to snap some shots with the 50mm 1.8 II , that was a really neat little lens and for $85 it seems I cant go wrong there either! hehe

[calicokat]

The 17-40L is a great lens, highly recommended