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frenchy_tasmania
14th of June 2008 (Sat), 18:33
Hi all,
I am having a very difficult time choosing my next lens. This lens will shoot mainly downhill mountain biking, thus it will often be less than fantastic lighting, and will need to focus very quickly. I currently shoot with a 30D (though am buying a 40D this week-will probably buy 1Dmk3 later in the year), and have a Canon 10-22, and Canon 70-200 2.8IS. I'm trying to decide between the 17-40L, 16-35 2.8L, and the 17-55 2.8. Researching on this forum and others I have made the following observations:
17-40L- great for landscapes, difficulty focusing in low light/high ISO, lightweight, cheap, I used to own 24-105 L and coped with F4 as long as it is sharp at F4, good weather sealing
16-35- seems to get very mixed reviews, I like the 2.8, can't decide if it is really worth the extra $, excellent weather sealing.
17-55- Also mixed reviews, good focal length, reasonable price, though much more than 17-40, poor dust sealing which really worries me as I shoot in dust ALOT, build quality not great also worrying as I shoot out in the elements. Worth noting, I may also look at the 24-70 L but feel it may not be quite wide enough
I have not looked at other brands but if anyone has suggestions please share, I will need something very well built though-hence why I'm swaying towards canon L's. Help/advice appreciated!
cheers,
Simon

oaktree
15th of June 2008 (Sun), 01:08
What kind of sports are you thinking of and what's the shooting conditions?

frenchy_tasmania
15th of June 2008 (Sun), 02:38
as stated above, mainly mountain biking, thus fast action, often less than favourable lighting. Lots of dust, dirt and water. I will also use it for travel/landscapes, but it has to be able to handle the above!

Terrywoodenpic
15th of June 2008 (Sun), 06:07
The 17-55 is a great lens.
You should not suffer from dust unless you zoom it like a trombone all the time and don't use a filter to seal the front.
Remember lenses used never to be sealed and no one worried about dust.
I have a set of olympus OM lenses that are open to dust because of their preview button.
However I have never had a dust problem with any of them.

weemannie
15th of June 2008 (Sun), 06:36
Given that you are considering a 1D Mk3 at some stage, I'd be inclined to stick to EF lenses. In poor weather conditions an L lens would make sense. I've just ordered a 16-35L Mk2 as most reviews I've seen have been very good. Put a UV filter on the front and its weathersealed, so well suited to the conditions you describe and at f2.8 it should cope well with poor light.