Landscape/real estate, nightclub, street & portraits for $1000

I need to be able to do all these things for around 1000 bucks.. It's a mission I know

I have a 5d mark ii

My old 550d+10-20+17-50 combo could do all these things well enough, but after using a 5d2 im starting fresh

Was thinking..

A) used 24-70L.. Bit over a thousand but that's okay

B) 17-40, sigma 50, canon 85

C) used 24-105, sigma 50.. I realise my landscape and real estate would suffer by doing this

D) used 35L.. Saying bugger it and making do with what i got.

What do you guys think?

Rokinon 14, canon 35 f2, canon/sigma 50 1.4, canon 85 1.8

Real estate with 24mm as your widest would not be good...
But a wide manual lens (like the 14mm above) should bail you out

I've done commercial real estate with a 24-70.. it was tough, but doable. 14mm would be ideal, and if it's for landscape / real estate, manual is fine. I wouldn't use 24-70 in a nightclub unless you've got a flash and know how to use it. If I had to choose a single lens for combo nightclub / street / portrait, I guess it'd be the Sigma 50 1.4 (or the Canon, though for 50mm I'd personally go Sigma). 85 1.8 would be better for portrait, but I think at 50mm on FF, you can get away with it for all 3.

You want to cover a lot for 1000$ which is not a lot of money.

Samyang 14mm manual focus is really sharp albeit a bit of distortion. You can fix that in photoshop
A 28mm or 35mm prime
50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.8

It looks like you are a crop user so I will definitely go with this:

Tokina 11-16 F2.8
One of the 17-50/55 lenses F2.8
Canon 85F1.8

Bonbridge wrote in post #15362088
It looks like you are a crop user so I will definitely go with this:

Tokina 11-16 F2.8
One of the 17-50/55 lenses F2.8
Canon 85F1.8

OP says he has a 5DII.

I'd pick up the following used lenses:

Samyang/Bower/Rokinon 14mm 2.8 - $300
Tamron 28-75 2.8 - $300
Canon 85 1.8 - $325

If you don't have one and can swing it, add a 430EX and you'd have a lot of bang for your buck within your budget.

I would look at the 35 f/2 IS. It looks neato. f/2 and ISO 3200 with IS at a nightclub WO flash sounds golden to me...

I think I'll be picking that one up myself.

24-105 + flash (considering your budget)

14mm for the real estate. Pick up a MF copy for $300.

Sigma 24-70 2.8 ($700 on B&H right now)
430EXII ($255)

Then save, and get a wider prime.

I would save money by going with the YN-565 ot 568 flash. I own both and they are fantastic. Tammy 28-75 I also own, another fantastic lens, go new at 500 and you get 6 year warranty. Then, on the %D2, which I also have, the ef 100Mm F2 (sister lens to the 85) is perfect for portraits. I found that when I got my 5D2 that the 100 felt so natural for portraits indoors and out. Same or better IQ than the 86 Go used and do the Rockinon, Tammy for general use, and the 100 for portraits, what a perfect lens setupthat would be, Tammy for a little over 3, the 100 for around 350, and the Rokinon 325, and aYN-565 flash, you are sitting nicely

I have the B) setup and it works for me. I think it would be almost impossible to get all three for $1000 though, even used. I got great deals (50 and 85 new, 17-40L was refurbished) and paid around $1300 total.

LucasCK wrote in post #15361118
B) 17-40, sigma 50, canon 85

Skip the Sigma 50. Use that money to buy a couple cheap flashes and wireless triggers, cheap stands, cheap umbrellas.

The 17-40 and 85 along with some lights will cover everything you want to do.