Need Some Advise on Wide Angle Zoom for 5D Mark III

Hello All,

Couple of questions.............

I'm planning on getting a 5D Mark III, hopefully by the Fall of this year. I'd
like some suggestions on a wide angle zoom. My currant landscape setup
uses a 60D with the EF-S 18-135. It's been adequate but I'd like to move on
to full frame.
I'm looking at the Canon EF 16-35 F4 IS USM. Anyone have a better idea?

Also, because I cannot budget both a new camera and new lens at the
same time, I'm thinking of buying the wide angle lens first. Can a WA EF
zoom be used with a crop sensor with decent results?

Thanks for any input!

Jim

The 16-35 f/4 IS is considered on of Canon's best lenses by many, hard to go wrong there. It will fit on a crop camera and inspire you to save for a full frame body.

The 16-35 f/4 is an amazing lens, you can't go wrong.

I used it on a full frame camera for the past few years, and am now using it on a crop 80D. For me it's just as useful on crop as a general purpose walk around, as it is no longer as wide as it was on the FF camera, and it falls right into a useful ~24-56mm range. I believe it's a staple lens for anyone shooting both formats.

I tried all uwa lenses for FF, the best I have atm is the 16-35 f4L IS USM, but I will sell it next month for the Venus Optics 12mm 2.8 Zero-Distortion.

I too want to go full frame soon but I already have the 17-50/2.8 OS and I just can't justify making the jump to a 16-35/4 or 15-30/2.8 VC. I just give up too much zoom or aperture at three times the price.

Trust me I know the money eating a hole in your wallet feeling, but I would just continue to use the 18-135 until you actually do go FF.

FEChariot wrote in post #18041994
I too want to go full frame soon but I already have the 17-50/2.8 OS and I just can't justify making the jump to a 16-35/4 or 15-30/2.8 VC. I just give up too much zoom or aperture at three times the price.

Trust me I know the money eating a hole in your wallet feeling, but I would just continue to use the 18-135 until you actually do go FF.

I agree. While the 16-35 f/4 will work on your 60D, it really doesn't buy you much over your existing 18-135mm -- certainly not enough to spend $1k.

Personally, I would just keep that cash in the bank until you've saved enough for the full frame body as well. Keep in mind, though, that you will need to replace your 18-135mm when you go full frame, as that is an EF-S lens so will not work properly on a full frame body.

Another, more budget-friendly option, would be the 17-40L f/4. You can find those used for about half the price of a 16-35 f/4. If you purchase used, the lens should hold its value until you decide to upgrade to the 16-35. While the 17-40L is not as sharp as the newer 16-35 f/4 and lacks IS, it is still a decent UWA full frame lens for its price. I used to own it before upgrading to the 16-35 f/4.

Why not get a wide angle zoom for your current body and then sell it when you upgrade? I'm using the 10-18mm and am very happy with it.

My vote for the 16-35 F/4 as well. I bought it to be my "landscape lens", but I'm finding that the focal range can make it a great walk-around lens as well. It's sharp, weather resistant, reasonable size/weight, and the IS is surprisingly useful even in that focal range.

While not as wide, Canon has the 24-105L f4 refurb for dirt cheap right now.

Jjwheels723 wrote in post #18041254
...
I'm looking at the Canon EF 16-35 F4 IS USM. Anyone have a better idea?

Nope

Yup

If you're happy with the 18-135mm on the wide end you can just get a 5d3 with the 24-105mm which when you bundle doesnt add that much to the cost.
Just my 0.2$

The 16-35mm f4 IS is the one to get. Try to watch for a canon refurb of it.

Jjwheels723 wrote in post #18041254
I'm looking at the Canon EF 16-35 F4 IS USM. Anyone have a better idea?

Yup. Sigma 12-24mm. Cheaper and wider that Canon 16-35, albeit with variable aperture. Keep in mind, that for landscapes, you will want to stop the lens down anyway, and stopped down, Sigma is incredibly sharp - and wider than Canon. No IS, though, but again, the gold standard for landscapes is using a tripod anyway, so this may not be an issue. I am very happy with mine, and for the price, not interested in Canon (I bought a used 12-24 for $300).

A few samples of Sigma 12-24 to get an idea:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Hkjn​Gu

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/rraL​Za

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/HiCz​RW

If the 18mm end of your current lens is working for you, then the wide end of either of the 24-105mm "kit" lenses will actually look a bit wider. 18mm on an APS-C sized sensor has the same field of view as a 28mm lens in front of a 35mm format sensor.

As others have noted, you will need a new standard zoom, since your current lens is only compatible with Canon APS-C format bodies. Actually to match the field of view range of your current lens you will need both a 24-105 and a 70-200mm of some sort. To match your current lens FoV you would need to have a (non existant) 28 to 210mm zoom. Other than the £1000 plus Canon 28-300 L I think the optical quality of any of the 35mm format superzooms that will cover that range is really going to disapoint.

The problem with current 35mm format sensor DSLR's is that to get the performance gains that they promise you have to take a commensurate step up in lens quality. So not only do you need to be able to afford the body upgrade, you need to be able to afford the necessary lens upgrades to get the results out of the sensor.

On a limited budget I would never consider going to the larger sensor. Getting good focal length appropriate lenses for your APS-C body would be a much better use of your limited resources.

Alan

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18042727
Nope

Yup

What he said. That's exactly what I did - when I decided I wanted an additional body and that it should be full frame I bought this lens because I knew I wanted it. It helped me all the more to save up for a new body.

One more suggestion - the new 16-35mmL f.2.8 III will be released soon, and a bazillion people are likely to sell existing lenses to make the jump. I sold my 16-35mm f/4 two weeks ago, I'm a jumper. It may save you a few more $.

Good luck!