Proffessional Lenses?

[ATPL]

Hi,
I'm thinking about buying some proffession lenses to go with my 10D. Can anyone post examples of what achievable with a 2.8 (or something similar), something that can show the difference from the lower to upper end of the market. Obviously there is a big jump in price say from a 3.5-4.6 to a 2.8 lens. Is the cost justified? as I'd like to get into proffessional portraiture and Aviation photography.

Regards

Dave:D

[smasraum]

The difference in the regular lenses and the L series pro lenses isn't that the L lenses are just a bit faster (lower numerical F-stop, F2.8 instead of 3.5) The F-stop is a representation of the maximum aperature that is available in the lens which will determine the amount of light let in when the photo is taken and will also determine the depth of field. I believe the primary difference between the pro lenses and regular lenses is the quality of the optics. I'm an amateur or novice depending upon how you look at it. Other's will surely chime in with more info.

Steve
Houston (Friendswood)
Canon AE-1 program
Canon EOS 630
Canon EOS 350D

[condyk]

Can anyone post examples of what achievable with a 2.8 (or something similar), something that can show the difference from the lower to upper end of the market.

This would be very difficult to find as there are so many variables. You'd ideally need the same person of high competence to test lenses of different quality under the same rigorous conditions. I dunno if anyone has done that. I guess most people don't choose from a slow, cheaper lens or a fast, more expensive lens, but rather from a selection of lenses of similar perceived cost and quality.

There is often a big jump in quality with price (not always, depends on the lens) but only if the shooter has the basic understanding to use their equipment. f2.8 doesn't automatically mean a professional standard lens either.

Maybe the best bet is to say what you like to shoot most (you have given an idication), under what typical conditions and what your budget is. People can then make recommendations which you can use to do further research for yourself based on your priorities and budget.

[GyRob]

a lens that is almost equal to L's is the 85mm f1.8 also the 50 f1.8 is very good f1.4 better ,they will not dissapoint you.
L lenses are better as the glass is top notch and most are sharp wide open compared to the cheaper range .
Rob.

[blue_max]

As has been pointed out, a lens is not necessarily better because it is faster. However, it tends to be the case.

The less, optically, that a lens has to do, the more difficult it is to make. Therefore a 50mm lens is much easier to produce than a 600mm or a 10mm lens. An extreme lens in an L form is likely to be substantially better than a consumer lens of the equivalent focal length. When we get to near normal (50ish), then the difference is less noticeable.

In general, a professional lens will cost much more than it's consumer counterpart. That is because it has to meet more stringent quality standards and the professional is more likely to pay the price. The 'professional' tag is not used by Canon, so as not to exclude anyone. If you can tell the difference, you will know what to buy!

Graham

[cmM]

the difference is mainly the fluorite and U/D elements in the lens. Also they're generally built better/weather sealed/etc...

[Citizensmith]

head on over to photo.net as there are plenty of links available there to all kinds of comparative lens tests.

[Headcase650]

Even though you say portraiture and need a pro lens that still leaves a very wide gammut of choices. Focal length will depend on your studio size and if you will be doing any out door portraiture. If all your work will be indoors with strobes pushing the exposure you may not need a fast aperture. When I shot under strobes my average aperture is usually 11 due to lack of light. I try to keep the subject at least 6 feet away from the background so it has dropped out of the focal plane. The only time I open my lens up to 2.8 or 3 is If Im outdoors and want a blurred background.

[ttmatsu]

Is the cost justified? If you can better sell your services, then yes. If it gives you more pleasure, then yes. I can tell you from my experience in using Canon L and some of Canon's better quality non L zoom lenses that the L lens delivers consistent quality across it's fstop range while the non L must be stopped down by 2 stops before delivering good sharpness. The L lens has much better shadow detail/resolution while the non L is pretty weak in those areas (facial features that are not well lit are very poor). So a f2.8L will deliver decent results at f2.8 but will deliver very good results at f4 while the non L lens must be stopped down by 2 so a lens that starts at f3.5 effectively is a f8 lens.