15-85. Keep it, or sell it?

Phoenixkh wrote in post #17023465
GeoKras,

I love the 15-85. I've used it on my 60D and now on my 70D (though I still have the 60D as a backup). My wife loves hers on her SL1, even though it's much heavier than the camera itself. We both use the 15mm end of the lens quite a bit and that's why I'd recommend keeping yours as long as you keep your 60D around. If I didn't have it, I would probably be looking for an ultra wide but since I do, I'm quite happy with the 15mm field of view on a crop camera.

Or... As I am starting to lean towards... Get a 24 IS and have the same perspective on a full frame body as 15mm on crop, 2/3 of a stop faster, and a lot less distortion. The kicker is that selling the 15-85 will pay for about 80% of the 24 IS. I am having trouble justifying keeping the 15-85. The one thing I keep coming back to is the 60D/15-85 as a 'keep it in the car' kit, something I can always have with me.

I am almost certain I don't need a 24-something zoom for my 6D either. Once I get the 50, I'll shoot it only with primes for a while and see how that goes. I am becoming quite attached to larger apertures.

CaliWalkabout wrote in post #17023717
I'd sell it.

I also kept the 60D, for the same reason. I've never once been tempted to take it out for wide to short tele purposes, because the 6D is so much better.

This may be the gospel I am seeking. Sell the 60D and the 15-85. I could get the 24 IS and put some money back in my pocket for a change. Or have half the cost of the 24L II in hand... Damn!

When I moved to a 6D late last year, I kept my 600D and 15-85 as a travel combo, specifically for a 3 week trek in Nepal in March. I haven't used either since I came back, and will sell them both shortly.

If I was going to retain a crop body, though, I would keep the lens. It is a very good all around performer.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17023884
This may be the gospel I am seeking. Sell the 60D and the 15-85. I could get the 24 IS and put some money back in my pocket for a change. Or have half the cost of the 24L II in hand... Damn!

Heya,

I use full frame & APS-C. But I don't keep the APS-C around for wide stuff. I only keep it for telephoto stuff, as in, for me, 600mm. For wide and normal ranges, I use the full frame. If you start using your full frame more and more and your APS-C less and less, then what benefit does the APS-C serve at that point since you're not using it and it has no inherent thing that is better since when you use it as a wide lens to telephoto, you're not really taking advantage of the APS-C (the 15-85 again being a 24-135 in full frame equivalents, or close to that at least, which is wide to telephoto). If you're not looking to have telephoto on APS-C, why not just sell it all together and get yourself glass that will give you more options in general? The ISO performance of the 6D will leave you very much not wanting to fool with a lesser sensor, full frame or not.

Very best,

I also had the 7D 15-85 combo and it was on my camera 90% of the time. Speed aside, the 15-85 is a fantastic walkaround lens and it would be the first I'd buy if I picked up another APS-C body.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17023879
Or... As I am starting to lean towards... Get a 24 IS and have the same perspective on a full frame body as 15mm on crop, 2/3 of a stop faster, and a lot less distortion. The kicker is that selling the 15-85 will pay for about 80% of the 24 IS. I am having trouble justifying keeping the 15-85. The one thing I keep coming back to is the 60D/15-85 as a 'keep it in the car' kit, something I can always have with me.

I am almost certain I don't need a 24-something zoom for my 6D either. Once I get the 50, I'll shoot it only with primes for a while and see how that goes. I am becoming quite attached to larger apertures.

Decisions, decisions. I just started keeping my 60D with me in the car, along with a tripod. I can see your thinking about the prime with your 6D. That makes sense to me.

I won't be going full frame any time soon since I tend to concentrate on wildlife/birds. It's easier to afford the lenses that enable me to fill the frame with a crop camera. I'm sure after I get my dream wildlife lenses added to my kit, I'll get a full frame camera for landscapes. It's going to take me two years to save up enough cash for the Sigma 120-300 with the two teleconverters.

I recently bought a 6D /24-105L, & also a 16-35 F4L; but I intend to have at least one APS-C body, & the EF-S 15-85 is just too good to let go.

I would just as soon get rid of my EF-S 10-22, but the new 10-18 at half the price has, like my old "dust-gathering" 17-85 have become practically worthless.

Maybe I'll take the 17-85, 10-22, & my two 7D bodies & see what B&H, or Adorama will give me toward the 7D-ii when it arrives?

Leigh
www.leighwax.com

Depends how often you use your 100-400...whether selling the 60D is a good idea. All of a sudden, your 100-400 isn't that long on the 6D, unless you use a 1.4xTC(in which case, you'll probably be losing AF). Reach is costly on FF.

Leigh wrote in post #17024087
I recently bought a 6D /24-105L, & also a 16-35 F4L; but I intend to have at least one APS-C body, & the EF-S 15-85 is just too good to let go.

I would just as soon get rid of my EF-S 10-22, but the new 10-18 at half the price has, like my old "dust-gathering" 17-85 have become practically worthless.

Maybe I'll take the 17-85, 10-22, & my two 7D bodies & see what B&H, or Adorama will give me toward the 7D-ii when it arrives?

Leigh
www.leighwax.com

I considered selling the 10-22 when I got the 17-40. At that time, the 10-22 was going for about $500, used. I sold it Monday for $375, and was happy to get that. The 10-18 is really upstaging the 10-22.

A little late chiming in here, but I would never get rid of my 15-85 as long as I have a crop sensor camera. It's an amazing lens and it's on my camera for at least 80% of my shots. For indoor I've gone pretty much all flash for portraits / candids so the speed doesn't really bother me, and if I really need bigger apertures I've got my 50mm 1.8 and my Sigma 105mm 2.8.

I vote for keeping the 15-85 unless you get rid of the 60D and go entirely full-frame. I get very good results with mine on my 70D, (and previously, on my 60D.) Admittedly, it has made my 10-22 partially obsolete. I still use it, but not as often.

Well, if I sell the 60D, I'll have no use for the 15-85. I am leaning toward selling the 15-85. I'd keep the 60D, but its main use would be for reach, when I need it, with the 70-200 and 100-400. Right now I am trying to shoot my 6D with only the 35 IS and 100 2. If I can do that range with those two primes, and the 17-40 for wide, and 70-200 for longer work, I'll be done with mid-range zooms, and won't miss the 60D/15-85 combo at all. Lately, I have succumbed to the allure of fast, sharp primes. I may need a fast 24, though. Man do I wish there were something faster than the 24 IS, and less expensive than the 24L II.