Newbie needs help with 20D lens

[Tmizzle]

Ive been reading through the forum but i am to new to understand what i am reading.

Tomorrow, i am purchasing a Canon 20D with the 17-85mm lens. I was talked out of the 18-55 lens although i have no idea which either do.

I need to know if the 17-85 will be good for head shots/modeling photos. I dont have much to spend and i can get the camera and lens for $1800.

I am coming from the Sony Cybershot 717, which IMO took pretty good photos at times.

My main question is will the 17-85 be good enough for the shots i am going to take or is there something WAY better for the same price?

[dhbailey]

For the same price? I think so.

Realize that neither of the kit lenses are among Canon's best offerings. I bought the kit with the 18-55mm lens along with others, and currently it sits in my bag for those situations when I want a wide-angle shot. Otherwise, I've spent additional money on a much better lens (the Tamron 28-75 XR Di f2.8) which covers the range I normally shoot in, and I have the 75-300 IS USM (will be replacing that as soon as I can scrounge the money together) for longer shots.

The Tamron costs $369 from B&H (they often have rebates for this lens which might lower the cost some) so my advice would be to buy just the body and then buy the Tamron lens. The body is around $1500, and the Tamron would push you just slightly over the $1800 you are currently planning on spending.

I think you'll be happier with the Tamron.

[mdr]

Stick with the 17-85mm in the short term if you're getting it as part of the 20D kit. This will allow you to assess what focal length you really use. You may find that 75mm is a bit on the short side for modelling/head shots. Is a zoom essential? If not, you should consider primes like the Canon's 50mm f1.8, Canon's 85mm f1.8 and Canon's 100mm f2. Especially the last is fanatastic for head shots.

[MICHAEL B]

Hi there !
I´m also having problems choosing the proper lenses for my purposes...
Have a CANON 20D with the kit lens 18-55mm
Have also an older EF 35-105mm/ 3.5-4.5 which I got when I used my analog EOS 600 camera..

Thinking or choosing between buying either a
Canon EF 75-300/4-5,6 III USM
Canon EF 75-300/4-5,6 IS USM
or a used CANON EF 35-350mm/3.5-5.6 L USM....
Of course this L-lens is an expensiver lens... But I could get it for $1200

But is it still worth the extra money...?

Mostly taking pictures of nature/objects during daytime outdoors..
Also I take a lot of pictures of actionsports ( skiing/snowboarding/WRC-events)
But also I`m taking a lot of pictures of my kids while playing etc...

Any suggestions ?
Michael

[mdr]

On a budget go for the 100-300mm USM which is optically better and has much faster autofocus than both 75-300mm in you list. Only reason not to go for this one is the IS, but the IS lens focusses unacceptably slow.

If you can afford it, go for a 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS lens rather than the 35-350mm ultra zoom, unless you really need that ultra zoom range in one lens. Alternatively, you can go for a 70-200mm f4 L lens with a 1.4x TC, working out a bit cheaper.

[sugar_babygirli]

Well, I just purchases the 20 D myself last week and you know what I would do if I were you?
Just buy the kit. If you go to www.zipzoomfly.com , they have the camera body for $1379 and the COMPLETE KIT with lenses for only $1399. I say spead the extra 20 bucks to at least start off with lenses, then you can spend the extra hundreds of dollars on better lenses. I've taken shots with the kit lenses and they are great in my opinion!

I know B and H is a really great place, but I just don't get why it seems everyone always says to buy there and it's like $1599 I believe for the kit? ZipZoomFly is a REALLY great place and we've spent thousands of dollars with them with no problems whatsoever.

Just a heads up for the price. ;)

Oh, another thing, they are usually always back ordered on that 20 D (Hmm...do you think maybe it's popular? :P ), but if you wait a few days and check it CONSTANTLY, it will come back in again. Also, when they do come in, it usually only lasts for one day so you'd better hurry!

If you don't want to wait, check out newegg.com and they still have a decent price for the kit. About 70 dollars more I believe?

[scottbergerphoto]

I know B and H is a really great place, but I just don't get why it seems everyone always says to buy there and it's like $1599 I believe for the kit? ZipZoomFly is a REALLY great place and we've spent thousands of dollars with them with no problems whatsoever.

Just a heads up for the price. ;)

Oh, another thing, they are usually always back ordered on that 20 D (Hmm...do you think maybe it's popular? :P ), but if you wait a few days and check it CONSTANTLY, it will come back in again. Also, when they do come in, it usually only lasts for one day so you'd better hurry!


It seems like you answered you own question.
Scott

[Andy_T]

TMizzle,

I'd also steer you towards the Tamron 28-75/2.8 instead of the 17-85 IS as general purpose lens.

For headshots, the 85/1.8 or 100/2.0 might be the most usable focal lengths, these two lenses will be a lot better than the 17-85, as well.

Best regards,
Andy

[Tmizzle]

So if i buy the kit with the 17-85mm lens and then purchased the Tamron 28-75/2.8, would i ever want to use the 17-85 again? Does it do something that the Tamron 28-75/2.8 doesnt do?


Is there a place where i can find out what 17-85mm even means? lol I am TOTALY new. :o

[sugar_babygirli]

Well, I didn't know if he had already ordered his camera yet and just thought I'd tell him about the price in case he'd change his mind from whereever he was going to buy it from.

Also was trying to compare the price since he said he could spend up to 1800, I figured if he could get the camera for cheaper, he'd have money left over for the lenses.

Sorry if I made no sense whatsoever. I feel really intimidated being a newbie and still am really young. :( I just like hanging out with all you more experienced pros. :)

[Andy_T]

Does it do something that the Tamron 28-75/2.8 doesnt do?


For one ... it does wide angle (17-28 mm focal length).

Solution ... get the 100$ 18-55 kit lens with the camera.

Second ... it has IS ... so this might give you an extra stop of handholding ability. Still, I'd take the faster 2.8 any day, especially as the Tamron is sharper and cheaper.

Best regards,
Andy

[AndrewR]

If you check Dell right now, they have the body only 20D for $1250 after 10% automatic discount and a $55 coupon (check techbargains.com or some other places for the code). I'm SORELY tempted, but I'm holding out until I return Stateside. :)