First Impressions

I'm a 6 month old noob and an amateur. I just get invited to parties cause I can take better pics than most of the idiots I hang with

Long story short, I took my 5Dc, 24-70L (rental), 70-200 F4L, and 580EX2 (rental) to an indoor party last night.

You know, I see so many people online with the 24-70L (especially pros and wedding pros) that I thought it would make the skies part, a light to shine down, and make angels sing. Well, that didn't happen. It did take nice pics, and admittedly the 70-200 would not have been able to do the BIG group shots (~8-12 people in one big curve), but it just was not tight enough. The ring was too tight and I just wasn't you know, feeling the Force or anything.

I eventually removed the 24-70 and put on my 70-200 F4(!) and it was like magic :P The F4 worked better than I expected indoors (incandescent) and was SHARP and colorful; wish I could get the same sharpness with my 7D :P (yes I pixel peep ) The 580EX2 was a huge help as well; thassa nice flash.

If I was a pro, I'd use a 24-70 sparingly and have the 70-200 (2.8 tho) on the camera all the time. Not taking any kind of dig at the 24-70 fans out there but I just did not get the high I was so hoping for. The high turned out to be my trusty beauty who'd been there all along.

So have I actually established a 'style' now or is it just because the 70-200 is all I have been shooting with for the past 4 months I'm just too used to it? Dunno, just wondering out loud; thanks for listening.

the 70-200 is a very versatile lens.

I agree, but the 24-70 also has its applications too.

I would give the 24-70 a chance. It was the only lens I had for about a year and a half. Is amazing. YOu can get wide scenery, interior shots, and some tight portraits, all at F/2.8. No its not going to make me pee my pants every time I touch it like the 200 F/1.8 or 50 F/1 but I can put it on my camera, and know my shots will be sharp and I can cover 90% of what I need. Its called the Brick because it should be the foundation all good kits are built off of.

tylerpaulphoto wrote in post #12623921
I would give the 24-70 a chance. It was the only lens I had for about a year and a half. Is amazing. YOu can get wide scenery, interior shots, and some tight portraits, all at F/2.8. No its not going to make me pee my pants every time I touch it like the 200 F/1.8 or 50 F/1 but I can put it on my camera, and know my shots will be sharp and I can cover 90% of what I need. Its called the Brick because it should be the foundation all good kits are built off of.

Again, I agree. The 24-70L is not the 'Bokeh King', but it does one job very well. That being, it's a moderately wide angle zoom with a reasonable DOF at wider apertures. It would not my first choice for portraits.

In a two zoom lens senario, I would choose the 24-70L & 70-200 2.8L.

I just think you went in with such high expectations and that's why it must have disappointed you. it's versatility and the fast aperture are the reason why people pros and amateurs pick this lens. nothing else as far as i can tell in the EF line up covers what the 24-70 does so pretty much it's a monopoly.

ScatterCrSport wrote in post #12623966
Again, I agree. The 24-70L is not the 'Bokeh King', but it does one job very well. That being, it's a moderately wide angle zoom with a reasonable DOF at wider aperatures. It would not my first choice for portraits.

Its not my first choice either, but its comforting to know that there is a piece of glass in my kit that can get me through almost any shoot.

Although not very sharp wide open, 24-70 still does it's job most of the time. It's the only lens I always bring at every travel and photo shoots.

i had a 24-70L before, and i shot my first gig with only that lens. I bought it from a buddy and the first time i used it i was amazed. I thought it was optically great, though annoyingly heavy. I first used it on a 40D, but its really shines on full frame. You might have had a less-than-amazing copy of the lens, or maybe you jsut didn't really like the focal length range. Or you could have just expected too much from the lens.

Personally, that lens taught me a lot, but i eventually got over it and went with all primes. The 24-70L is a workhorse lens, but i'm sure a lot of people wouldnt say its the best lens ever. It definitely has its place in a lot of people's kits, but to each his own.