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FORUMS Cameras, Lenses & Accessories Canon Lenses 
Thread started 20 Oct 2012 (Saturday) 00:28
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Help me pick out some glass

 
Niccas9
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Oct 20, 2012 00:28 |  #1

Here is the where I am at...I have been learning and growing as a photographer for the past couple of years and have never been in a financial position to consider buying upgraded glass or body. My current equipment is Canon 50d with kit lens, nifty-fifty, and a 55-250. The two types of photography that I am most drawn to is landscape and portraiture. For landscape I am hoping to get the Canon 10-22 or the comparable Sigma but would like to get a better portrait lens first. I have been doing more and more portraits for close family and friends and am getting to the point where I am going to start marketing myself and charging to make some small change on the side. I want another portrait lens. I would like to hear suggestions from others on a decent lens I can get under $750 preferable. Thanks for the help.




  
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Sirrith
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Oct 20, 2012 00:34 |  #2

You could look at the canon 85 1.8 and sigma 85 1.4. They both make fine portrait lenses. Or if you like the 50mm focal length then I'd recommend the sigma 50 1.4.


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Scrumhalf
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Oct 20, 2012 00:35 |  #3

How about the nifty fifty and the 10-22? Should be doable used within your $750 budget.


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If I don't get the shots I want with the gear I have, the only optics I need to examine is the mirror on the bathroom wall. The root cause will be there.

  
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Seapup
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Oct 20, 2012 00:56 |  #4

Niccas9 wrote in post #15145576 (external link)
Here is the where I am at...I have been learning and growing as a photographer for the past couple of years and have never been in a financial position to consider buying upgraded glass or body. My current equipment is Canon 50d with kit lens, nifty-fifty, and a 55-250. The two types of photography that I am most drawn to is landscape and portraiture. For landscape I am hoping to get the Canon 10-22 or the comparable Sigma but would like to get a better portrait lens first. I have been doing more and more portraits for close family and friends and am getting to the point where I am going to start marketing myself and charging to make some small change on the side. I want another portrait lens. I would like to hear suggestions from others on a decent lens I can get under $750 preferable. Thanks for the help.

I'd try to borrow or rent a Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS. Just wondering... do you find your nifty-fifty too short for portraiture?


Canon 5D2 | 60D | A620 | SD850 IS | SD4000 IS
Canon 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 | 17-55 f/2.8 IS | 50 f/1.4 | 100 f/2.8L Macro IS | 70-200 f/2.8L IS II | 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS

  
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Scrumhalf
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Oct 20, 2012 01:00 |  #5

Oops, didn't notice that you already has the nifty fifty on your list.


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If I don't get the shots I want with the gear I have, the only optics I need to examine is the mirror on the bathroom wall. The root cause will be there.

  
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Darts
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Oct 20, 2012 04:27 as a reply to  @ Scrumhalf's post |  #6

The 10-22mm is a wonderful landscape lens. You won't be disappointed. See what it can do.
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Niccas9
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Oct 20, 2012 12:45 |  #7

Thanks for the replies. I will expand and clarify a bit. I love my nifty 50 but would like to start adding to my collection to give me more options. I am leaning towards the 85 1.8 or Sigma 85 1.4 like Sirrith mentioned.

As far as a UWA lens is the Canon 10-22 that much better than the competitors to warrant the extra couple hundred dollars? Thanks for the opinions




  
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bubbygator
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Oct 20, 2012 17:34 as a reply to  @ Niccas9's post |  #8

The 85/1.8 is a great lens - but you've got to have enough room to frame your portraits. Upper body should be fine, but full body and/or group will be a challenge in a smaller room.

I don't have a better lens to recommend for under $2K. There's a 24-70/2.8 L at around $2.2K, but it doesn't have IS - so you'll need to shoot from a tripod ... which may not be a big requirement in a photo studio.

You've already got the 50/1.8 - - if you're not having focus problems, it's very flexible. Or try the 50/1.4 at around $400.


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Sirrith
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Oct 20, 2012 18:20 |  #9

Niccas9 wrote in post #15147033 (external link)
As far as a UWA lens is the Canon 10-22 that much better than the competitors to warrant the extra couple hundred dollars? Thanks for the opinions

I've only used the Canon and the Sigma versions. However I chose the Canon over the Tokina offerings because of the well documented weakness to flare of the latter. The Sigma on the other hand doesn't fare too badly with flare. However, the Canon performed a little bit better than the Sigma, in virtually every category. So to me it was worth the price difference.


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saintz
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Oct 20, 2012 18:44 |  #10

10-22 would be best for landscape. 85 f1.8 would be good for portrait (or consider Rokinon 85 1.4).


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Niccas9
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Oct 20, 2012 20:23 |  #11

Sirrith wrote in post #15147826 (external link)
I've only used the Canon and the Sigma versions. However I chose the Canon over the Tokina offerings because of the well documented weakness to flare of the latter. The Sigma on the other hand doesn't fare too badly with flare. However, the Canon performed a little bit better than the Sigma, in virtually every category. So to me it was worth the price difference.

Good point. If I am going to buy a lens for landscape photography I want it to perform well and expect it to last long. Thanks.

Saintz - What is the price point of the Rokinon compared to the Canon?




  
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amfoto1
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Oct 20, 2012 21:27 |  #12

For the portrait lens, consider upgrading from your 50/1.8 to the 50/1.4. It's faster focusing, more accurate too. Also generally better made, nicer bokeh, better color & saturation. The 50/1.4 and the 85/1.8 make a nice pair of portrait lenses on a crop camera like yours. On a cropper, the 50mm and 85mm are the short and long extremes of "traditional" portrait focal lengths. Yes, the 85mm is more of a tight head shot or outdoor portrait lens. Be warned, if you get the 85mm, in comparison you will probably start to find the 50/1.8 disappointing and end up getting the 50/1.4, too! That's why I mentioned it right up front.

When it comes to an ultrawide, you have a number of choices. I haven't used them all, but the Canon 10-22 is one of the best. It's unusually flare resistant for an UWA and has top image quality. It's also one of the most expensive of the UWA lenses.

The Tokina 12-24/4 actually is a close second in flare resistance (merely "very good", compared to the Canon) and image quality, and might be better built. Personally this is the lens I chose, after trying a bunch of different ones. It's considerably less expensive than the Canon, yet it reminds me very much of an L-series ultrawide I used with my film cameras.

The Tokina 11-16/2.8 is the only f2.8 in the bunch, very sharp and excellent image quality, but a very narrow range of focal lengths and a bit prone to flare. I don't really need f2.8 on an UWA lens, so wasn't willing to make the trade-offs and pay more for this lens over the Toki 12-24 (nearly identical build).

Sigma offers three UWA.... the 10-20 with the variable aperture is one of the cheaper choices. I haven't tried the current version, an earlier one didn't impress me for it's IQ. It was softer than the Tokina and had more issues with flare. But there's a newer version now that might be improved. Also there is a second 10-20 with f3.5 non-variable aperture. Don't know much about it, except it's one of the more expensive options. Sigma also offers an 8-16mm, which is the widest lens available (aside from a fisheye). Pretty amazing lens, but has a lot of inherent distortions... that's pretty hard to avoid in such a wide lens.

Finally, Tamron offers a 10-24mm. It covers the widest range of focal lengths in this class of lenses and is one of the least expensive. I haven't tried it, but a lot of people say it's a little soft at the 24mm end of the zoom range. (An earlier Tamron UWA model didn't impress me, though I've used a lot of their lenses over the years and some are tops.)

Sigma also has a 12-24mm, but it's actually a full frame lens. The widest available for full frame, in fact. It's pretty expensive and has some hefty distortion, but it can take shots no other lens can.

All the Rokinon lenses are manual focus and manual aperture only. Doable for landscapes, but wouldn't be my choice for a portrait lens where some of the time I might need to shoot a little faster that this type lens allows. Also, big aperture lenses require more critical focusing, which isn't as easy with today's AF cameras as it was with vintage cameras before AF. There's little or no savings anyway with the Rokinon 85mm compared to the Canon 85/1.8. The Rokinon 14mm I would consider for landscape photography, though (on full frame camera... with a crop camera I'd want a bit wider lens). Note: these same lenses sell rebranded under Samyang, Vivitar, Bower, ProOptic and some other brand names, too. Exact same lenses, sometimes cheaper or more expensive in the other brands.

You might consider used... make your dollars (or whatever) go farther. There's little to go wrong with a lens, as long as it's given reasonable care and not beat up. Just check inside and outside carefully, and take a few test shots with any used lens you might be considering.


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5DII, 7DII, 7D, M5 & others. 10-22mm, Meike 12/2.8,Tokina 12-24/4, 20/2.8, EF-M 22/2, TS 24/3.5L, 24-70/2.8L, 28/1.8, 28-135 IS (x2), TS 45/2.8, 50/1.4, Sigma 56/1.4, Tamron 60/2.0, 70-200/4L IS, 70-200/2.8 IS, 85/1.8, Tamron 90/2.5, 100/2.8 USM, 100-400L II, 135/2L, 180/3.5L, 300/4L IS, 300/2.8L IS, 500/4L IS, EF 1.4X II, EF 2X II. Flashes, strobes & various access. - FLICKR (external link)

  
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Niccas9
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Oct 20, 2012 22:54 |  #13

Amfoto- You hit on some important points that make a lot of sense. Upgrading to a 50 1.4 as well as adding the 85 1.8 isn't out of the realm of possibility. I most do outdoor portraits with natural light. I already find the nifty fifty's limited AF features and I end up using manual focus most of the time and shoot in burst. It costs me to miss some shots that would be great if the focus was maintained. Landscape is the type of photography that is most awe-inspiring to me therefore it is something that I aspire to develop a skill for. Portraiture is something that has become a possible means of income to support my hobby and allow me to buy more gear.

I think my goal is going to be to sell a couple of lenses I have and see if I can get one of the two mentioned lenses used for a similar price and then pony up to buy the other. I will probably wait on an UWA as there is some other equipment that I would like to add.




  
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