selection of Macro and Portrait

Hi,

I am planning to buy 60D. I have narrowed my lens selection to Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS and 50 f/1.8.

I am looking for a lens that will act as indoor portrait as well as macro. I have selected canon macro 100 mm 2.8. I know it is very good for macro. How will it be for normal indoor full body and face only portrait?
I am looking for a wide angle also. 10-22mm will be little higher side of my budget. I am thinking of 18-55 IS. How is that ?
Thanks
Sid

I am planning to buy 60D. I have narrowed my lens selection to Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS and 50 f/1.8.

These would severely limit your use since you would have no wide or normal angle capability.

I am looking for a lens that will act as indoor portrait as well as macro. I have selected canon macro 100 mm 2.8. I know it is very good for macro. How will it be for normal indoor full body and face only portrait?

This lens (along with the less expensive 90mm f/2.8 Tamron Macro) is a great choice for macros and portraits IF: you have enough room. Even shooting head and shoulders with a 90-100mm lens on a 1.6x camera is stretching the distance for a normal size room and shooting full or even 3/4 length portraits would take far more space than most rooms in non-mansion type houses would allow.

I am looking for a wide angle also. 10-22mm will be little higher side of my budget. I am thinking of 18-55 IS. How is that ?

I would seriously consider the 17-50mm f/2.8 Tamron (VC or non-VC) as your first lens for your 60D camera. It is an excellent lens for which you won't need to sell the farm to afford. The 17-50mm f/2.8 Tamron along with the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS lens will allow you to shoot most everything you need. The 18-55mm IS kit lens is a pretty fair lens but, IMO, not in the same category as the 60D. I always recommend basing a lens battery on the best mid-range zoom (preferably wit a constant f/2.8 aperture) that you can afford and then get a telephoto lens to back it up. If you need a wider lens down the road, you can get a 12-24mm or 11-16mm Tokina.

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. So which lens do you suggest for indoor portrait?

Thanks

compared to Tamron 17-50, how canon 17-40mm f/4L USM,and Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM perform?

what about Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM for both macro and portrait?

Thanks

Yes, that is a good lens for both macro and portrait, and a very appropriate focal length for indoor portraits on a crop camera.

However, you actually will probably want to do 3/4 length portraits with the 50mm lens, or maybe even your wide-zoom, anyway. The 50 f/1.8 stopped down to f/2.8 is very sharp and will have a better angle of view for indoor shooting. For regular portraits though, the 60mm macro is a pretty good performer. Especially since it is pretty sharp at f/2.8 so you can use it wide-open to get some reasonable bokeh if you need to.

I would suggest looking into lighting (flash or otherwise, depending on your situation) though if you are going to be shooting indoors a lot. Flash > wider aperture anytime you are able to use it.

I would take the Tamron 70-300 over the Canon 70-300 anyday. It's less expensive to boot.

In my opinion:

Tokina 11-16 (600$), Tamron 10-24 (450$), or Tokina 12-24 (500$)
Tamron 70-300 (400$+rebates)
Tamron 17-50 (380$)
Canon 50/1.8 (~100$)
Ef-s 60/2.8 Macro (~430$)

But I don't know how intensive your portrait/low light needs are, or how wide you need your landscape lens. If you're not in major need of low-light/bokeh ability I would condense the 50/1.8 with the 60 macro. If you're shooting bugs you'll probably want the 100mm macro.

vbgyor wrote in post #11971162
what about Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM for both macro and portrait?

Thanks

Yes, this is a terrific lens. I hesitated between it and the 100 mm, and have never regretted my choice. It's a stellar lens in every respect, and tailor-made for a crop camera. I use mine for macro, close-ups, portraits and even as a general walkaround. If you got this lens, you probably wouldn't need the 50.

A couple of other points. If you're thinking of doing indoor portraits and macro, you're going to need a flash, so you might want to consider adding a Speedlite to your equipment list. The idea of indoor natural light portraits is nice, but in practice there are many situations in which you're going to want or need additional light. A Speedlite, properly used, will greatly improve your shots.

Also, I owned both the Canon 70-300 and the Canon 55-250 at the same time for a while, and ended up keeping the 55-250 and selling the 70-300. IQ-wise, there was virtually no difference between the two (if I now look at the images I took at the time, I can't tell which was taken with which lens). Focusing speed was also about the same (slowish - the 70-300 isn't a "true" USM). And I preferred the IS system, compact size and the range of the 55-250. It's also less than half the price of the 70-300. You might want to consider it; it's a great lens for the price.

For your general lens, the Tamron suggested by another poster is a terrific lens.

Whatever you choose, good luck and enjoy your new camera!