Lens Advice Please

[cindyk1]

I have a Canon 5d and I'm looking for the perfect lens without breaking the bank. To say that I am confused is an understatement. I do studio portraits and outdoor natural light portraits. I also do the occasional wedding (very occasional).

These are the lenses rolling around in my head:


24-70mm f/2.8L - wish this went to 105

85mm f/1.8 - great price and good reviews but is it good enough?

24-105mm f/4 - I love this zoom range but will I be disappointed with f4

70-200mm f/4 - I'd love the f/2.8 in this focal length but can't imagine hauling a 3.5 pound lens


So what do you guys think? Should I be looking at something else that's not on my list. Do I need a combo of 2 lenses from this list like the 24-70 and 85 or is there one perfect lens out there?

Advice is much appreciated.

Cindy
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[condyk]

For what you want I would go 24-70 and 85 ... I have the 24-105 which is better for my usage but if I was big on portraits I would want a faster aperture, esp for available light.

[Wayne MG]

50mm f/1.4: great for low light portraits, small, light-weight, sharper than the zoom at comparable apertures, inexpensive.

[ed rader]

I have a Canon 5d and I'm looking for the perfect lens without breaking the bank. To say that I am confused is an understatement. I do studio portraits and outdoor natural light portraits. I also do the occasional wedding (very occasional).

These are the lenses rolling around in my head:


24-70mm f/2.8L - wish this went to 105

85mm f/1.8 - great price and good reviews but is it good enough?

24-105mm f/4 - I love this zoom range but will I be disappointed with f4

70-200mm f/4 - I'd love the f/2.8 in this focal length but can't imagine hauling a 3.5 pound lens


So what do you guys think? Should I be looking at something else that's not on my list. Do I need a combo of 2 lenses from this list like the 24-70 and 85 or is there one perfect lens out there?

Advice is much appreciated.

Cindy
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Cindy -- here's what i use...50 1.4, 100 f2, 24-70L, 70-200L f4 IS & 300L f4 IS.

you're on the right track and the 85 1.8 or the 100 f2 are excellent portrait lenses on any camera.

i use the 24-70L as my main lens and i also wish it was 80-85mm. f4 is not a bad thing on the 5d. you can easily use higher ISOs and DOF is narrower so stopping down is often necessary for portraits unless you shoot the one eye in focus type :D.

ed rader