Best value for money --- All brands

Canon ef 50mm f1.8 - 110$

Canon ef 85mm f1.8 - 369$

canon ef 200mm f2.8 - 780$

Canon ef-s 55-250mm IS - 190$

Canon ef 70-200 f4L - 679$


Sigma 30mm f1.4 - 334$ (japan price)*

Sigma 50mm f1.4 - 380$ (japan price)*


Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non VC - 230$ (japan price)*


Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f2.8 - 399$

*Sorry, could not resist to put the good deals we have here in Japan. It's rare that we have anything cheaper than in the US.

I dont include the 18-55 IS because it come by default.

Should I include the 17-40L?

Value is subjective. Just sayin'.

Yeah but you know what I mean... budget, but respectable IQ. Especially compared with their more expensive siblings.

If money is tight, you can't beat the nifty-fifty!

Earwax69 wrote in post #14916381
Yeah but you know what I mean... budget, but respectable IQ. Especially compared with their more expensive siblings.

The probem with your question is that it involves different styles of lenses. So someone not needing a prime would say the best value is the 70-200 even if the prime was $5. Same holds true for the opposite.

Best value L in my opinion is the 200mm 2.8.

The best value is always the one that you will get the most use out of.

if you're a crop shooter, the tamron 17-50 at that price is easily the best value.

Here's food for thought- Let's take some of those best value lenses, which I agree with, and consider how many of them a 70-200 f/2.8 II could replace for, say, 80% of users-

Canon ef 85mm f1.8 - 369$
canon ef 200mm f2.8 - 780$
Canon ef-s 55-250mm IS - 190$
Canon ef 70-200 f4L - 679$

That's a little over $2,000...not to mention some would argue the 70-200 could also replace a 100-400L, 300 f/4L, and a 135L.

So- I would consider the 70-200 2.8 II, because of the lenses it can replace due to it's performance in many scenario's including with teleconverters, to be one of the best values you can buy.

Bet no one thought a $2,000+ lens would show up in this thread...

You can't replace an f/1.8 prime with an f/2.8 zoom.

Besides, who owns all of those lenses together?

there are many great value lenses

samyang 14 2.8, 35 f2, 50 1.8, efs 60 macro, 85 1.8, 18-55 Is, tamron 17-50 2.8, 55-250 IS. all at 350 or below, all optically very good. also 70-200 f4L, tamron 70-300 vc, tamron 28-75 get very honorable mention.
I forgot samyang 35 1.4, and 85 1.4

You got a strange mind, weirdo!

Also the 55-250mm cover all those focals too...

As others have said, value is subjective
In my opinion 85 f/1.2L II is best value for money - I know everytime I use it that I am always getting shots that people 50 or 85 f/1.8 just cannot get. It costs more, but it also gives me more value and utility

I agree that one has to be very specific when talking about lens value. If the question was asked as "which cheapest lens can do f1.8 at 50mm and produce professional IQ", then the value winner would of course be the nifty-fifty. But even that would be subject to interpretation - nifty-fifty is okay for static subjects, and almost useless for action shots due to slow and inaccurate AF.

nightcat wrote in post #14917159
Best value L in my opinion is the 200mm 2.8.

Just curious...Have you tried the 135L + 1.4 Extender ? it is a great combination